Lester Crown Center on US Foreign Policy

Shaping debates and informing decisions on important US foreign policy issues.
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Public Opinion
Chicago Council Survey data tracks trends in American public opinion on US foreign policy since 1975.
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Research
Analysis and policy recommendations on US foreign policy and national security.
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Policymakers and influencers share their experience and insight to keep the public informed.
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From the Lester Crown Center

RESEARCH Report by Karl Friedhoff
The Quad's Next Chapter
leaders of Australia, the United States, Japan, and India pose for a photo leaders of Australia, the United States, Japan, and India pose for a photo leaders of Australia, the United States, Japan, and India pose for a photo leaders of Australia, the United States, Japan, and India pose for a photo US Foreign Policy
AP Photos
Advancing the group's pillars of prosperity and development will be at the very heart of competition with China in the coming decade.
From left, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, China's President Xi Jinping, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for a BRICS group photo during the 2023 BRICS Summit From left, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, China's President Xi Jinping, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for a BRICS group photo during the 2023 BRICS Summit From left, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, China's President Xi Jinping, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for a BRICS group photo during the 2023 BRICS Summit From left, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, China's President Xi Jinping, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for a BRICS group photo during the 2023 BRICS Summit Global Politics
AP PHOTOS
BRICS Expansion Explained: New Members, New Challenges
Podcast Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast
Shipping containers are seen stacked on the Evergreen terminal at the Port of Los Angeles Shipping containers are seen stacked on the Evergreen terminal at the Port of Los Angeles Shipping containers are seen stacked on the Evergreen terminal at the Port of Los Angeles Shipping containers are seen stacked on the Evergreen terminal at the Port of Los Angeles Public Opinion
AP Photos
Changing US Attitudes on Trade
Blog Running Numbers by Joshua Busby

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USA AFRICOM
US Foreign Policy

Less is More: A New Strategy for US Security Assistance to Africa

RESEARCH Report
The US strategy toward Africa today is neither effective nor sustainable. It’s time to flip the script.

Commentary and Analysis

Brian Hanson and Lizzy Shackelford record Deep Dish
Deep Dish Podcast

Hosts Brian Hanson and Elizabeth Shackelford sits down with guests to go beyond the headlines on critical global issues in this weekly podcast series.

A screenshot of a recording of World Review on May 22, 2020.
World Review

Former NATO Ambassador and Council CEO Ivo Daalder talks with leading media commentators about emerging global news during this live streaming show every Friday at 10 a.m. CT.

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Running Numbers Blog

A public opinion, probabilities, and everything data-related blog featuring commentary and analysis from polling and foreign policy experts.

Ivo Daalder appears on PBS Newshour
Reuters
In the News

Commentary and analysis from Lester Crown Center experts featured in digital, print, and TV news.

Meet the Experts
All Lester Crown Center experts
Headshot for Dina Smeltz

Dina Smeltz

Senior Fellow, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
Dina Smeltz, a polling expert, has more than 25 years of experience designing and fielding international social and political surveys. Prior to joining the Council to lead its annual survey of American attitudes on US foreign policy, she served in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the US State Department's Office of Research from 1992 to 2008.
More about Dina
Council staff Elizabeth Shackelford

Elizabeth Shackelford

Senior Fellow, US Foreign Policy
Elizabeth Shackelford, a former career diplomat who served the US Mission to Somalia and the US Embassy in South Sudan, focuses on building awareness and understanding of a "restraint" approach to foreign policy, which seeks to limit the use of force to core US security interests and favors diplomatic engagement.
More about Elizabeth
Council expert Karl Friedhoff

Karl Friedhoff

Marshall M. Bouton Fellow for Asia Studies
Karl Friedhoff was a Korea Foundation-Mansfield Foundation US-Korea Nexus Scholar and a member of the Mansfield Foundation’s Trilateral Working Group prior to joining the Council. Previously, he was a program officer in the Public Opinion Studies Program at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies based in Seoul, South Korea.
More about Karl
All Lester Crown Center experts

Center at a Glance

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Reuters
Public Opinion Surveys on US Foreign Policy

First conducted in 1974, the now annual Chicago Council Survey highlights critical trends and shifts in American views on US foreign policy over time.

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Task Forces on National Security

Thought leaders convened for task forces analyze and make recommendations on a range of timely national security and foreign policy issues.

General Jim Mattis speaking at the Council
Lester Crown Lecture on US Foreign Policy

Each year, audiences hear from and question a national security leader, fostering dialogue and building deeper understanding of critical issues.

President Joe Biden arrives for the G20 leaders' summit
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Foreign Policy Matters Newsletter

Our biweekly newsletter offers context and expert analysis about major foreign policy issues facing the world today.

Crown Center Events

Director Bernard-Henri Lévy walking with three soldiers.
Marc Roussel
"Slava Ukraini" Film Screening
PAST EVENT

Join the Council for a screening of Bernard-Henri Lévy’s  "Slava Ukraini," a war diary from the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

A headshot of Richard Haass
Council on Foreign Relations
Protecting American Democracy: What Can Americans Do?
PAST EVENT VIDEO

Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass offers suggestions on steps we can take to preserve American democracy and tackle challenges facing the United States.

Silhouette of a soldier tipping their cap behind the yellow portion of a Ukrainian flag.
Reuters
Why Should We Care about Russia's War against Ukraine? 
PAST EVENT

What does the war in Ukraine mean for the Chicago community? Council President Ivo Daalder joins local leaders from Rotary Magazine to discuss.

President Joe Biden at St. Muredach's Cathedral in Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland.
Reuters
The Transatlantic Relationship in the 21st Century: An Irish Perspective
PAST EVENT

Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason provides her perspective on the future of the relationship between Ireland and the United States.