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 12, 2025

Hammes publishes issue brief on containerized weapons with Stimson Center

On November 6, Forward Defense nonresident senior fellow Thomas X. Hammes published an issue brief with the Stimson Center titled “We Can’t Buy Our Way Out: It’s Time to Think Differently.” Hammes urges the Pentagon to focus on a new generation of containerized weapons that can be mass produced in order to field capabilities to […]

Defense Industry Defense Policy

In the News

Nov 12, 2025

Charai for The Jerusalem Post: Jared Kushner Can Finish What He Began: The Only Path to End Hamas and Save Gaza

By Atlantic Council

Israel Middle East

In the News

Nov 12, 2025

Rich Outzen interview with The New Arab on Kazakh accession to Abraham Accords

Central Asia Middle East

In the News

Nov 11, 2025

Grundman featured in Defense & Aerospace Report on defense acquisition reform

By Atlantic Council

On November 11, Forward Defense senior fellow Steven Grundman was featured in a Defense & Aerospace Report podcast episode entitled "Deep Dive in to Sec Hegseth's Acquisition Reforms."

Defense Industry Defense Policy

In the News

Nov 11, 2025

Punaro quoted in Air & Space Forces Magazine on defense acquisition policy

By Atlantic Council

On November 11, Forward Defense nonresident senior fellow Arnold Punaro was quoted in an Air & Space Forces Magazine article entitled "The Pentagon Wants to Buy Weapons Faster. What Will It Cost?" where he discussed acquisition reform.

Defense Industry Defense Policy

In the News

Nov 11, 2025

Pınar Dost interview with Radiotelevisione Svizzera about Turkey’s role in Gaza

Conflict Middle East

In the News

Nov 10, 2025

CBDC tracker cited in Pintu on the global adoption of central bank digital currencies and their potential coexistence with cryptocurrencies

Read the full article here

In the News

Nov 9, 2025

Rich Outzen interview with i24 on UK assistance to Belgium’s counter-drone defenses

Defense Industry Defense Policy

In the News

Nov 8, 2025

Sultoon quoted in The Washington Post on China’s chemical exports and US efforts to combat drug cartels

Read the full article here

In the News

Nov 8, 2025

Sapuppo in Kyiv Post on Hungarian exemption from US sanctions targeting Russian energy

By Mercedes Sapuppo

On November 8, Mercedes Sappuppo, nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, was quoted in Kyiv Post on the one-year exemption for Hungarian imports of Russian gas.

Energy Markets & Governance English