Our Goals

America's conduct of foreign policy demands that, as a nation, we address the dual realities of new threats and opportunities in a world that is more connected and interdependent, where technology has eclipsed traditional understandings of borders and security. The Foreign Policy Studies Program, under the direction of vice president and director, Martin Indyk, has two goals:

(1) To understand the dynamics of world affairs and the challenges they pose to the international community.

(2) To influence policies and institutions in the United States and abroad that promote sustainable peace, security, and prosperity around the world.

Our Areas of Focus

Established and Emerging Powers. China and India's re-emergence as powers and their rapid industrialization have raised security, economic and governance questions linked to trade, proliferation, poverty, and the environment. Established powers-the United States, Europe, Japan, Russia-must build common approaches to questions linked to the rapid development of emerging countries, and to issues such as terrorism, ethnic conflict, energy security, and infectious diseases. Our challenge is to influence the dynamics of change to avoid zero-sum solutions to problems that require today's powers to commit to collective security, recognizing that no state alone can make itself invulnerable.

Redefining Security. Increasingly, we face international challenges and threats from poor, weak and failing states that cannot exert the rule of law or meet the aspirations of their people. Instability abroad can lead to regional instability and become a platform for terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime. As a nation, the United States is challenged to diffuse these emerging threats and respond competently. Both civilian and military entities alike must modernize and adapt technology and response capabilities. Experience has shown that the United States must act in partnership with others to advance our interests in unstable regions; this requires a new understanding of international engagement and capabilities.

Politics, Economics, Security. Foreign Policy Studies works closely with the Brookings Global Economy and Development Program to examine ways in which economics affect political and security issues, and vice versa. For example, achieving U.S. energy security demands that we understand the geopolitical factors driving key consumers and producers and how they affect global markets. Even voting patterns at the UN on issues of international security may be driven by the economic interests of voting nations.

Adapting Institutions. The profound changes in international relations require institutional changes to formulate and carry out sound policy. Do current models for regional and international institutions work? Does our own system for engaging the rest of the world reflect the challenges and opportunities we face? The United States has a unique opportunity to redefine our role in the world and to help shape the nature of multilateral and regional institutions as we adjust to post cold-war and post-9/11 challenges. Conversely, failure to make these institutional adaptations will almost guarantee that we cannot advance our security and prosperity as the world changes around us.

Our Structure

The Foreign Policy Studies Program conducts its research through the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies, the Center on the United States and Europe, the John L. Thornton China Center, the Internally Displaced Persons Project, the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World, the 21st Century Defense Initiative, and a team of independent experts with expertise ranging from military reform to the geopolitics of energy. For information on general employment, fellowships, internships, and guest affiliations, please reference the employment section of the Brookings website.

Our Centers, Projects and Initiatives

John L. Thornton China Center

The John L. Thornton China Center develops timely, independent analyses and policy recommendations to help U.S. and Chinese leaders address key long-term challenges. The Center focuses on an array of issues, including U.S.-China relations and China’s internal development. With China emerging as a major economic power and playing a growing role in the global community, the Center produces important research and events focusing on China’s economy and domestic and international policy decisions.

Saban Center for Middle East Policy

The Saban Center for Middle East Policy conducts original research and develops innovative programs to promote a better understanding of policy choices in the Mideast region. The Saban Center’s projects and initiatives focus on foreign policy issues facing the United States and international decision makers in Israel, the Gulf region, and the Arab and Islamic worlds. Saban Center initiatives include the Middle East Democracy and Development Project.

U.S. Relations with the Islamic World

The Saban Center’s Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World conducts policy research and hosts events that focus on the major issues confronting the United States and Muslim-majority states. Together with the Brookings Doha Center in Qatar, the Project convenes public forums, carries out research, and issues publications designed to educate, foster frank dialogue, and build positive partnerships among U.S. and Islamic communities. Each year, the Project holds the U.S.-Islamic World Forum, a major international conference that brings together leaders from the fields of politics, business, civil society, the media, and academia for discussion and debate. The Project also sponsors two initiatives that explore the use of the arts and the sciences to further understanding and promote partnerships between the United States and the Muslim world.

Center on the United States and Europe

The Center on the United States and Europe is dedicated to the study of Europe and U.S.-European relations and the key issues that confront these important allies. The Center generates research and events that serve the needs of U.S. and European officials, policymakers, and scholars. The Center’s research program focuses on three key areas: the U.S. and European role in the Mideast, Asia, and the overall international order; the completion of the European zone of peace, including the Balkans, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine; and the consequences of European Union integration, especially in terms of its impact on relations with the United States. Extending its reach further, the Center also houses specific programs on France, Italy, Russia, and Turkey.

Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies

Established in 1998, the Brookings Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies (CNAPS) conducts research, analysis, and outreach designed to enhance policy development and understanding on the pressing political, economic, and security issues facing the Northeast Asia region of the world. CNAPS sponsors up to six Visiting Fellows from the region each year who spend up to ten months at Brookings conducting research, interacting with U.S. policymakers, and actively participating in a rich program of seminars, roundtables, and discussions organized by the Center.

Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement

The Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement promotes more effective national, regional, and international responses to the global problem of people displaced by natural disasters and armed conflict. The Project supports the efforts of the U.N. Representative of the Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, and hosts seminars and symposia on various issues related to internal displacement.

Latin America Initiative

In 2008, Foreign Policy at Brookings launched a new effort to stimulate and shape U.S. re-engagement in Latin America. The Latin America Initiative works to re-establish the U.S. as an influential force in the region, with the goal of advancing social, economic, and trade agendas that promote common political and security interests in the hemisphere. The Initiative’s research focuses on five core areas: emerging powers of Brazil and Mexico; U.S. policy toward Cuba in transition; shaping the U.S. immigration debate; black networks; and political and economic implications of unmet expectations. The Initiative hosts the Partnership for the Americas Commission charged with providing concrete policy ideas for addressing these and related challenges of mutual concern within the hemisphere.

Energy Security Initiative

Foreign Policy at Brookings oversees a Brookings-wide effort entitled the Energy Security Initiative. This project produces insights into the critical role of energy security within U.S. public and private sector decision making. Energy Security Initiative research and analysis have contributed to Congressional testimony and to discussions within Executive Branch offices and agencies, the media, and all levels of public and private sector entities within Washington, D.C. and beyond.

21st Century Defense Initiative

The 21st Century Defense Initiative produces cutting-edge research, analysis, and outreach to address critical issues facing defense policymakers in this century. The Initiative focuses on three core issues: the future of war, the future of U.S. defense needs and priorities, and the implications for the U.S. defense agencies and military. The Initiative is also home to the annual Federal Executive Fellows program which hosts mid-career military and intelligence officers as they carry out research in their fields. Further, the Initiative promotes a variety of exchanges between the Executive Fellows, Brookings, and the defense policy world.

Managing Global Insecurity

Built for a different age, different threats, and a different balance of world power, current multi-lateral institutions do not fully meet today’s global security challenges. Managing Global Insecurity (MGI) seeks to address a broad range of issues from climate change and nuclear proliferation to civil strife and terrorism. The goal of MGI is to develop recommendations for U.S officials, the United Nations, and key international partners aimed at generating a new multilateral and multi-national security system.

Brookings Goes Global

In 2006 and 2007, Foreign Policy at Brookings expanded its reach and impact by opening two new international centers in Beijing, China and Doha, Qatar. The Brookings-Tsinghua Center and the Brookings Doha Center bring the same high level of research, policy analysis, and programs to two important regions of the world.

Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy

In October 2006, the Foreign Policy program’s John L. Thornton China Center and China’s Tsinghua University founded a joint center for policy analysis and research. The Brookings-Tsinghua Center (BTC) resides at the University’s School of Public Policy and Management in Beijing. Operationally, the Brookings- Tsinghua Center provides on-the-ground research support for scholars working in the region. The BTC also provides cutting-edge research, analysis, and dialogue that focus on the opportunities and implications of China’s rapid economic and societal growth.

Brookings Doha Center

In October 2007, Foreign Policy at Brookings and its Saban Center for Middle East Policy announced the opening of a center for public policy research and innovative programs in Qatar. The Brookings Doha Center is the first Brookings facility in the Muslim world. The Center undertakes research on the socio-economic and geopolitical issues facing Islamic countries and encourages greater understanding between the United States and Muslim nations.