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.

Western options in a multipolar world

Report Mar 30, 2026

How the West lost the post-Cold War era

By Brian Whitmore

The latest Atlantic Council Eurasia Center report examines the lessons from the post-Cold War period and what the United States and its allies can do to counter Russian revanchism today.
Europe & Eurasia Politics & Diplomacy
Western options in a multipolar world

Atlantic Council Strategy Paper Series Feb 10, 2026

Global Foresight 2036

In this year’s Global Foresight edition, our experts share findings from our survey of geostrategists on how human affairs could unfold over the next decade. Our scholars spot “snow leopards” that could have major unexpected impacts over the next decade. And our tech experts put AI’s forecasting ability to the test.
Africa Central Asia
Western options in a multipolar world

Issue Brief Mar 19, 2026

Federal agencies under pressure need smarter systems, not tougher people

By Caitlin Thompson

Resilience is an important trait for national security practitioners, but it is not a solution for problems with agency and department design. Better systems and strategies can ensure that individuals are fully prepared and ready to respond to crises, rather than consistently under strain.
National Security Resilience

Content

Issue Brief

Nov 27, 2017

Western options in a multipolar world

By Mathew J. Burrows

This paper examines both the possible scenarios for how the emerging multipolar world order could evolve and transatlantic options. It makes the case that, depending on how the West plays its cards, traditional Western values could end up enduring even if an exclusively Western-led order does not.

China Politics & Diplomacy

Report

Nov 21, 2017

Equipping Africa’s primary school learners for the future

By Constance Berry Newman

Education remains a crucial component of economic development and poverty reduction. Primary education is especially important, as it provides students with the foundational skills necessary to continue with advanced education and participate in local and global economies. Collectively, educational benefits extend beyond individuals to benefit broader communities.   Despite its importance, primary education in Africa […]

Africa East Africa

Issue Brief

Nov 20, 2017

Partners or competitors? The future of the Iran-Russia power tandem in the Middle East

By John Herbst

Ambassador John Herbst, director of the Atlantic Council’s Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center, writes in a new issue brief entitled Partners or Competitors? The Future of the Iran-Russia Power Tandem in the Middle East that Russia and Iran are currently drawn into partnership over common regional interests and anti-American policies and sentiments despite centuries of historical […]

Iran Politics & Diplomacy

Report

Nov 15, 2017

Asia in the “Second Nuclear Age”

By Gaurav Kampani and Bharath Gopalaswamy

It is now a truism among foreign and defense policy practitioners that the post Cold War nuclear buildup in the India Pacific region constitutes the drawn of the “second nuclear age.” From the 1990s onward, China’s decision to stir out of its strategic languor and modernize its nuclear arsenal, along with the resolve of India […]

Nuclear Deterrence Nuclear Nonproliferation

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Nov 15, 2017

The Kremlin’s Trojan Horses 2.0

By Atlantic Council

Russian influences in Greece, Italy, and Spain “Russia’s interference in the US presidential election in 2016 sent a signal to the West: democratic societies are deeply vulnerable to foreign influence,” writes Dr. Alina Polyakova in The Kremlin’s Trojan Horses 2.0: Russian Influence in Greece, Italy, and Spain, a new report from the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia […]

Issue Brief

Nov 9, 2017

Iran’s bottom line in Afghanistan

By Alex Vatanka

Due to proximity and historical ties, no other country is as well placed as Iran to play a dominant role in Afghan society, as Middle East Institute senior fellow Alex Vatanka shows in his new paper, Iran’s Bottom Line in Afghanistan. However, Tehran is focused on short-term tactical gains at the expense of a sustainable, […]

Afghanistan Iran

Report

Nov 7, 2017

The Sino-Indian clash and the new geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific

By Bharath Gopalaswamy and Robert Manning

On June 18, 2017, an Indian patrol disrupted construction of a Chinese road along the disputed border of Sikkim, a remote state in northeast India, reigniting a border conflict between China and India. This incident rapidly evolved into a standoff, with the apparent threat of militarized escalation between the two countries. The tension dissipated without […]

Indo-Pacific Maritime Security

Report

Nov 7, 2017

Aviation cybersecurity—Finding lift, minimizing drag

By Pete Cooper

The aviation industry is faced with a complex and critical challenge to carefully balance costs with evolving business imperatives, customer demands, and safety standards.

Cybersecurity English

Report

Nov 6, 2017

Asian Water Security

By Peter Engelke

Read the Publication (PDF) Few  security  risks  are  becoming  as  serious  and  far-reaching  as  those  that  fall  under  the  heading  of  “ecological  overshoot”,  i.e.,  the  idea  that  humans  are  stretching  the  planet’s  resources  to  the  breaking  point  and  even  beyond. The  growing  scarcity  of  fresh  water  on  a  rapidly  changing planet is an important example […]

Issue Brief

Nov 2, 2017

Turkey: Managing tensions and options to engage

By Aaron Stein

This new issue brief argues that the United States should craft a realistic Turkey policy, given the current state of tensions over regional policy and the entrenchment of authoritarianism and illiberalism in Turkey.

Politics & Diplomacy Turkey
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