Issue briefs and reports

The US-UK “special relationship” at a critical crossroads

In this issue brief, Dr. Foerster and Dr. Raymond outline the key elements of this unique relationship and provide their recommendations for strengthening the partnership that helps anchor the liberal international order.

The European Union could be simple, inclusive, or effective. Pick two.

By Dimiter Toshkov

To many, the European Union (EU) is a complex entity overburdened by rules. In The European Union Could Be Simple, Inclusive, or Effective. Pick Two., author Dimiter Toshkov, an associate professor at the Institute of Public Administration at Leiden University, presents the structural dilemma facing the EU: accommodating the diverse interests of twenty-eight member states […]

Libya: From intervention to proxy war

By Karim Mezran and Elissa Miller

More than six years after Libya’s 2011 revolution against Muammar al-Qaddafi, the situation in the country is significantly more complex and dangerous. The failure of the 2011 NATO intervention to assist the country with a comprehensive stabilization process led to rapid deterioration on the ground and created an opportunity for external actors to pursue competing […]

Libya: From intervention to proxy war

By Karim Mezran and Elissa Miller

In this issue brief, Dr. Karim Mezran and Elissa Miller explore the dynamics of regional and international actors most involved in Libya’s proxy conflict, as well as recent incidents of escalation that threaten to further destabilize the country.

Partner operations in Syria: Lessons learned and the way forward

By Aaron Stein

This report is based on a series of interviews with US officials and details two efforts to achieve US objectives to take back territory from ISIS in Syria—with elements trained in Turkey, as part of the Train and Equip program, and through the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the dominant local force in northeastern Syria. The […]

Journey to the West: Chinese opportunities in European infrastructure expansion

By Maximilian Gebhardt

Maximilian Gebhardt explores the implications and challenges of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for European Union infrastructure investments in the latest issue brief from the Atlantic Council’s Future Europe Initiative: “Journey to the West: Chinese Opportunities in European Infrastructure Expansion.” As the European Union aims to deepen integration, particularly in the field of infrastructure, […]

Journey to the West: Chinese opportunities in European infrastructure expansion

By Maximilian Gebhardt

Maximilian Gebhardt explores the implications and challenges of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for European Union infrastructure investments in the latest issue brief from the Atlantic Council’s Future Europe Initiative

Big Data: a twenty-first century arms race

By Atlantic Council and Thomson Reuters

We are living in a world awash in data. Accelerated interconnectivity, driven by the proliferation of internet-connected devices, has led to an explosion of data—big data.