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.

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

Explore the podcast series

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.

Latest commentary and analysis

Latest in-depth research and reports

Issue Brief

Mar 20, 2026

The economic and political traps awaiting aging societies

By Markus Jaeger

Rapidly aging populations and falling birthrates create fiscal and economic headwinds that even advanced economies struggle to manage. Some middle-income countries are approaching the same “demographic cliff” at an even faster clip, while many lower-income countries face the opposite problem. Policymakers in all cases must be prepared to make politically tough decisions—and soon.

Economy & Business Fiscal and Structural Reform

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

Content

In the News

Jan 22, 2026

Lichfield quoted in Les Echos article on Europe’s face-saving compromise for Greenland

Read the full article here

In the News

Jan 21, 2026

Wieslander on Swedish radio

On Wednesday, January 21, Director for Northern Europe, Anna Wieslander, was interviewed on Swedish national radio to comment on Donald Trump’s speech in Davos. Following a week marked by a “war of words,” during which the U.S. President issued a series of escalatory statements, the announcement to refrain from the use of force against Greenland […]

Northern Europe Security & Defense

In the News

Jan 21, 2026

Lipsky and McDowell quoted in Marketplace article on U.S. Treasurys held in Europe

Read the full article here

In the News

Jan 21, 2026

Rich Outzen joins ILTV to discuss Iran, Gaza, and Mideast policy

Conflict Iran

In the News

Jan 21, 2026

Rich Outzen discusses Greenland on TRT World print

Defense Policy Greenland

In the News

Jan 19, 2026

Charai for The National Interest: Iran’s Strategy of Delay

By Atlantic Council

Iran Middle East

In the News

Jan 19, 2026

Kroenig quoted in Wall Street Journal on Greenland

By Atlantic Council

On January 19, Atlantic Council vice president and Scowcroft Center senior director Matthew Kroenig was quoted in The Wall Street Journal on the Trump administration's policy toward Greenland, arguing that threats are a negotiating tool leveraged by the Trump administration.

Greenland NATO

In the News

Jan 18, 2026

Kroenig on BBC on Greenland

By Atlantic Council

On January 18, Atlantic Council vice president and Scowcroft Center senior director Matthew Kroenig was interviewed on BBC's Newshour on how Trump's threats towards Greenland are impacting the NATO alliance.

Greenland Northern Europe

In the News

Jan 18, 2026

Wieslander on Swedish national television

On Sunday, January 18, Anna Wieslander, Director for Northern Europe, participated in a panel on the Swedish news program Agenda to discuss the threat of U.S. tariffs and the escalating Greenland crisis. “With Trump’s inauguration, we entered a new era, and we are now experiencing its effects,” Wieslander argues, noting that the new administration’s foreign policy posture […]

Northern Europe Security & Defense

In the News

Jan 18, 2026

Rich Outzen joins Al Jazeera TV to discuss the situation in Syria

Middle East Security & Defense