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

UkraineAlert

Jun 18, 2026

Putin’s obsession with ‘denazifying’ Ukraine makes peace impossible

By Peter Dickinson

Putin’s obsession with “denazifying” Ukraine makes a mockery of efforts to portray the Russian invasion as a mere land grab and helps explain why there has been no meaningful progress toward peace despite more than a year of US-led efforts, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

Podcast

Jun 18, 2026

“Shoot everybody”: US contractors in San Diego court

By Alia Brahimi

In Season 2, Episode 16 of the Guns for Hire podcast, host Alia Brahimi is joined by Daniel McLaughlin, an international lawyer and Legal Director of the Centre for Justice and Accountability (CJA), a California-based legal nonprofit working on behalf of victims of torture and other atrocity crimes. Daniel and CJA are leading a civil suit in San Diego against a Delaware-registered PMC, Spear Operations Group, for war crimes in Yemen. They represent the Yemeni parliamentarian Anssaf Ali Mayo, who was one of the targets of an alleged hit-squad in Yemen. Daniel talks us through the facts of the case, how it ended up in a California courtroom ten years later, and which US and international laws were ostensibly broken by the PMC. He also argues forcefully that the US government has a duty to regulate how former members of its military use their training and know-how.

Middle East Rule of Law

Econographics

Jun 18, 2026

For warning signs of the next global financial crisis, watch the activities of both banks and nonbanks

By Hung Tran

The activities that trigger financial crises can be undertaken by any financial institution, including both banks and nonbanks.

Economy & Business

Latest in-depth research and reports

Content

In the News

Aug 15, 2023

Husain in the Wall Street Journal: The Three Big Ideas Behind the Abraham Accords

By Atlantic Council

International Norms Middle East

In the News

Aug 14, 2023

Grundman at Politico Defense Summit

Steven Grundman highlights the challenges facing the US industrial base as the international security environment rapidly changes.

Defense Industry United States and Canada

In the News

Aug 13, 2023

Zysk in NRK on Russian naval capabilities

By Katarzyna Zysk

On August 13, Transatlantic Security Initiative nonresident senior fellow Katarzyna Zysk was interviewed by NRK on a naval angle of the Russia’s war in Ukraine and, on August 16, in which she addressed potential outcomes of the war (text in Norwegian). 

Europe & Eurasia Russia

In the News

Aug 12, 2023

“A lot of companies now feel China isn’t the market of the future.” Nonresident senior fellow Dexter Tiff Roberts quoted in Business Insider on China’s economic outlook

On August 12, 2023, nonresident senior fellow Dexter Tiff Roberts spoke to Business Insider about the major problems set to cause China a prolonged period of economic struggle in the years to come.

China Economy & Business

In the News

Aug 11, 2023

Grundman on Aviation Week’s Check 6 podcast

Steven Grundman argues the defense industry sector is at a critical turning point

Defense Industry Technology & Innovation

In the News

Aug 11, 2023

Kroenig quoted in Voice of America on China’s economic slowdown and potential for increased aggression

By Atlantic Council

On August 10, Matthew Kroenig, Atlantic Council vice president and senior director of the Scowcroft Center, was quoted by Voice of America on how China’s lagging economic growth could raise the risk of war in the South China Sea. Kroenig believes that Chinese President Xi Jinping does not recognize that “China’s economic growth has leveled […]

Conflict Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Aug 10, 2023

Lipsky quoted and Kumar cited by Treasury and Risk on the development of China’s mBridge project

Read the full article here.

China Digital Currencies

In the News

Aug 10, 2023

Donovan quoted by the Guardian on outbound investment screening programs

Read the full article here.

China Financial Regulation

In the News

Aug 10, 2023

Bauerle Danzman quoted by BBC on outbound investment screening executive order

Read the full piece here.

China Economy & Business

In the News

Aug 10, 2023

Lipsky quoted and Kumar cited by the Japan Times on the development of China’s mBridge project

Read the full article here.

China Digital Currencies