Chicago Council on Global Affairs

10/10/2026

Propaganda and disinformation campaigns have existed in various forms throughout history. But what makes today's disinformation fundamentally different?

"We're bombarded with information on a daily basis through what we see on social media and various platforms . . . we can't separate ourselves from it—we live in it," Paweł Markiewicz of the Polish Institute of International Affairs shared onstage at a Council event last night. "And that creates that atmosphere where this disinformation gets woven into what we see, what we hear, what we read, and what we communicate with."

Watch the full conversation on Europe's fight against disinformation with Markiewicz, Vanessa Audemard d'Alançon of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs at the Embassy of France, and the Council's Ari Tabatabai at: https://bit.ly/4hwcEom

This program is held in partnership with the Consulate General of France in Chicago and the Consulate General of Poland in New York.

10/09/2026

In an increasingly competitive and multipolar world, how is Africa navigating this landscape and finding its place in global affairs?

This week, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Frances Brown, Northwestern University's Richard Joseph, and SOAS University of London's Adam Habib joined Council President & CEO Leslie Vinjamuri to discuss Africa’s place in a changing global order.

Watch the full conversation in partnership with SOAS University of London: https://bit.ly/4iOoY4i

Photos: Ana Miyares Photography

10/09/2026

Could Israel’s upcoming elections usher in new leadership and a shift in national security policy?

“I think a new government can do something else,” says Shira Efron of RAND Corporation. “And also it must because of the pressures from the US.”

She joined Council President & CEO Leslie Vinjamuri on Deep Dish to discuss what’s at stake in Israel’s first national election since the October 7 attacks, and what the outcome could mean for Gaza, the West Bank, and the country’s path forward. Out now: https://bit.ly/4jcuVZm

10/08/2026

The Council is pleased to welcom Dr. Mark Copelovitch as senior nonresident fellow on the global economy; Mallory Knodel as senior nonresident fellow on technology and governance; Dr. Patrick Leblond as senior nonresident fellow on global trade; and Professor Peter Trubowitz as Lester Crown senior nonresident fellow on US foreign policy. They will join the Council's roster of esteemed experts in contributing to the Council’s thought leadership, programming, and research.

Learn more about each fellow: https://vist.ly/5mm9f

10/08/2026

With a growing range of economic and diplomatic partners, African countries are diversifying their relationships to create more choice and potentially more leverage. But engagement with great powers—including China, the United States, and Russia—may create as much constraint as opportunity.

“I think that the vast majority of the big players on the continent—Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya—look toward what I call a strategic autonomy,” SOAS University of London's Adam Habib told a Council audience on Wednesday. “And strategic autonomy is play great powers against each other to maximize developmental concessions for your own country.”

Watch his full discussion with Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Frances Brown, Northwestern University’s Richard Joseph, and Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri: https://bit.ly/4iOoY4i

10/08/2026

Three years after the October 7 attacks, RAND Corporation’s Shira Efron says Israel is “still in the trauma phase.” With the country now heading into its first national election since the attacks, what could the outcome mean for Gaza and the West Bank?

On this week's episode of Deep Dish, Efron and Council President & CEO Leslie Vinjamuri discuss what’s at stake, why Israel is facing growing pressure at home and abroad, and whether a new government could put the country on a different path. Out now: https://bit.ly/4jcuVZm

10/08/2026

Later this month, the Council will honor Ambassador Cindy McCain, David J. Vitale, and Chris Myers as the recipients of the 2026 Global Leadership Award. The award recognizes individuals for their extraordinary leadership and commitment to creating a more open and promising world for all.

McCain, Vitale, and Myers will be honored at the 23rd annual Global Leadership Awards Dinner on Wednesday, October 28, at the Four Seasons Hotel. Visit our website to RSVP: https://vist.ly/5mj63

10/08/2026

Can America’s industrial base handle a two-front war? Council Distinguished Fellow Kathleen Hicks joined Seth Jones of CSIS | Center for Strategic & International Studies to discuss how industrial production shapes US military readiness, what China’s military buildup means for deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, and how the Pentagon is integrating AI.

Host Seth Jones sits down with The Honorable Dr. Kathleen Hicks, the 35th U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense and former director of the International Security Program at CSIS, to discuss how industrial production shapes U.S. military readiness across multiple theaters.

10/07/2026

"As long as each provocation costs Moscow nothing more than a downed drone, Putin has every reason to keep escalating. And every escalation in turn increases the risk that one of these incidents will end in catastrophic loss of life," Council Distinguished Nonresident Fellow in Defense and Security Julianne Smith writes for Foreign Affairs. "Mobilizing collective action to impose costs is the best chance the alliance has of preventing such a scenario."

Julianne Smith, who represented the United States at NATO during the Biden administration, argues that Russian hybrid warfare in Europe is escalating quickly, and NATO is not doing enough to deter it. Putin is attempting to discourage support for Ukraine and undermine faith in Article 5, and NATO is...

10/06/2026

US support for Israel has been an enduring and bipartisan component of US foreign policy. But after three years of war in the Middle East, public attitudes are shifting.

Key takeaways from the latest Council poll:

— Americans overall give Israel an average rating of 44 degrees on a 0-100 thermometer scale—the lowest level recorded in Council surveys dating back to 1978.
— For the first time, more than half of Americans (a combined 56%) say US military aid to Israel should be either decreased (21%) or stopped altogether (35%)
— Consistent with earlier polling, a majority of the US public believes the United States should not take a side in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians (56%).

Explore the data ➡️ https://bit.ly/4rPbw2T