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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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

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
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Latest in-depth research and reports

Report

Feb 10, 2026

Mining corridors as catalysts: Building on the Lobito model

By Aubrey Hruby

The financing approach and public-private cooperation used to build the Lobito transportation corridor offers a playbook for the US and African governments and investors as they seek to tap Africa’s critical mineral wealth.

Africa
Critical Minerals

Atlantic Council Strategy Paper Series

Feb 10, 2026

Global Foresight 2036

In this year’s Global Foresight edition, our experts share findings from our survey of geostrategists on how human affairs could unfold over the next decade. Our scholars spot “snow leopards” that could have major unexpected impacts over the next decade. And our tech experts put AI’s forecasting ability to the test.

Africa
Central Asia

Atlantic Council Strategy Paper Series

Feb 10, 2026

Welcome to 2036: What the world could look like in ten years, according to nearly 450 experts

By Mary Kate Aylward, Peter Engelke, Uri Friedman, and Paul Kielstra

We polled geostrategists and foresight practitioners on our most burning questions about the biggest drivers of change over the next decade. Check out their forecasts on everything from the future of NATO to the rise of cryptocurrency.

Central Asia
China
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Content

In the News

Sep 20, 2025

Kroenig quoted in Associated Press on President Trump’s peace efforts

On September 20, Matthew Kroenig, Atlantic Council vice president and Scowcroft Center senior director, was quoted in an article in Associated Press. He argues that the president’s brashness can get results.

Middle East
Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

In the News

Sep 19, 2025

Chemali interviewed by Bloomberg discussing how the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas will impact the UN General Assembly

Watch the full interview here

In the News

Sep 18, 2025

Donovan quoted in a press release from the House Select Committee on China on Hong Kong as a conduit of illicit financial transactions

Read the full press release here

In the News

Sep 18, 2025

Cole discusses the role of fictional intelligence and technological prediction with War on the Rocks

On September 17, August Cole, a nonresident fellow at Forward Defense, and P.W. Singer were interviewed by War on the Rocks, reflecting on the technological predictions of their 2015 book Ghost Fleet. They highlighted the use of fictional writing for exploring future military and technological scenarios.

Conflict
Defense Technologies

In the News

Sep 17, 2025

Wieslander on Times Radio

Anna Wieslander, Director for Northern Europe, was interviewed by Times Radio on September 17 regarding President Trump’s state visit to the UK. Wieslander discussed the potential outcomes for the war in Ukraine. “There is a sense of urgency connected to Ukraine from a British perspective” says Wieslander and underlines the need for tougher measures on […]

Northern Europe
Security & Defense

In the News

Sep 17, 2025

Lipsky quoted in Foreign Policy on the potential impacts of a politicized Fed on the dollar’s global dominance

Read the full article here

In the News

Sep 16, 2025

Charai in National Interest: Courage, Not Extremism, Must Define the Middle East’s Future

By Atlantic Council

Extremism
Middle East

In the News

Sep 15, 2025

Kroenig in Foreign Policy on overestimating autocracies

By Atlantic Council

On September 15, Matthew Kroenig, Atlantic Council vice president and Scowcroft Center senior director, published an article in Foreign Policy titled “Are We Overestimating Autocracies?” He argues that Russia and Iran’s vulnerabilities were overlooked by military analysts, and thus advocates for a reassessment of strategies for confronting China.

China
Iran

In the News

Sep 14, 2025

Lipsky quoted in France24 on the Federal Reserve’s anticipated rate cuts

Read the full article here

In the News

Sep 12, 2025

Wieslander in Radio Sweden

Anna Wieslander, Director for Northern Europe, appeared on Radio Sweden on September 12 to comment on the Russian drone incursion over Poland. Wieslander was not surprised over the Russian act, but underlines that NATO’s response was “absolutely necessary” and that it sends the right signals to Russia. Wieslander features between minutes 9:30 to 13:30 and […]

NATO
Northern Europe
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