Sociology of the CFR and RIIA

Abstract

This chapter provides a more detailed introduction to the two think tanks by examining and comparing their origins, aims and the social, economic, political and other backgrounds of their members and leaders. Who were the men who founded the two oldest and most prestigious foreign affairs think tanks in the world? From which walks of life did they emerge? What positions did they occupy at the creation, and how did they progress? What were their political party allegiances, their connections with the worlds of finance and industry or with the state? What were their religious affiliations? What was their position in relation to other elements of the foreign policy establishment? Answers to these questions enhance our understanding of what made the CFR and Chatham House ‘tick’.