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

Econographics

Feb 12, 2026

Despite US exemptions, the show goes on for a global minimum corporate tax

By Jeff Goldstein

The United States may have carved out protections for its multinationals, but the global minimum tax continues to move forward. With more than sixty-five countries implementing the OECD framework, policymakers are betting imperfect progress will prevent a relapse into corporate tax competition.

Economy & Business
Europe & Eurasia

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
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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

May 13, 2025

Ullman in the Hill on the United Kingdom’s “defense dividend” and hybrid Russian aggression  

On May 12, Atlantic Council Senior Advisor Harlan Ullman published an op-ed in the Hill urging the United Kingdom and its Western allies to build greater capacity to respond to future Russian hybrid attacks. He argues that, without public support, governments will struggle to meaningfully increase defense spending and counter malign influence. 

Politics & Diplomacy
Russia

In the News

May 12, 2025

Charai in The National Interest: The Last Chance for a Durable Peace in the Middle East

By Atlantic Council

Middle East
Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

May 12, 2025

Lipsky quoted by Politico on US priorities in tariff negotiations

Read the full article here

Economy & Business
Trade and tariffs

In the News

May 12, 2025

Lipsky interviewed by CNN on US-China trade talks

Watch the full interview here

China
Economy & Business

In the News

May 12, 2025

Bayoumi on US-Canada relations after Carney’s election victory

On May 9, Imran Bayoumi, associate director at the GeoStrategy Initiative, published an op-ed on MSNBC outlining opportunities for collaboration between Washington and Ottawa after Mark Carney was elected prime minister. He emphasizes that defense spending and Arctic security are critical areas for enhanced bilateral cooperation.

Politics & Diplomacy
Security & Defense

In the News

May 11, 2025

Irdi quoted in Formiche on defending democratic values

By Beniamino Irdi

On May 11, Transatlantic Security Initiative nonresident senior fellow Beniamino Irdi was quoted in Formiche on his statements made at a hearing on foreign interference in EU elections.

Europe & Eurasia
European Union

In the News

May 9, 2025

Lipsky interviewed by CNBC on the limited scope of the US-UK trade deal

Watch the full interview

Economy & Business
Macroeconomics

In the News

May 9, 2025

Dollar Dominance Monitor cited in Reuters on the global reliance of the dollar

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Economy & Business
Macroeconomics

In the News

May 9, 2025

CBDC Tracker cited by the US Treasury Department on global development of CBDCs

Read the full report

Digital Currencies
Digital Policy

In the News

May 9, 2025

Donovan hosted by ACAMS for a podcast on geopolitical trends and the emergence of the Axis of Evasion

Listen to the full episode

Economy & Business
Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion
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