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

UkraineAlert

Aug 11, 2026

Western weakness is encouraging Putin to test NATO

By Peter Dickinson

As Moscow's hybrid war against NATO continues to escalate, the alliance's reluctance to impose any additional costs on the Kremlin will only only embolden Putin and fuel Russian perceptions of Western weakness, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Drones

MENASource

Aug 11, 2026

Israel cannot afford to miss the IMEC moment

By Samantha Sutton

For the next Israeli government, the economic gains of investing in the corridor are worth the political costs.

Israel Middle East

TURKEYSource

Aug 11, 2026

Turkey wants a bigger role in NATO. Its defense industry will be key.

By Alp Ozen

With the NATO Summit in Ankara behind it, Turkey’s defense sector now faces the challenge of turning political momentum into action—from defense-industrial cooperation to diplomatic initiatives and NATO capability development.

Defense Industry Defense Technologies
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Latest in-depth research and reports

Report

Aug 11, 2026

Mapeo de la inversión estadounidense en América Latina y el Caribe

By Jose Antonio Gonzalez Anaya, Martin Cassinelli

Las inversiones de China en América Latina y el Caribe acaparan los titulares pero, aunque Estados Unidos ha sido durante mucho tiempo el mayor inversionista de la región, se sabe menos sobre hacia dónde van sus inversiones. Nuevos datos muestran qué países y sectores reciben la mayor inversión estadounidense, y cómo esa inversión afecta a las economías locales.

Economy & Business Latin America

Issue Brief

Aug 3, 2026

ASEAN-5 in an era of geoeconomic realignment: Opportunities and risks in a fragmenting global economy

By Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou

ASEAN-5 is poised to become an increasingly important engine of global growth, supported by young populations, improving human capital, abundant resources, and deep integration into global supply chains. Yet fragmentation, trade tensions, climate risks, infrastructure gaps, and regulatory constraints could limit this potential, making coordinated reforms essential to securing resilient and sustained regional economic progress.

East Asia Economy & Business

Issue Brief

Jul 31, 2026

The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz is a heavy blow to the deteriorating maritime order

By Elisabeth Braw

Iran’s use of a maritime chokepoint as a geopolitical tool—implemented in response to a war that violates the United Nations Charter—and the United States’ inconsistent response dramatically undermine the global maritime order and open the door for further such closures.

Economy & Business Geopolitics & Energy Security
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Content

In the News

Mar 28, 2026

Matchett quoted in Agencia EFE on how the war in the Middle East puts desalination plants at risk

By Ginger Matchett

On March 27, GeoStrategy Initiative assistant director Ginger Matchett was quoted in “Middle East war puts drinking water supply in Gulf countries at risk” for Agencia EFE on how the Gulf states rely on desalination plants, making infrastructure an easy target and vulnerable to attacks. She noted there is a paradox between oil and water, where oil extraction […]

Energy & Environment Infrastructure

In the News

Mar 28, 2026

Daniels published in RAND on AI competition between the US and China

By Atlantic Council

On March 26, Forward Defense Nonresident Senior Fellow Owen Daniels published a policy paper for the RAND Corporation on “Open Models, Soft Power, and Spectrum of US-China Artificial Intelligence Competition.”

Artificial Intelligence China

In the News

Mar 27, 2026

Donovan and Ezratty cited in an Asia Times article explaining Russia’s and Iran’s drone ties

Read full article here

In the News

Mar 27, 2026

Lipsky quoted in Foreign Policy article on Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz

Read the full article here

In the News

Mar 27, 2026

Trump Tariff Tracker cited in the African Development Bank Group’s November Macroeconomic Performance and Outlook

Read the full article here

In the News

Mar 27, 2026

Tannebaum featured on CNBC on securing the Strait of Hormuz

Watch the full video here

In the News

Mar 27, 2026

Lipsky interviewed on CNN about Trump easing Iranian oil sanctions

Read the full article here

In the News

Mar 26, 2026

Kroenig published in The Wall Street Journal on rogue states

By Atlantic Council

On March 25, Atlantic Council vice president and Scowcroft Center senior director Matthew Kroenig was published in The Wall Street Journal on the Trump administration eliminating rogue states.

Cuba Iran

In the News

Mar 26, 2026

Wieslander on Swedish television

On Thursday, March 26, Anna Wieslander, Director for Northern Europe, appeared on Swedish television on TV4 Nyhetsmorgon to talk about the Joint Expeditionary Force ahead of the summit in Helsinki the same day. Wieslander noted, among other things, that JEF is intended to intervene in “grey-zone situations”, when rapid action is required. It can operate […]

Northern Europe Security & Defense

In the News

Mar 25, 2026

Wilkening quoted in Indo-Pacific Defense Forum on hypersonic threats

By Atlantic Council

On March 25, Forward Defense nonresident senior fellow Dean Wilkening was quoted in an Indo-Pacific Defense Forum article, titled “Indo-Pacific allies join to counter hypersonic threats.” Wilkening discussed the impacts of hypersonic capabilities on air and missile defense systems, highlighting the capability enhancements needed to counter these threats.

Defense Technologies Indo-Pacific
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