United States Think Tanks

Founded in 1921, The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan organization, providing analysis and resource to help people better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. CFR produces the blog "Asia Unbound" which addresses current affairs in Asia. Episodes for the podcast titled "The President's Inbox" also regularly broadcasts episodes related to Asia.

Foreign Affairs (1922–present), which is published by The Council on Foreign Relations, is a leading journal on American foreign policy and global affairs. To access issues of the journal, click the cover image at left. There are many viewing options, but I recommend using "HeinOnline" because it preserves the original typesetting and illustrations.

The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC. For the latest blog posts and reports related to China click Here. The John L. Thornton China Center (est. 2006)in Washington is a leading research center on China’s political system and its foreign and economic policies. The Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy at Tsinghua University in Beijing informs China’s leadership and the Chinese policy community.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP)  focuses on disorder, governance, geoeconomics, strategy, technology, international affairs, and international peace. Click here for the CEIP's analysis of Japan. For its analysis of Taiwan click Here. For broader analysis of East Asia click Here. Click here to explore regions and topics. The affiliated Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing facilitates collaborative dialogue and research to identify constructive solutions to common global challenges.

Founded in 1962, The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) sponsors in several research initiatives related to China, including: China Analysis; China Power Project; Chinese Business and Economics; Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative; Freeman Chair in Chinese Studies; and Reconnecting Asia.  See also the podcast: The Asian Chess Board.

Eurasia Group is a consulting firm that seeks to forecast fast-moving risks and opportunities. They provide risk assessment briefs on their website that are useful for scholars of international relations. 

GZERO Media, a subsidiary of Eurasia Group, produces interviews, podcasts, and newsletters that provide intelligent and engaging coverage of global affairs.

Since 1968, The Wilson Center convenes scholars to create a global dialogue of ideas that Congress and the international policy community can act on.  Click here for analysis on Asia.

BYU students now have free premium access to all content on The China Project (formerly SupChina). This site is very helpful for staying up to date with current affairs affecting China and US-China relations. The cultural analysis is also very good. Click and use your @BYU.edu email address to register for a free account.

The Hoover Institution is an ideologically conservative organization that promotes "the principles of individual, economic, and political freedom; private enterprise; and representative government."  Link to the Hoover Institute's Asia Collection. Explore the work of Hoover Fellows with expertise about Asia.

Asia Society is dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States in a global context. Across the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, the Society aims to address present challenges and create a shared future. The Asia Society also produces the podcast The Asia Inside Out.

Founded in 1948, the RAND Corporation's research concentrates on energy, education, health care, justice, the environment, international affairs, and national security. For analysis and commentary on China click Here; for Taiwan click Here; For Hong Kong click Here. RAND also operates the Tang Institute of US-China Relations.

The Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) is dedicated to strengthening prosperity and human welfare in the global economy through expert analysis and practical policy solutions.

Founded in 1989, the Stimson Center has pioneered practical new steps toward stability and security in an uncertain world. Today, as changes in power and technology usher in a challenging new era, Stimson generates innovative ideas and analysis to promote international security, prosperity, and justice. The Stimson Center produces significant research on Asia.

The Cato Institute, founded in 1977 by Charles Koch, Ed Crane, and Murray Rothbard, is an American Libertarian public policy research organization “dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace."

Respected Foreign Think Tanks

Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is an independent world-leading policy institute based in London. Its mission is to help governments and societies build a sustainably secure, prosperous, and just world. It aims to accomplish this mission by (1) engaging governments, the private sector, civil society and our members in open debates and private discussions on the major issues in world politics; (2) Providing rigorous analysis of critical global, regional and country-specific challenges and opportunities; and (3) training the next generation of policy influencers to deepen their knowledge of the critical political issues and to develop their analytical and problem-solving skills. For analysis on China, click Here. For analysis particularly dedicated to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), click Here.

Opened to the public in 1980, the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) is a  respected Think Tank that publishes analysis and opinion on important international  issues affecting China. CICIR also publishes the journal Contemporary International Relations six times a year. To access this journal navigate to the National Social Science Database, create a personal login, paste “Contemporary International Relations” into the main search box, browse and download any articles of interest. There is a lag between the publication of a new issue and its appearance in the database.

The French Institute of International Relations or Institut Française des Relations Internationales. IFRI is the leading independent research and debate institution in France dedicated to the analysis of international issues and global governance. Founded in 1979, IFRI’s policy-oriented research is useful for political and economic decision-makers, academics, opinion leaders, and civil society representatives. To access IFRI’s China analysis, click Here.

The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), founded in 1959, is a private, nonpartisan policy think-tank focused on foreign affairs and security issues. In addition to a wide range of research projects, the institute promotes dialogues and joint studies with other institutions and experts at home and abroad, examines Japanese foreign policy and makes proposals to the government, and disseminates information on international relations to the public.