Brent Scowcroft
Brent Scowcroft 1925 – 2020
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Brent Scowcroft, chairman emeritus of the Atlantic Council, president of the Scowcroft Group, and a former national security advisor to the President of the United States, passed away on August 6, 2020, at the age of ninety-five. We pay tribute here to his legacy for the United States and for the Atlantic Council.
Belarus
Lukashenka vs. democracy: Where is Belarus heading?
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko is facing the biggest crisis of his twenty-six-year reign as protests erupt over attempts to falsify the country’s August 9 presidential election. Can he cling on to power?
Lebanon
For Lebanon, the only way out is either revolution or reform
It has become clear, at least since the uprising that started in October 2019, that what the Lebanese are protesting is not a simple case of financial mismanagement, but a fundamentally flawed system that superimposes sectarianism, feudalism, and corruption on every decision made at every level of government.
Trade
Trump’s tariffs on Canada are about more than aluminum
Just five weeks after the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement (USMCA) went into force, the United States slapped a 10 percent national security tariff on aluminum from Canada, its closest ally. The dispute between the two countries has now dominated the trade relationship, but it has nothing to do with aluminum per se.
As the global community continues to grapple with COVID-19 (coronavirus), the Atlantic Council is open for business. All business, meetings, and events, however, are occurring virtually. For more information, please view a statement from our President and CEO.
Europe’s remaining dictatorship
Belarus
Belarus’ election on August 9 was the most severe threat to five-term president Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s regime since he took power more than a quarter century ago. In the wake of the election and opposition protests, Lukashenka is attempting to tighten his grip on the country once more.
Mon, Aug 10, 2020
Lukashenka vs. democracy: Where is Belarus heading?
Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka is facing the biggest crisis of his 26-year reign as protests erupt over attempts to falsify the country’s August 9 presidential election. Can he cling on to power?
Sun, Aug 9, 2020
Europe’s last dictator: The rise and (possible) fall of Alyaksandr Lukashenka
Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus for 26 years and earned the dubious title of “Europe’s last dictator” but his country has experienced a pro-democracy awakening during this year’s presidential election campaign.
UkraineAlert by Anders Åslund
Mon, Jul 20, 2020
Belarus presidential vote: Ukrainian MPs join calls for democratic breakthrough
The August 9 presidential election in Belarus promises to have major geopolitical ramifications for the entire region. A cross-party group of Ukrainian MPs has formed an association to support democracy in Belarus ahead of the vote.
UkraineAlert by
Coronavirus
A global crisis
While global policymakers race to contain the coronavirus, the outbreak has already disrupted the global economy and challenged the strength of societies. The pandemic has transformed relations between countries and could trigger a significant shift in the international order.
Tue, Aug 11, 2020
Financial regulation in the face of COVID-19: Resilient but complex clockwork
The COVID-19 outbreak has presented the financial system with its most challenging test since the global financial crisis ten years ago—and the system has held up.
Tue, Aug 4, 2020
As COVID-19 spreads, Africa needs another “London Moment”
Last month’s Group of Twenty (G20) finance ministers’ meeting proved that the international community is too cautious about helping Africa in its time of need. Is the G20 prepared to face the consequences of its inaction?
New Atlanticist by
Fri, Jun 12, 2020
How COVID-19 is worsening America’s racial economic divide
While the White House cheered the surprising jobs numbers on June 5, many Americans—especially people of color, women, lower-skilled workers, young people, or rural residents—remain out of work and left behind by this nascent recovery.
New Atlanticist by Nicole Goldin, PhD
Upcoming events
Atlantic Council Front Page
#ACFrontPage harnesses the convening power and expertise of the Council’s fourteen programs and centers to spotlight the world’s most prominent leaders and the most compelling ideas across sectors. The virtual platform engages new audiences eager for nonpartisan and constructive solutions to current global challenges. This widely promoted 45-minute program features the Council’s most important guests and content serving as the highlight of our programming each week.
Commentary and analysis
Mon, Jun 29, 2020
NAFTA’s successor is about to take effect. Here’s why it will be good for North America—and bad for the WTO
While the USMCA preserves free-trade flows among the three member countries, its use by the United States as a template for future trade negotiations, starting with the EU and the United Kingdom, would have a far-reaching effect on future developments of world trade.
New Atlanticist by Hung Tran
Tue, Jun 23, 2020
US government broadcasters have long advanced the cause of freedom. Now they’re under threat.
One of the most effective tools for explaining America and its best values to the world may vanish. But you don’t advance freedom by dismantling free institutions or a free press. You advance it by empowering them.
New Atlanticist by Josh Lipsky, Daniel Fried
Mon, Jun 8, 2020
Where does China really stand on debt relief?
