Religion and Foreign Policy Bulletin |
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Sudanese who fled El Fasher after paramilitary forces killed hundreds of people in the western Darfur region, crowd to receive food at their camp in Tawila, Sudan. (Mohammed Abaker/AP) |
The November 2025 Religion and Foreign Policy Bulletin highlights COP30 and climate policy; democracy, peace, and security around the globe; and the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. |
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From COP3 to COP30 and Beyond: The Future of Climate Negotiations
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Brazil's Finance Minister Fernando Haddad speaks during the ministerial preparatory meeting (Pre-COP30), ahead of the COP30 Climate Summit, in Brasilia, Brazil. (REUTERS/Mateus Bonomi)
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Against the backdrop of COP30 in Brazil, panelists discuss the future of global climate negotiations and reflect on lessons learned from past climate diplomacy efforts, including the legacy of COP3’s 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Watch the event video on CFR.org
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Global Climate Policy Is Broken |
Nearly three decades after the ratification of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and a decade after the Paris Agreement, University of Toronto’s Jessica F. Green argues that global climate policy is broken. She points out the underlying problem—that national and international policies prop up the fossil fuel economy—and offers alternatives for effective climate diplomacy. Read the article on ForeignAffairs.com
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Small Island Nations Remain Sidelined at Climate Conferences |
Fijian fisherwomen gather near a boat after returning from harvesting sea grapes at sea. (REUTERS/Jill Gralow)
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Earlier this month, representatives from nearly 200 countries gathered in Belém, Brazil, for the thirtieth Conference of the Parties (COP30). Sushree Nibedita Panda, public health researcher at the George Institute for Global Health, India, and independent public health researcher Manish Barik, urge international climate committees to prioritize the inclusion of representatives from small island developing states, which are often overlooked in global climate change conversations. Read the article on ThinkGlobalHealth.org
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Paris to Kyoto: The History of UN Climate Agreements |
2025 marks the ten-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement. While some countries have made progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, many are still not on track to meet climate commitments. This CFR Backgrounder outlines key UN climate agreements, the debate over which countries are responsible for global warming, and alternatives to climate action outside the United Nations. Read the Backgrounder on CFR.org
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Democracy, Peace, and Security |
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The Regime Change Temptation in Venezuela |
What began in early September as American airstrikes on boats allegedly trafficking drugs in the Caribbean now seems to have evolved into a campaign to oust Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. George Washington University’s Alexander B. Downes and Boston College’s Lindsey A. O’Rourke warn that attempts at regime change face formidable challenges, citing the United States’ long history of failed interventions. Read the article on ForeignAffairs.com
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Can Democracy Still Make a Comeback?
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Voting in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, October 2025
(Reuters/Luc Gnago)
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Democracy has faltered in recent years as autocratic leaders consolidate power amid reduced U.S. support for democracy both abroad and at home. Former Chair of the bipartisan Commission on the National Defense Strategy Jane Harman argues that democratic resilience is still possible, but only with the infrastructure, solidarity, and leadership needed to turn demands for freedom and dignity into durable political gains. Read the article on ForeignAffairs.com
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Trump’s Focus on Christians Misses Boko Haram’s Wider Threat in Nigeria
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The Trump administration recently announced that his administration would halt all aid to Nigeria and deploy U.S. troops to the country if it did not take concerted efforts to stop “targeted violence against Christians.” CFR expert Ebenezer Obadare posits that while many Nigerians welcome the global spotlight on the activities of Boko Haram, they worry about the unintended effects of unilateral U.S. military action inside the country. Read the Expert Brief on CFR.org
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Women, Peace, and Security: A Bipartisan Conversation With Representatives Lois Frankel and Jen Kiggans
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The Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan |
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The Forgotten War in Sudan
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At a displaced persons camp in Tawila, Sudan, October 2025. (Mohammed Jamal / Reuters)
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What Is the Extent of Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis?
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Sudan is enduring the world’s largest and fastest growing internal displacement and hunger crisis. The recent Rapid Support Forces (RSF) capture of the last major government-held city in Darfur marked an end to an eighteen-month siege but raised the risk of a de facto partition of the country. CFR.org writers Mariel Ferragamo and Diana Roy explain the origins of the conflict and the extent of the humanitarian crisis in the country. Read the article on CFR.org
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Terror Returns to Darfur: Only American Pressure Can Stop the Killing in Sudan |
On October 26, the world finally turned its eyes toward the genocidal massacre happening in Sudan following the capture of El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). World Peace Foundation’s Alex de Waal urges the White House to wield direct pressure to secure a cease-fire in Sudan and deliver more humanitarian aid before the situation worsens yet again. Read the article on ForeignAffairs.com
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The CFR Religion and Foreign Policy monthly bulletin highlights policy analysis by its fellows and experts for the religion community. |
About the CFR Religion and Foreign Policy Program |
CFR’s Religion and Foreign Policy program serves as a resource for faith leaders and policymakers, and offers a forum for congregational leaders, seminary heads, scholars of religion, and representatives of faith-based organizations to discuss global issues in an interfaith environment. For more information, contact CFR’s Religion and Foreign Policy program at 212.434.9497 or religionprogram@cfr.org.
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About the Council on Foreign Relations |
The mission of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is to inform U.S. engagement with the world. Founded in 1921, CFR is a nonpartisan, independent national membership organization, think tank, educator, and publisher, including of Foreign Affairs. It generates policy-relevant ideas and analysis, convenes experts and policymakers, and promotes informed public discussion—all to have impact on the most consequential issues facing the United States and the world.
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