Insights and impact

About the Council

The Atlantic Council promotes constructive leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the Atlantic Community’s central role in meeting global challenges. The Council provides an essential forum for navigating the dramatic economic and political changes defining the twenty-first century by informing and galvanizing its uniquely influential network of global leaders. Through the papers we write, the ideas we generate, and the communities we build, the Council shapes policy choices and strategies to create a more secure and prosperous world.

Read our annual report
Learn more

Featured content

NATO 20/2020

Twenty bold ideas to reimagine the Alliance after the 2020 US election

More than two decades after NATO’s inspired decision to invite former adversaries to join its ranks, the Alliance is in need of equally captivating ideas. The essays in this volume are intended to push the Alliance to think boldly and creatively in the service of recapturing the public’s imagination.

Read our provocative essays on the future of NATO

Download PDF
Read the essays
sign up for more

Explore the podcast series

NATO 20/2020 Podcast

NATO 20/2020 is a weekly podcast that explores 20 bold ideas to push NATO to be more visionary, more capable, and more self-evidently valuable to the security of more people.

Making a difference

Learn more about the Atlantic Council’s insights & impact through these stories of how our regional and thematic programs are making a difference not only in shaping how we view global issues but also in shaping their outcome.

Artwork by Peter Kuper

In the News

Dec 17, 2020

The Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center partners with LEADERS Magazine to dedicate an entire issue to resilience

For its Fall/Winter issue of 2020, LEADERS Magazine, asked the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center to produce an issue dedicated to resilience. The Resilience Issue assembles a broad range of global thought leaders and experts who are currently tackling the challenges and crises facing the world from different perspectives.

Insights & Impact

Mar 3, 2020

Peering Around the Corner: The Geopolitics of Coronavirus

By Atlantic Council

On February 11, 2020 the DFRLab hosted "Peering Around the Corner: The Geopolitics of Coronavirus," a timely series of panels on the potential geopolitical and economic consequences of Coronavirus, and how misinformation about the crisis may influence its impact.

China Disinformation

Program Impact Story

Feb 6, 2020

US energy priorities abroad: A conversation with US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette

By Global Energy Center

On Friday, February 7, 2020, the Atlantic Council hosted newly appointed US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette for a public address and moderated discussion about US government energy priorities abroad.

view all Program impact stories

Latest commentary and analysis

Podcast

May 1, 2026

The IEA’s Fatih Birol on ‘the greatest energy security threat in history’

By The Atlantic Council

The war in Iran continues with no clear end in sight, fueling economic turbulence and concerns of a global energy crisis. International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol spoke at an AC Front Page event on April 13th, and argued the conflict is the greatest energy security threat in history. He warned that oil prices will soon “converge” with the on-the-ground reality, knocking the global economy further into disarray.

Economy & Business European Union

AfricaSource

May 1, 2026

What can save Mali from collapse?

By Hussein Ba and Rama Yade

The security situation in Mali is becoming critical in the wake of a large-scale, coordinated series of attacks across multiple cities on April 25.

Extremism North & West Africa

UkraineAlert

May 1, 2026

Europe needs Ukraine as it looks to counter growing Russian threat

By Zahar Hryniv

More than a year since Trump returned to the White House, it is clear that Europe needs to develop its own strategic vision for the continent’s defense. It is equally apparent that Ukraine must be central to this vision, writes Zahar Hryniv.

Conflict Defense Industry
View all commentary & analysis

Latest in-depth research and reports

Issue Brief

Apr 30, 2026

How Colombia can reduce security threats ahead of its presidential election

By the US–Colombia Strategic Alignment Coalition

Though Colombia's recent legislative elections were largely peaceful, the security environment has worsened in recent weeks amid death threats against candidates and escalating violence by armed groups. The upcoming weeks present a narrow, but critical, window to reduce risks ahead of the May 31 presidential election.

Americas Civil Society

Issue Brief

Apr 29, 2026

Does liberal democracy drive inequalities?

By Yi Zhou

There has been much debate about the relationship between liberal democracy and social and economic inequality, but data shows that free societies remain more equal than their less free counterparts.

Freedom and Prosperity Inclusive Growth

Issue Brief

Apr 29, 2026

How information and communication technologies can empower women in Senegal

By Aminata Niang

Data and interview results show how information and communication technologies are empowering women in Senegal's informal economy.

Africa Freedom and Prosperity
View all In-depth Research & reports

Content

In the News

May 16, 2020

Roberts on the state of Chinese migrant workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic

By Atlantic Council

On May 16, 2020, Dexter Tiff Roberts, nonresident senior fellow at the Asia Security Initiative and a distinguished China journalist, published an article on Foreign Policy. His article talks about how the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the livelihood of China’s 300 million migrant workers and the families they support in the countryside. He also elaborates […]

China Democratic Transitions

In the News

May 15, 2020

Kroenig in the Financial Times: Machiavelli offered a compelling argument for the superiority of republics

By Atlantic Council

On Friday, May 15, the Financial Times published a Letter to the Editor by Scowcroft Center Deputy Director Matthew Kroenig, in which he reminds readers that Machiavelli offered a convincing defense of republics as a superior system of government. With the US-China rivalry intensifying, many are wondering whether autocracy or democracy is a better form […]

China Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

May 15, 2020

Robert Manning in Foreign Policy on China’s control of the South China Sea

By Atlantic Council

China Coronavirus

In the News

May 15, 2020

Livingston quoted in Slate on the impact on ‘middle tier’ players of an absent Chinese-US leadership
China Indo-Pacific

In the News

May 15, 2020

Kroenig and Ashford in Foreign Policy: Should the United States facilitate regime change?

By Atlantic Council

On May 15, Foreign Policy published a biweekly column featuring Scowcroft Center Deputy Director Matthew Kroenig and the Cato Institute’s Emma Ashford discussing the latest news in international affairs. In this column, they debate the risks, downsides, and rewards of facilitating regime change. The column opens with a discussion of US opposition to Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, […]

China Coronavirus

In the News

May 15, 2020

Bridging the digital divide

By Atlantic Council

Alongside Dr. Linton Wells II of George Mason University, Dr. Bray laid out practical ways for individuals, governments, and companies to address the digital divide on an episode of the STEMTalks podcast.

Economy & Business Entrepreneurship

In the News

May 14, 2020

McFate in the Washington Post: Venezuela shows how mercenaries have become a global security threat

By Atlantic Council

Africa Conflict

In the News

May 14, 2020

Director Josh Lipsky Quoted in NY Times on Roberto Azevedo’s Resignation from the WTO

By Josh Lipsky

Read the full article here.

International Financial Institutions

In the News

May 14, 2020

Sherman in Lawfare: What’s in a New Bill to ‘Warn’ Americans Downloading Foreign Apps?
Cybersecurity Internet

In the News

May 14, 2020

AITrends Executive Interview with Dr. David Bray

By Atlantic Council

Dr. David Bray, Director of the Atlantic Council’s GeoTech Center, gave an in-depth interview for AITrends Executive Interview series discussing the GeoTech Center, AI, and the future of emerging technologies. The interview discusses the need for data trusts, why AI cannot help presently in some cases with the pandemic, and how much of a challenge […]

Economy & Business Technology & Innovation
Load More