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.

Content

Issue Brief

Nov 22, 2019

What do we know about cyber escalation? Observations from simulations and surveys

By Benjamin Jensen and Brandon Valeriano

Do cyber operations alter how states respond to international crises in a way that creates incentives for decision makers to cross the Rubicon and use military force to settle disputes? This question is central to current cyber strategy debates and the idea of persistent engagement and defending forward in cyberspace. The answer is surprising: no. Based on the evidence, cyber operations offer a valuable escalatory offramp.

Cybersecurity

Report

Nov 14, 2019

Over the horizon: NATO joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in the Baltic Sea region

By Task Force Co-Chairs: ADM Mark E. Ferguson, III, USN (Ret.) and AM Sir Christopher Harper, RAF (Ret.) Project Director: Dr. Richard D. Hooker, Jr.

NATO joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance is about getting the right information to the right person at the right time in the right format.

Drones Intelligence

Report

Nov 12, 2019

Thinking foreign policy in Russia: Think tanks and grand narratives

By Anton Barbashin & Alexander Graef

Russia’s post-Crimean foreign policy does not exist in a vacuum. Its ramifications are colliding with regional and global trends that are effectively destabilizing the post-Cold War international order.

Civil Society International Norms

Atlantic Council Strategy Paper Series

Oct 30, 2019

Present at the re-creation: A global strategy for revitalizing, adapting, and defending a rules-based international system

By Ash Jain, Matthew Kroenig

We need a new strategy—one that is both ambitious and innovative, geared towards meeting the challenges and opportunities that the new decade brings.

China NATO

Atlantic Council Strategy Paper Series

Oct 30, 2019

Global risks 2035 update: Decline or new renaissance?

By Mathew Burrows

Our conclusion in 2016’s Global Risks 2035 was that state-on-state conflict posed a bigger threat than terrorism. In the two years since, the post-Cold War order has continued to unravel without a “new normal” emerging.

China NATO

Issue Brief

Oct 28, 2019

Prospects of the Russian protest movement

By Ksenia Kirillova

Amid a summer of protest and Vladimir Putin's declining popularity, Ksenia Kirillova looks at the Russian protests victories, weaknesses, and next steps.

Elections Political Reform

Issue Brief

Oct 28, 2019

Prospects of the Russian protest movement

Amid a summer of protest and Vladimir Putin's declining popularity, Ksenia Kirillova looks at the Russian protests victories, weaknesses, and next steps.

Elections Political Reform

Issue Brief

Oct 28, 2019

Перспективы российского протестного движения

By Ксения Кириллова

Итоги выборов в Москве подтвердили как рост протестных настроений среди населения, так и способность оппозиции мобилизовать и координировать свои действия.

Elections Political Reform

Issue Brief

Oct 28, 2019

Перспективы российского протестного движения

By Ksenia Kirillova

Итоги выборов в Москве подтвердили как рост протестных настроений среди населения, так и способность оппозиции мобилизовать и координировать свои действия.

Elections Political Reform

Report

Oct 22, 2019

More in the Med: Come La NATO Può Rifocalizzare Il Suo Impegno Sul Fronte Meridionale E L’italia Guidare Il Processo

By Ambassador Alexander Vershbow and Lauren Speranza

Though NATO has made considerable progress in deterring an aggressive Russia to the east, it falls short in its "southern strategy." Ambassador Alexander Vershbow and Lauren Speranza suggest three major courses of action to develop NATO's strategy towards its southern flank.

Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia