The article discusses the modern theory of nuclear forces, focusing on effective field theory (EFT) as a systematic and model-independent approach to derive nuclear forces in harmony with Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). It reviews the foundations of EFT and its application to light nuclei at various resolution scales, as well as its extension to many-body systems. The paper outlines the role of chiral symmetry in QCD, the scales in nuclear physics, and the connection between QCD and nuclear forces. It discusses the implications of spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking, the emergence of Goldstone bosons (pions), and the role of pion exchange in nuclear forces. The paper also covers the application of EFT to few-nucleon systems, including the role of the Δ-isobar, pion-nucleon interactions, and hyperon-nucleon interactions. It discusses the challenges of many-body EFT for nuclei, including in-medium chiral perturbation theory, perturbative chiral nuclear dynamics, and the role of pionless EFT. The paper concludes with a summary and perspectives on the future of nuclear EFT.The article discusses the modern theory of nuclear forces, focusing on effective field theory (EFT) as a systematic and model-independent approach to derive nuclear forces in harmony with Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). It reviews the foundations of EFT and its application to light nuclei at various resolution scales, as well as its extension to many-body systems. The paper outlines the role of chiral symmetry in QCD, the scales in nuclear physics, and the connection between QCD and nuclear forces. It discusses the implications of spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking, the emergence of Goldstone bosons (pions), and the role of pion exchange in nuclear forces. The paper also covers the application of EFT to few-nucleon systems, including the role of the Δ-isobar, pion-nucleon interactions, and hyperon-nucleon interactions. It discusses the challenges of many-body EFT for nuclei, including in-medium chiral perturbation theory, perturbative chiral nuclear dynamics, and the role of pionless EFT. The paper concludes with a summary and perspectives on the future of nuclear EFT.