Programs

The post-Cold War era came to an abrupt end when Russia’s invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The United States’ growing rivalry with China meanwhile presents challenges in every area of foreign affairs. We are thus living in a suddenly more complex, dangerous era. Threats to democracy and fundamental human rights have expanded to include cyber warfare, space weaponry and digital authoritarianism, including the manipulation of social media. At the same time, political polarization at home raises questions about American leadership in global affairs. Flawed past decisions that led to long troop deployments abroad without achieving basic goals have weakened the national resolve to tackle new challenges as they arise. The questions that the Council seeks to explore are, can the United States learn from its mistakes – as well as from its past successes? Will it continue playing the lead role in supporting a rules-based world order, or will it abandon that role to malign actors whose main goal is to displace American leadership? In this critical moment, the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs contributes to these debates by providing a public forum for distinguished experts in foreign affairs.