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

Podcast

Feb 11, 2026

Narco noir: Drugs, gangs and mercenaries in Latin America

By Alia Brahimi

In Season 2, Episode 14 of the Guns for Hire podcast, host Alia Brahimi is joined by Dr Vanda Felbab-Brown, a renowned expert on non-state armed groups and organised crime. They begin by discussing the escalation of gang violence in Haiti over the last year, despite the arrival of the American PMC, Vectus Global, which is led by the Blackwater founder Erik Prince. Vanda points out that a recent air campaign weaponizing off-the-shelf drones was intended to decapitate the gangs but, while hundreds of Haitians have been killed, none of them have been significant gang leaders. They go on to explore why governments in the region allow and coopt street militias, the bunkering of fuel by colectivos in Venezuela, Hizballah’s continuing narcotics operations across Latin America, the IRGC’s role in drug trafficking, and how the regime in Iran ends.

Americas
Caribbean

Econographics

Feb 10, 2026

China’s warning on US Treasuries—and why its timing matters

By Jeremy Mark, Josh Lipsky

Beijing has joined the conversation on the dollar. It was leaked this week that Chinese regulators have been urging domestic financial institutions to cut back on US Treasuries, and this timing is no coincidence.

China
Dollar Dominance

Podcast

Feb 10, 2026

Is a dollar vibe shift under way?

By the GeoEconomics Center

This episode breaks down how the greenback impacts trade, investment, national security, and the average consumer, as we try to answer the question: is the dollar having a vibe shift?

Dollar Dominance
Economy & Business

Latest in-depth research and reports

Content

In the News

Sep 25, 2025

Daniels weighs the consequences of the US-China AI Race on Network 20/20

By Atlantic Council

On September 17, Forward Defense nonresident senior fellow Owen Daniels was featured on the Network 20/20 Virtual Briefing Series alongside Janet Egan and Sam Winter-Levy.

Artificial Intelligence
China

In the News

Sep 25, 2025

Kroenig in Foreign Policy on the United Nations General Assembly

On September 25, Matthew Kroenig, Atlantic Council vice president and Scowcroft Center senior director, published an article in Foreign Policy titled “Trump Told the U.N. the Hard Truth: It Failed”. He argues that the United Nations Security Council has failed in its mission to stop conflict.

Politics & Diplomacy
Security & Defense

In the News

Sep 24, 2025

Lichfield was quoted in Foreign Policy on how the EU could make investments to support Hungary and Slovakia

Read the full article here

In the News

Sep 24, 2025

Gray on Fox News ‘Fox News @ Night’ on retaking the Bagram Airfield

On September 24, Alexander B. Gray, nonresident senior fellow of the GeoStrategy Initiative of the Scowcroft Center, appeared on Fox News to discuss President Trump’s desire to reclaim the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan
Conflict

In the News

Sep 23, 2025

Mühleisen quoted in Reuters on US Treasury’s support for Argentina boosts the peso

Read the full article here

In the News

Sep 23, 2025

Kroenig quoted in The Atlantic on the United Nations General Assembly

On September 23, Matthew Kroenig, Atlantic Council vice president and Scowcroft Center senior director, was quoted in an article in The Atlantic. He argues that the United Nations has turned into an arena for global competition.

Politics & Diplomacy
Security & Defense

In the News

Sep 22, 2025

Wieslander on Swedish radio

Director for Northern Europe Anna Wieslander has featured on Swedish radio on September 22 following the Russian fighter jets intrusion on Estonian airspace. Wieslander underlined that it was essential for NATO to react and discussed potential outcomes out of the meeting of the North Atlantic Council and stronger measures taken.

NATO
Northern Europe

In the News

Sep 22, 2025

Klain in the New York Post on how Trump can respond to Putin’s recent escalations in Ukraine

By Doug Klain

On September 19, Doug Klain, nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and deputy director for policy and strategy for Razom for Ukraine, was published in the New York Post on the policy options for US President Donald Trump to respond to increasing Russian aggression.

Europe & Eurasia
Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

In the News

Sep 22, 2025

Charai in Newsmax: Trump’s Bold Confrontation Can Stop Antifa, Global Terror

By Atlantic Council

Extremism
Resilience & Society

In the News

Sep 22, 2025

Michta published in RealClearDefense on the next U.S. National Security Strategy

On September 22, 2025, Andrew Michta, nonresident senior fellow in the GeoStrategy Initiative, was published in RealClearDefense. He argues that the next U.S. National Security Strategy risks misreading history again.

Defense Policy
National Security