So far, many developing countries have avoided the worst effects of the virus. But it may be only a matter of time before underdeveloped health systems are overwhelmed. China can make a big difference by accelerating debt relief. But it is not clear whether Beijing is prepared to act under any motivation beyond the bottom-line concerns of its own lending institutions.
New Atlanticist by
In-depth research and reports
Flagship events
2020 Distinguished Leadership Awards
Among the most significant events on the Washington calendar celebrating global leaders, the Distinguished Leadership Awards is one of the Atlantic Council’s flagship convenings – bringing together a global audience of over 800 guests from more than fifty countries–including global policymakers, business leaders, military brass, and top-tier media.
Global Energy Forum
The Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Forum is the go-to conference on the geopolitics of the energy transformation, where energy and foreign policy leaders come together to set the energy agenda for the year and examine the longer-term geopolitical and geo-economic implications of the changing energy system. Held in Abu Dhabi 10-12 January under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, the forum is held in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Energy and Industry, ADNOC, and Mubadala, and is part of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
2019 Global Citizen Awards
The tenth annual Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards honored President of the Republic of Chile Sebastián Piñera; Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte; Brian Grazer, storyteller, movie and television producer, founder, and philanthropist; will.i.am, founder of the Black Eyed Peas, Founder & CEO of I.AM+, and Founder and President, i.am.angel Foundation.
From the Atlantic Council’s Blogs
Foresight, Strategy, and Risks Initiative
Mathew J. Burrows
Director
Dr. Mathew J. Burrows serves as the director of the Atlantic Council’s Foresight, Strategy, and Risks Initiative in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. He was appointed counselor to the National Intelligence Council (NIC) in 2007 and director of the Analysis and Production Staff (APS) in 2010.
Fri, Mar 27, 2020
AI, society and governance: An introduction
AI’s increasing range of applications are having real-world consequences, both positive and negative. Those consequences, in turn, have animated spirited and at times emotional debates about how governments can craft policies to come to grips with a world increasingly shaped by AI.
Wed, Oct 30, 2019
Global risks 2035 update: Decline or new renaissance?
Our conclusion in 2016’s Global Risks 2035 was that state-on-state conflict posed a bigger threat than terrorism. In the two years since, the post-Cold War order has continued to unravel without a “new normal” emerging.
Atlantic Council Strategy Paper Series by Mathew J. Burrows
Wed, Apr 3, 2019
Ecology Meets Geopolitics
As the rivers produced by the Himalayas and other mountain ranges on the Plateau are under increasingly serious pressure, water insecurity threatens much of the continent’s peace and security.
Report by
Critical Issues
Resilience
The growing threats of climate change, migration, natural disasters, and spillover from violent conflict are forcing policy makers to focus on the resilience of their societies and institutions. While not all crises can be avoided, societies can be made more resilient through proper preparation before, during, and after a disaster or shock occurs.
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Disinformation
The rise of the internet and online social networks has altered the scope and scale at which people access, consume, and communicate information. But the same technologies that have democratized access to information have also enabled malicious actors who seek to undermine our democratic values and processes. Disinformation is false or misleading information spread with the intention to deceive.
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NATO
NATO is the bedrock of transatlantic security, encompassing nearly thirty democracies across North America and Europe. Created to defend against the Soviet Union, the Alliance today protects member states against conventional attack, engages in peacekeeping and stabilization operations, and leads counterterrorism and piracy efforts. NATO works with partner countries around the world and continues to promise an “open door” for countries to become members if they fulfill the Alliance’s democratic and operational standards.
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Critical Regions
Africa
A continent of fifty-four nations, Africa holds vast opportunity and promise. Its 1.2 billion population is expected to double by 2050 and become the world’s largest region. Alongside this demographic boom, Africa is home to almost half the world’s fastest-growing economies as its leaders are taking steps to expand the movement of goods, people, and capital within the continent. Demand for democracy is high and protest movements have proven that citizen activism can unseat consolidated African strongmen.
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Europe & Eurasia
Stretching from the shores of the Atlantic to the mountains of Central Asia, the European and Eurasian landmass contains both some of the most stable and wealthy countries in the world, as well as some of the poorest and those led by repressive regimes. After centuries of devastating conflicts, new institutions and organizations for economic, political, and security integration provide an opportunity to bring stability
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Middle East
Stretching from the Western Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, the Middle East continues to be a region struggling with violent conflict, political repression, and poor development. Numerous pro-democracy protest movements, a burgeoning youth population, and efforts to reform governments and lessen economic dependence on oil, however, are causes for optimism. The United States and the international community must remain engaged with the region to provide support for these positive moves and to address the many remaining challenges.
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