Issue briefs and reports

Issue briefs and reports

Our programs and centers deliver in-depth, highly relevant issue briefs and reports that break new ground, shift opinions, and set agendas on public policy, with a focus on advancing debates by integrating foundational research and analysis with concrete policy solutions.

ASEAN-5 in an era of geoeconomic realignment: Opportunities and risks in a fragmenting global economy

Global Energy Agenda Jun 8, 2026

2026 Global Energy Agenda full survey results

The Global Energy Agenda takes the pulse of the energy community, revealing expert views on global energy security, access, and sustainability.
Africa Americas
ASEAN-5 in an era of geoeconomic realignment: Opportunities and risks in a fragmenting global economy

Report Jun 1, 2026

Atlantic Council Commission on AI lays a roadmap for US leadership in the age of AI

By Atlantic Council experts

The flagship report of the Atlantic Council Commission on AI and US competitiveness, which presents an action-oriented roadmap for strengthening US domestic AI capacity.
Artificial Intelligence Cybersecurity
ASEAN-5 in an era of geoeconomic realignment: Opportunities and risks in a fragmenting global economy

Issue Brief Jun 9, 2026

How global authoritarians sustain inequality

By Deng Liu

Authoritarian leaders across the world use targeted strategies to sustain inequality. But developing countries should instead pull from a variety of existing development models to create societal prosperity.
East Asia Freedom and Prosperity

Content

Issue Brief

Aug 3, 2026

ASEAN-5 in an era of geoeconomic realignment: Opportunities and risks in a fragmenting global economy

By Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou

ASEAN-5 is poised to become an increasingly important engine of global growth, supported by young populations, improving human capital, abundant resources, and deep integration into global supply chains. Yet fragmentation, trade tensions, climate risks, infrastructure gaps, and regulatory constraints could limit this potential, making coordinated reforms essential to securing resilient and sustained regional economic progress.

East Asia Economy & Business

Issue Brief

Jul 31, 2026

The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz is a heavy blow to the deteriorating maritime order

By Elisabeth Braw

Iran’s use of a maritime chokepoint as a geopolitical tool—implemented in response to a war that violates the United Nations Charter—and the United States’ inconsistent response dramatically undermine the global maritime order and open the door for further such closures.

Economy & Business Geopolitics & Energy Security

Russia Tomorrow

Jul 30, 2026

Outer Russia: How the war has sent culture into exile

By Mikhail Zygar

The latest report in the Atlantic Council's Russia Tomorrow series examines the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Russian culture in Russia and abroad.

Civil Society English

Issue Brief

Jul 29, 2026

Reversing Mexico’s economic and democratic decline

By Vanessa Rubio-Márquez

Now classified as a "low freedom" country in the Freedom and Prosperity Indexes, Mexico must reverse its institutional erosion to advance long-term prosperity. The lens of the Freedom and Prosperity Indexes offers an opportunity to overcome polarization and chart a path forward with fact-based analysis.

Economy & Business Freedom and Prosperity

Report

Jul 29, 2026

Boosting the Western Balkans’ digital transformation: The key role of the private sector

By Jelisaveta Lazarević and Zoja Kukic Dordevic

In the Western Balkans, the private sector can play a meaningful role in promoting economic development through information and communication technology and digitalization.

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia

Issue Brief

Jul 22, 2026

How Japan is managing the energy shock

By Ben Cahill

Japan has so far managed the Hormuz oil market disruption comparatively well, but it will have to reassess its long-term energy strategy.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

Report

Jul 22, 2026

Mapping US investment in Latin America and the Caribbean

By Jose Antonio Gonzalez Anaya, Martin Cassinelli

China’s investments in Latin America and the Caribbean grab headlines, but though the US has long been the region’s largest investor less is known about where its investments go. New data shows which countries and sectors receive the most US investment, and how that investment affects local economies.

Economy & Business Latin America

Issue Brief

Jul 21, 2026

Colombia’s path to growth and opportunity through cooperation with the United States

By the US–Colombia Strategic Alignment Coalition

Abelardo de la Espriella will take office as Colombia's next president on August 7, inheriting a challenging fiscal deficit, elevated borrowing costs, and softening investor confidence. As his government works to restore growth, the Atlantic Council's US–Colombia Strategic Alignment Coalition outlines how strengthened trade and investment with the United States can boost economic opportunity across agribusiness, energy, critical minerals, and tourism.

Americas Colombia

Report

Jul 16, 2026

Artificial intelligence and the future of African mining

By Anthony Carroll and Jef Karel Caers

Artificial intelligence and digitalization offer African states, the United States, and allied partners an opportunity to move beyond legacy constraints and one-sided partnerships in the mining sector.

Africa Artificial Intelligence

Report

Jul 15, 2026

2026 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes: The legal foundations that enable prosperity are rapidly eroding

By Ignacio Campomanes, Nina Dannaoui-Johnson, Annie (Yu-Lin) Lee, James Mazzarella

Adherence to the rule of law has declined sharply since 2020. Drawing on thirty years of data across 171 countries, the 2026 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes show why that matters: without strong legal foundations, economic reforms stall, democracies erode, and prosperity stays out of reach for millions.

Freedom and Prosperity Rule of Law
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