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

Mar 20, 2026

Hook in the Hill: No peace in Ukraine until Russia returns its children

By Atlantic Council

Conflict Europe & Eurasia

In the News

Mar 20, 2026

Grigas in Novaya Gazeta Europe: NATO’s next test

By Atlantic Council

Europe & Eurasia NATO

In the News

Mar 20, 2026

Cohen in Forbes: Top 5 Russian energy trends to watch in 2026

By Atlantic Council

Energy & Environment Europe & Eurasia

In the News

Mar 20, 2026

Cohen in Forbes: Questions remain about Russian oil in US-India trade deal

By Atlantic Council

Europe & Eurasia India

In the News

Mar 20, 2026

Cohen in Forbes: Russia and Iran are reshaping regional power in crisis and confrontation

By Atlantic Council

Europe & Eurasia Iran

In the News

Mar 20, 2026

Carpenter in Foreign Affairs: The postliberal superpower

By Atlantic Council

Politics & Diplomacy Security & Defense

In the News

Mar 20, 2026

Bociurkiw in the Globe and Mail: Ukraine has earned the right to shape its own future. Washington and Moscow are denying it that right

By Atlantic Council

Europe & Eurasia Russia

In the News

Mar 20, 2026

Bociurkiw in the Globe and Mail: Four years into the war, Ukraine has endured – and it has been transformed

By Atlantic Council

Conflict Europe & Eurasia

In the News

Mar 19, 2026

Shedd in the Washington Times: Baltic Security Initiative an investment in US defense

By Atlantic Council

Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia

In the News

Mar 19, 2026

Kaluderovic in Foreign Policy: The drone attrition tap

By Atlantic Council

Defense Industry Defense Technologies