Chicago Council on Global Affairs

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is an American international affairs think tank located in Chicago, Illinois, with a stated mission of "increasing knowledge and engagement in global affairs and empowering more people to help shape our global future."[2]

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs
AbbreviationCCGA
Formation1922
TypeGlobal Affairs Think tank, Nonpartisan Organization
HeadquartersChicago, Illinois, United States
President
Ivo H. Daalder
Key people
Revenue (2014)
$16,549,622[1]
Expenses (2014)$14,353,917[1]
Websitewww.thechicagocouncil.org

History

edit
 
President Ivo H. Daalder

The Council was formed on February 20, 1922. Originally named The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, the organization was established as a neutral forum for discussing foreign affairs during a period of isolationism in the United States after World War I.[3]

Adlai Stevenson served as the Council's president from 1935 to 1937.[4] The Council launched World Spotlight in 1955, a weekly television series airing on WTTW.[3] The series aired for about 5 years and featured Council Director Carter Davidson and guests, who discussed world events.[5] In 1971, John E. Rielly became the Council's executive director, and in 1974, became president, serving in the leadership position until 2001.[6] Under Rielly, the Council began releasing annual surveys of American public opinion on United States foreign policy.[7]

In September 2006, the Council changed its name from the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.[8] Former United States NATO Ambassador Ivo Daalder became president of the Council in July 2013.[9] In 2016 it was ranked No. 1 "Think Tank to Watch" by the University of Pennsylvania's Think Tank and Civil Societies Program.[10]

Events

edit

The Council hosts public events with international speakers, policymakers, business executives, journalists, and other experts. In 2014–15, the Council disclosed that it held more than 200 public and private programs with approximately 41,600 attendees in person and online.[11]

Notable speakers at the Council have included Eleanor Roosevelt,[3] Margaret Thatcher,[12] Mikhail Gorbachev,[13] Viktor Yushchenko,[14] Tony Blair,[15] Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,[16] King Abdullah II,[17] Jon Stewart, Ben Bernanke,[18] Tim Geithner,[19] Robert Gates,[20] Janet Yellen, and Hillary Clinton.[21] Several past or current United States presidents have also spoken at the Council, including Gerald Ford,[22] Jimmy Carter,[23] Ronald Reagan,[24] and Barack Obama.[25]

In May 2015, the Council partnered with the Financial Times to host the Chicago Forum on Global Cities, a three-day international event exploring how global cities can address issues like education, inequality, security, and climate change.[26][27]

The Council also hosts an annual Global Food Security Symposium, which it says is focused on the United States government's and international community's progress on addressing the problem of food insecurity.[28] The event has drawn speakers such as Hillary Clinton,[29] Barack Obama,[30] and USAID administrator Rajiv Shah.[31]

Research

edit

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs conducts research on food and agriculture, global cities, economics, energy, immigration, security, public opinion, and water.[32] Among its recent publications, the Council released reports for initiatives in global hunger and arming Ukraine. According to Rajiv Shah, the Council's 2009 report, "Renewing American Leadership in the Fight Against Global Hunger and Poverty,"[33] served as a "road map" for the U.S. government's Feed the Future.[34]

In February 2015, the Council partnered with the Brookings Institution and the Atlantic Council to produce "Preserving Ukraine's Independence, Resisting Russian Aggression: What the United States and NATO Must Do"[35] a report urging the United States and NATO to provide lethal defensive assistance to preserve Ukraine's independence.[36][37]

In March 2017, the Council released a report showing that immigration accounted for a large share of the population growth in the Midwest.[38] In Chicago and Akron, immigrants accounted for more than half of the population growth.[38] In the metropolitan areas of Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Minneapolis, they accounted for at least a quarter of the population growth.[38] In some Midwestern cities and towns, immigrants are staving off population decline.[38]

Funding

edit

The Chicago Council is funded through individual membership contributions, corporate memberships, and foundation grants. In the 2015 fiscal year, the Council took in $7.5 million from individuals, $7.8 million from corporations, and $2.4 million from foundations.[11][39]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "The Chicago Council on Global Affair" (PDF). Foundation Center. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  2. ^ "About Us". The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Chicago Council on Foreign Relations Records, Special Collections, University of Illinois at Chicago". Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  4. ^ "Adlai Ewing Stevenson: An Urbane, Witty, Articulate Politician and Diplomat". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  5. ^ "75 Years: Pointing the Way to International Understanding" (PDF). The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations. 1997. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  6. ^ "John E. Rielly: Department of Political Science - Northwestern University". www.polisci.northwestern.edu. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  7. ^ "Chicago Council on Global Affairs - Roper Center". Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  8. ^ Greising, David (September 1, 2006). "Foreign relations council gives its name a makeover". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  9. ^ Harris, Melissa (February 14, 2013). "NATO Ivo Daalder to head Chicago Council on Global Affairs". Archived from the original on May 11, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  10. ^ McGann, James G. (January 1, 2016). "2015 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ a b "2014–15 Year in Review". The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  12. ^ "Speech to Foreign Relations Council of Chicago | Margaret Thatcher Foundation". www.margaretthatcher.org. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  13. ^ "Gorbachev Foreign Policy Tour". C-SPAN.org. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  14. ^ "Yushchenko Greets Chicago Ukrainians: Northwestern University News". www.northwestern.edu. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  15. ^ "Tony Blair speech to Chicago Council on Global Affairs | Latest News | The Office of Tony Blair". www.tonyblairoffice.org. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  16. ^ "Statement by Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf President of the Republic of Liberia The Role of Agriculture in Post-Conflict Recovery: The Case of Liberia". May 20, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  17. ^ "King Abdullah II Official Website | Press Room | News Room King speaks at Chicago Council on Global Affairs". King Abdullah II Official Website - King Of The Hashemite Kingdom Of Jordan. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  18. ^ MarksJarvis, Gail (October 14, 2015). "Bernanke takes credit for fixing (and blame for causing) financial crisis". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  19. ^ MarksJarvis, Gail. "Former Treasury secretary defends bailout". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  20. ^ "Member Exclusive: Secretary Robert Gates on Leadership". Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  21. ^ The Chicago Council on Global Affairs (June 8, 2012), Keynote by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at The Chicago Council's Symposium, archived from the original on December 14, 2021, retrieved August 1, 2016
  22. ^ "THE DAILY DIARY OF PRESIDENT GERALD R. FORD MARCH 12, 1976" (PDF). The White House. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  23. ^ "Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume I, Foundations of Foreign Policy - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  24. ^ "PEACE AND SECURITY IN THE 1980s: Address by Ronald Reagan to the CHICAGO COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS" (PDF). Inside the Cold War. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  25. ^ "Remarks of Senator Barack Obama to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs". Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  26. ^ Bergen, Kathy (March 24, 2015). "Global cities forum to draw international leaders". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  27. ^ Bergen, Kathy (June 4, 2014). "Chicago council to launch summit to support cities' global growth". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  28. ^ "Global Food Security Symposium". The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  29. ^ "Secretary Clinton's Remarks on Global Food Security". Feed the Future. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  30. ^ "Remarks by the President at Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security". whitehouse.gov. May 18, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2016 – via National Archives.
  31. ^ "Remarks by Administrator Rajiv Shah at the Chicago Council for Global Affairs". www.usaid.gov. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  32. ^ "Publications". Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  33. ^ Affairs, Chicago Council on Global. "Renewing American Leadership in the Fight Against Global Hunger and Poverty - Chicago Council on Global Affairs". Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  34. ^ "Remarks by USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah at the Chicago Council Symposium on Agriculture and Food Security". www.usaid.gov. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  35. ^ Affairs, Chicago Council on Global. "Preserving Ukraine's Independence, Resisting Russian Aggression: What the United States and NATO Must Do - Chicago Council on Global Affairs". Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  36. ^ Foroohar, Kambiz; Walcott, John. "Obama Urged by Former U.S. Officials to Arm Ukrainian Forces". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  37. ^ "Preserving Ukraine's Independence, Resisting Russian Aggression: What the United States and NATO Must Do | Brookings Institution". Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  38. ^ a b c d Connors, Will (March 23, 2017). "In the Midwest, Immigrants Are Stemming Population Decline". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  39. ^ Bergen, Kathy (January 13, 2015). "Chicago Council on Global Affairs to expand research with $1.5M grant". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
edit