Issue briefs and reports

Currency policy options for the Palestinian economy

By Avia Liberman, Melanie Robbins

The Palestinian economy conducts much of its daily interactions in a currency it does not issue or control. Is there a viable alternative?

The future of money in Palestine

By Atlantic Council experts

Gaza needs more than billions in reconstruction funding. It needs a financial system that can move that money securely to households, businesses, and public institutions—and keep it from being lost, diverted, or blocked.

Opening Africa’s skies to trade, growth, and jobs

By Tom Bonsundy-O’Bryan

Air transport in Africa could be a powerful multiplier of growth, underpin regional trade, and fuel skilled job creation. What's holding the continent's air travel sector back?

A Colombia-Venezuela agenda for recovery, security, and economic growth

By the US-Colombia Strategic Alignment Coalition

The recent earthquakes in Venezuela and Colombia have created urgent humanitarian needs that will require sustained international support. As recovery advances, the US-Colombia Strategic Alignment Coalition outlines how both countries, with US support, can build a cooperation agenda.

Sovereignty without borders: Decoding the transatlantic digital relationship at a time of change

An examination of the EU–US trust deficit and its implications for digital policymaking.

A path toward sustainable security in Colombia

By Geoff Ramsey, Ilona Barrero

Colombia has a long road ahead to sustainable peace. Recognizing the failures of past approaches, the incoming government could seek a new security strategy that draws on building state presence in conflict areas and clear institutional frameworks to foster safety and security for Colombian citizens going forward.

Digitizing Gaza’s financial system

By Sami Abu Yousef, Melanie Robbins

A modern payment system could allow households and businesses in Gaza to receive aid, earn income, and transact safely during reconstruction. But it can only function with reliable internet, suitable devices, and robust identity verification.

Mapeo de la inversión estadounidense en América Latina y el Caribe

By Jose Antonio Gonzalez Anaya, Martin Cassinelli

Las inversiones de China en América Latina y el Caribe acaparan los titulares pero, aunque Estados Unidos ha sido durante mucho tiempo el mayor inversionista de la región, se sabe menos sobre hacia dónde van sus inversiones. Nuevos datos muestran qué países y sectores reciben la mayor inversión estadounidense, y cómo esa inversión afecta a las economías locales.

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.

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.