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.

Losing Syria and Iraq to jihadists

Russia Tomorrow Feb 18, 2026

Negotiating with Putin’s Russia

By Donald N. Jensen, Iuliia Osmolovska

The latest report in the Atlantic Council’s Russia Tomorrow examines Russia’s negotiating tactics and how the US can adjust its diplomatic strategies in turn.
Disinformation Eastern Europe
Losing Syria and Iraq to jihadists

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
Losing Syria and Iraq to jihadists

In-Depth Research & Reports Feb 26, 2026

The state of great power competition in the Gulf

By Jonathan Fulton

This issue brief examines Gulf states’ strategic positioning amid shifting global power dynamics, the opportunities and challenges of great power competition, and regional efforts toward de-escalation and development.
Economy & Business Energy & Environment

Content

Issue Brief

Jun 27, 2014

Losing Syria and Iraq to jihadists

By Faysal Itani

Jihadists in Iraq and Syria, led by the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) are capturing cities, energy assets, and military hardware daily. They now control a territory the size of Jordan and are building a state from which they aspire and are increasingly able to attack US regional interests, allies, and the United […]

Iraq Syria

Report

Jun 25, 2014

NATO in an Era of Global Competition

By Magnus Nordenman

As NATO winds down its combat operation in Afghanistan, the Alliance faces the most strategically constraining and competitive security environment since the end of the Cold War. The rise of Asia, changing demographics, disruptive technologies, the shale gas revolution, and an uncertain US leadership role in the world will all significantly impact NATO’s future trajectory. […]

NATO Security & Defense

Issue Brief

Jun 16, 2014

Easing US and EU sanctions on Iran

By Iran Task Force

As negotiations resume today in Vienna between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, the Atlantic Council’s Iran Task Force introduces two papers that outline options for unwinding US and European sanctions against Iran—a key element of any long-term agreement curbing Iran’s nuclear program.  “Easing US Sanctions on Iran,” […]

Iran

Report

Jun 10, 2014

2014 NATO Emerging Leaders Working Group

By Young Atlanticist Program

Heads of state and government from all 28 NATO nations will convene at the NATO Summit in Wales this September to reaffirm the importance of the Trans-Atlantic bond and build a strong foundation for its future. To help Alliance leaders accomplish this task, NATO commissioned a working group of emerging leaders from member countries to […]

Report

Jun 10, 2014

Will Brazil Get What It Expects from the World Cup?

By Ricardo Sennes

June 10 – “Will Brazil Get What It Expects from the World Cup?”, a new policy brief released by the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Center Latin America Center, argues that the World Cup’s most important bequest won’t be shiny new stadiums or the buffed up world-class reputation the country sought with the FIFA games. The author, […]

Issue Brief

May 29, 2014

No Arab Spring for Algeria

By Mohsin Khan and Karim Mezran

A new Atlantic Council report warns that although the Algerian government has effectively maintained the status quo and avoided its own Arab Spring, it risks future instability if it does not commit to serious political and economic reforms. In “No Arab Spring for Algeria,” Mohsin Khan and Karim Mezran, senior fellows at the Atlantic Council’s […]

North Africa

Issue Brief

May 28, 2014

The challenge of federalism in Yemen

By Rafat Al-Akhali

“The Challenge of Federalism in Yemen,” the latest issue brief from the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, maps key considerations as Yemen embarks on the next stage in its political evolution—the transition from a unitary to federal state system, as outlined by the final agreement from the multistakeholder National Dialogue Conference. […]

Yemen

External

May 13, 2014

Intelbrief: Nigeria: The Limits of US Assistance

By Bronwyn Bruton

Bottom Line Up Front     Amid surging outrage in Nigeria and abroad—and the acute focus generated by the #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign—over Boko Haram’s kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls, President Obama has promised that the US will do “everything it can” to help rescue them US support efforts are challenged in a number of ways to include […]

Nigeria

Emerging Defense Challenges

May 13, 2014

Disrupt or Be Disrupted: How Governments Can Develop Decisive Military Technologies

By James Hasik and Byron Callan

Just what makes a military technology disruptive? How does one know who will disrupt, and who will be disrupted? How can we aim to develop disruptive technologies, and how can we spot them before others use them to disrupt our security? In the latest issue brief from the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, “Disrupt […]

Report

May 12, 2014

The next wave: 4D printing

By Thomas A. Campbell, Skylar Tibbits, and Banning Garrett

A new report by Thomas A. Campbell, Skylar Tibbits, and Banning Garrett, The Next Wave: 4D Printing - Programming the Material World, examines 4D printing, a new disruptive technology on the horizon that may take 3D printing to an entirely new level of capability with profound implications for society, the economy, and the global operating environment of governments and businesses alike.

Technology & Innovation
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