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.

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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

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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.

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Latest commentary and analysis

Econographics

Mar 20, 2026

In the Iran crisis, the IMF’s voice is urgently needed

By Martin Mühleisen

As the Iran crisis chokes the Strait of Hormuz and rattles global energy markets, the IMF has offered little more than cautious statements. The institution must develop real-time, scenario-driven analysis.

Economy & Business Iran

Trackers and Data Visualizations

Mar 20, 2026

Tracking US military assets in the Iran war

By Joe Costa, Theresa Luetkefend, and Moss Gillespie,

What is the US military committing to the war in Iran? How will that affect the US presence in other theaters around the world—including the Pacific, where the United States faces its most consequential challenge? We’re tracking the aircraft carriers, bombers, and missile defense systems deployed to Operation Epic Fury.

China Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Mar 19, 2026

Putin is counting on Western disunity to hand him victory in Ukraine

By Mykola Bielieskov

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been unable to defeat the Ukrainians on the battlefield but he remains confident that Western disunity will ultimately hand him victory in Ukraine, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict European Union
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Latest in-depth research and reports

Issue Brief

Mar 20, 2026

Aquatic Tiger: How long-range submarine drones could play a role in a Taiwan conflict

By Markus Garlauskas with contributions from Drew Holliday, Adam Kozloski, Nicholas Takeuchi, and Paul Vebber

Could submarine drones help the United States deter or counter a Chinese attack on Taiwan? The Aquatic Tiger wargame was designed to find out. The Atlantic Council's Indo-Pacific Security Initiative reports on the wargame's findings, with implications for the US government, the defense industry, and more. 

Conflict Defense Technologies

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

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Mar 18, 2026

Italy faces a dangerous gap between stability on paper and citizens’ lived experience

By Massimo Morelli

Giorgia Meloni’s three-year tenure as prime minister is unusually long by recent Italian standards. As her government faces its biggest test yet with a referendum on judicial reforms, what explains Meloni’s relative stability—and the frequent turnover that preceded it? A deep dive into economic and political indicators sheds light on Italy’s path forward.

Elections Fiscal and Structural Reform
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Content

In the News

Jan 29, 2026

McDowell speaks on why the value of gold skyrockets against the dollar on The World podcast

Listen to full episode here

In the News

Jan 28, 2026

Charai for The National Interest: Jared Kushner’s Quiet Middle East Diplomacy

By Atlantic Council

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Jan 26, 2026

Chhangani quoted in South China Morning Post (SCMP) article about China modernizing infrastructure to power global financial transactions.

Read full article here

In the News

Jan 25, 2026

Rich Outzen joins ILTV to discuss Gaza and Israel-Iran tensions
Iran Israel

In the News

Jan 24, 2026

Rich Outzen joins TRT World Now to discuss four-day Syria-YPG ceasefire
Conflict Middle East

In the News

Jan 23, 2026

Tannebaum quoted in CNBC on Trump’s framework for Greenland

Watch the full video here

In the News

Jan 22, 2026

Grundman in CNN reporting on defense contracting

On January 7, Forward Defense Senior Fellow Steven Grundman was featured in an article on CNN entitled “Trump threatens defense contractors with restrictions while promising sharp increase in spending,” arguing that Trump’s proposed limits on defense contractors’ buybacks, dividends, and executive pay would amount to an unprecedented form of state intervention. In his view, even if the intent is justified, the […]

Defense Industry Defense Policy

In the News

Jan 22, 2026

Chhangani cited in Reuters on the rapid growth of China’s digital yuan (e-CNY) platform and how it could gradually reduce reliance on dollar-based payment systems

Read the full article here

In the News

Jan 22, 2026

Lipsky quoted in Business Insider on the Justice Department’s probe of the Federal Reserve and the risks it poses to central bank independence

Read the full article here

In the News

Jan 22, 2026

Lipsky quoted in Bloomberg article on the credibility of Trump’s tariff threats

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