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

Nov 24, 2025

Lipsky, Donovan, Nikoladze, Mark, Matthews, Tran, the CBDC Tracker and the Economic Statecraft Lexicon cited in the USCC Annual Report on China

Read the full report here

In the News

Nov 24, 2025

Donovan and Nikoladze cited in a Department of Defense report on US defense strategy in NATO and AUKUS

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In the News

Nov 24, 2025

Lipsky quoted in Reuters on how the news of the G20’s demise was greatly exaggerated, noting that the forum will remain central in a crisis

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In the News

Nov 24, 2025

Rhodium Group and the Atlantic Council quoted in CNBC on yuan use in Africa

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In the News

Nov 24, 2025

Charai for The National Interest: What the Trump-Mamdani Meeting Reveals About American Leadership

By Atlantic Council

Americas Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Nov 22, 2025

Sotiriadis on Fox News on Ukraine peace deal, Venezuela

On November 22, Jake Sotiriadis, nonresident senior fellow with the GeoStrategy Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, appeared on Fox News to discuss President Trump’s proposed Russia-Ukraine peace deal and the administration’s actions in Venezuela.

Conflict Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Nov 21, 2025

Lichfield quoted in the Financial Times on the US-brokered proposal for using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction

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In the News

Nov 20, 2025

Lichfield quoted by Les Echos on the Trump administration’s plan for peace in Ukraine

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In the News

Nov 20, 2025

Taylor joins Alsharqiya to discuss the Popular Mobilization Forces

By Atlantic Council

Arabic Iraq

In the News

Nov 20, 2025

Saeed quoted in Politico on Iraq’s stability in recent years

By Atlantic Council

Iraq Resilience & Society