Scowcroft Center Research & Reports

Global Foresight 2036

In this year’s Global Foresight edition, our experts share findings from our survey of geostrategists on how human affairs could unfold over the next decade. Our scholars spot “snow leopards” that could have major unexpected impacts over the next decade. And our tech experts put AI’s forecasting ability to the test.

Welcome to 2036: What the world could look like in ten years, according to nearly 450 experts

By Mary Kate Aylward, Peter Engelke, Uri Friedman, and Paul Kielstra

We polled geostrategists and foresight practitioners on our most burning questions about the biggest drivers of change over the next decade. Check out their forecasts on everything from the future of NATO to the rise of cryptocurrency.

The Global Foresight 2036 survey: Full results

In the fall of 2025, the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security surveyed the future, asking leading geostrategists and foresight experts around the world to answer our most burning questions about the biggest drivers of change over the next ten years. Here are the full results. 

AI and the future

What does the next year, decade, and beyond hold for AI? We interviewed the Atlantic Council’s tech experts to learn more about AI’s future, and whether it can help us better understand our own.

Six ‘snow leopards’ to watch for in the decade ahead

By Uliana Certan, Nikita Shah, Ginger Matchett, Sarah Wallace, Dominique Ramsawak, Tatevik Khachatryan

Our scholars scan the horizon for the underappreciated phenomena that could have outsize impact on the world, driving global change and shaping the future.

Mining without rules: The risky US bet on the deep sea

By Elisabeth Braw

Amid efforts to acquire coveted critical minerals, in April 2025 the United States permitted deep-sea mining within international waters. Elisabeth Braw explores the implications of the Trump Administration’s move for global maritime norms.

A new Arctic strategy for Sweden

By David Auerswald

Sweden has the largest Nordic economy, a defense budget double what it was in 2022 and set to grow more, and cross-party consensus behind the foreign policy shifts that led Stockholm to join NATO in 2024. The government can and should shift its approach in the High North to a singular focus on deterring Russia.

Sweden’s role in countering hybrid threats in the Baltic Sea region

By Justina Budginaite-Froehly

The accession of Sweden to NATO brought the majority of the Baltic Sea under alliance control. Despite NATO’s conventional superiority in the region, Russia continues to probe the Alliance’s resolve with actions below the threshold of armed conflict. What advantages can NATO’s newest members offer the Alliance as it faces this aggression?

The US needs a cybersecurity roadmap

By Franklin D. Kramer, Robert J. Butler, and Melanie J. Teplinsky

A national cybersecurity strategy will require an operational road map.

Countering Russian escalation in space

By John Klein, Clementine G. Starling-Daniels

Current US space policy and acquisitions are inadequate to address the growing threats from Russia in space. The United States needs a more resilient space architecture, able to withstand major-power conflict—and Russia’s designs to place a nuclear weapon in orbit. Here are fifteen recommendations to make that happen.