Pretty much
Is that a yes or no?
Yes, it is a yes or no.
It appears that you are only able to digest very small bites
Responses such as the above do that to me.
So far I have been told the CFR is like the Hardball television show, they do not make policy, nor do they have a position on the issues, they just sit around and debate, like a debate club.
Are you telling me now this same organization might very well have influence over government policy? And if so, does that mean they actually do have positions on the issues?
Are you following me here? Can you tell where this is going next?
Are you following me here? Can you tell where this is going next?
How many "policy-makers" do we have in this country? 435? 535? 600+? See where this is going next? If you decide that the 435th most influential member of the House of Representatives is a "policy-maker" then anybody that can influence that representative could be argued to have (in your words) "power, or influence to change anything in regards to law, politics, government policies etc". Therefore, if that particular congressman believes every word of the now defunct World News Weekly to be the final authority on a policy issue, then you could argue that a defunct tabloid has power or influence to change law, politics, government policies, etc.
As an organization, the CFR only has the power or influence of publishing ideas. The extent to which those ideas may or may not influence any policy-maker is anybody's guess. The CFR does not have any authority or legislative or policy-making power. I don't know how much more clearly it can be stated.