Chicago Council on Global Affairs

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The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, founded in 1922 as The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, is a leading independent, nonpartisan organization committed to influencing the discourse on global issues through contributions to opinion and policy formation, leadership dialogue, and public learning.

The Chicago Council brings the world to Chicago by hosting public programs and private events featuring world leaders and experts with diverse views on a wide range of global topics. Through task forces, conferences, studies, and leadership dialogue, the Council brings Chicago’s ideas and opinions to the world.

[edit] Activities

The Council seeks to provide its members, policymakers, and the general public with a forum for the consideration of international issues and their bearing on American public policy. The Council organizes more than 150 meetings each year, including lectures, seminars, conferences, and a travel program. The Council hosts policymakers and foreign experts from around the world, offering participants the opportunity to ask questions, voice their opinions, and engage in candid discussions.

The Council also produces publications, including an internationally renowned biennial public opinion survey, and reports generated by task forces convened to study a specific issue. Recent task force topics have included:

"Engaging China and India: An Economic Agenda for Japan and the United States"
"Modernizing America's Farm and Food Policy: Vision for a New Direction"
"A Shared Future: The Economic Engagement of Greater Chicago and Its Mexican Community"

[edit] History

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs was founded as the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations February 20, 1922. At its inception, the Council included 23 members with the purpose of opposing what they viewed as U.S. isolationism during the first World War.