Scowcroft Center Commentary, Analysis, & Reports

Europe’s no-panic playbook for a radically different US foreign policy

By Hans Binnendijk, James J. Townsend Jr.

How should the United States' allies, particularly in Europe, adapt to this new reality in US foreign policy?

How NATO can strengthen the transatlantic defense industrial base in Ankara and beyond

By Stephen Tankel

It is critical to ensure that US and European efforts to strengthen their respective defense industrial bases are reinforcing and mutually beneficial.

Europe should take the long bet on the US and the transatlantic security relationship

By Ian Brzezinski, Philippe Dickinson

In Ankara, European leaders must seize the opportunity to reinforce the long-term foundations of the Alliance.

Civilian infrastructure is now a strategic target. NATO must adapt to protect it.

Allies must preserve the ability to move, reinforce, sustain, communicate, mobilize, and, if necessary, fight under conditions of disruption.

Innovation ranges: How NATO can test and deploy cutting-edge capabilities faster

By Satu Vasamo-Koskinen

Dedicated ranges provide realistic, physical sites for the testing and experimentation of emerging technologies.

Europe and the Gulf have untapped strengths to counter great-power chaos

By Alex Elnagdy

The two regions should work together to increase their strategic autonomy through infrastructure projects, free trade agreements, and scalable defense deals.

When innovation becomes security: Finland’s innovation ecosystem in transition

By Satu Vasamo-Koskinen

Geopolitical tensions are reshaping innovation ecosystems, with dual-use technologies increasingly linking economic competitiveness and security. In Finland, NATO membership has accelerated this shift, creating new opportunities for innovators to engage with NATO DIANA and contribute to allied defense innovation.

European allies can boost NATO unity at the Ankara summit by accelerating eastern flank deterrence

By Richard D. Hooker, Jr.

The allies should agree to station full-strength combat brigades in each of the Baltic states to deter possible Russian aggression.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte: Expect deals in Ankara, plus a sharp message to Moscow

By Katherine Golden

Rutte spoke at an Atlantic Council Front Page event, arguing that the Ankara summit could wind up “even more important” than last year’s in The Hague.

How European NATO allies are stepping up, by the numbers

By Kristen Taylor, Matt Trunkey

Expect NATO leadership to focus on three main issues: defense spending, defense industrial production, and aid to Ukraine.

Who’s to blame for the UK’s high turnover of prime ministers?

By Philippe Dickinson, Charles Lichfield

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s resignation again raises questions about whether the current difficulty lies in the candidate, the country, or the system.

The Ankara summit is an opportunity for NATO to ramp up engagement with its southern neighborhood

By Jason Davidson, Matt Trunkey

The Alliance can use the upcoming summit in Turkey to advance four policies that will help it increase its security along its south.

The case for a US Northeast Asia Command

By Christopher Lee, Ben Blane, and Markus Garlauskas

To maximize its deterrent and warfighting effectiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, the United States must reform its military command-and-control structure in Northeast Asia.

NATO’s southern flank is exposed. Portugal can help fortify it.

By Randi Charno Levine

The Alliance was not designed to focus only on its easter flank. Vulnerabilities to NATO’s south are accumulating faster than strategy is adapting.