Issue briefs and reports

Russia after Putin: How to rebuild the state

By Anders Åslund and Leonid Gozman

We do not know when and how President Putin’s regime will end, but there are signs that it is struggling and the end could come in the foreseeable future. We need to start discussing now how a new state should be built on the ruins of the old system.

The North Atlantic community renewed: Challenges, trends, and solutions

By Richard D. Hooker, Jr.

With 900 million people and $1 trillion in defense spending, the United States and Europe represent by far the largest, oldest, and most capable economic and security community in the world.

Iraq: A road map for recovery

By C. Anthony Pfaff

In a new report, Iraq: A roadmap for recovery, Dr. C. Anthony Pfaff outlines some of the most important discussions, findings, and recommendations of the dialogue.

Russia’s nuclear activity in 2019: Increasing strength and pressure

By Maxim Starchak

Russia's nuclear arsenal is a cornerstone of its political and military influence. 2019 stands out as a year with notable shifts in activity, with key indications that nuclear forces will remain a critical mechanism for Moscow to exert pressure.

Weaponized: How rumors about COVID-19’s origins led to a narrative arms race

By Luiza Bandeira, Nika Aleksejeva, Tessa Knight, Jean le Roux, Graham Brookie, Iain Robertson, Andy Carvin, Zarine Kharazian

A joint research project from the Digital Forensic Research Lab and the Associate Press on information environments during the first six months of COVID-19.

Toward a future EU-UK relationship in foreign policy and defense

By Gen. Stéphane Abrial, Sir Peter Westmacott, Olivier-Rémy Bel

The UK and the EU will continue to share the same geography, the same strategic environment, and the same values, a reality recognized on both sides of the Channel. As the UK moves on from the Brexit process, it should find in the EU a partner sharing the same values and aspirations.

Atlantic Council’s DFRLab publishes new report in Just Security: #StopTheSteal: A timeline of social media and extremist activities leading up to 1/6 insurrection

In-depth investigation offers the most comprehensive timeline for #StopTheSteal to date.

Toward trilateral arms control: Options for bringing China into the fold

By Matthew Kroenig, Mark J. Massa

The Cold War-era paradigm of bilateral arms control between the United States and Russia is becoming increasingly untenable. Including a rising China with a growing nuclear arsenal is essential. This issue brief shows the way forward with options for bringing China into the nuclear arms control fold on a trilateral basis with the United States and Russia.

Ensuring Energy Security in a Renewables World

By Ben Hertz-Shargel

Renewable sources of energy are gaining an increasing share of the US energy mix, bolstered by state-level commitments as well as corporate power purchase agreements. However, while renewables have become increasingly cost competitive, they still face challenges, especially related to intermittency and storage. The Global Energy Center’s new issue brief, “Ensuring Energy Security in a […]

Assumption #1: Revisionist states are the cause of great-power competition

By Emma Ashford

Policymakers should intensify efforts to understand the scope of ambition of other states, focus less on forward deployment and engage in reassurance measures.