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.

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Featured content

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

UkraineAlert

Jul 16, 2026

Ukraine’s tech-savvy defense minister ousted in clash with army old guard

By Peter Dickinson

President Zelenskyy's decision to side with the army old guard and oust Ukraine's tech-savvy Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has sparked a political crisis and raised questions over the country's future direction, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Jul 16, 2026

Innovation under fire: Ukraine’s energy defense is a blueprint for the world

By Oleksii Riabchyn

Those who still treat energy resilience as a technical matter are not prepared for the changes currently taking place in military doctrine. Thanks to Ukraine, the blueprint to address this vulnerability exists, writes Oleksii Riabchyn.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Jul 16, 2026

Ukraine’s national recovery must go far beyond rebuilding what was lost

By Vitalii Kim

As international efforts to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine continue, it is also vital to look beyond the battlefield and address the issue of Ukraine’s recovery in order to create the conditions for a genuine national renewal, writes Vitalii Kim.

Conflict Critical Infrastructure Policy
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Latest in-depth research and reports

Report

Jul 16, 2026

Artificial intelligence and the future of African mining

By Anthony Carroll and Jef Karel Caers

Artificial intelligence and digitalization offer African states, the United States, and allied partners an opportunity to move beyond legacy constraints and one-sided partnerships in the mining sector.

Africa Artificial Intelligence

Report

Jul 15, 2026

2026 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes: The legal foundations that enable prosperity are rapidly eroding

By Ignacio Campomanes, Nina Dannaoui-Johnson, Annie (Yu-Lin) Lee, James Mazzarella

Adherence to the rule of law has declined sharply since 2020. Drawing on thirty years of data across 171 countries, the 2026 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes show why that matters: without strong legal foundations, economic reforms stall, democracies erode, and prosperity stays out of reach for millions.

Freedom and Prosperity Rule of Law

Issue Brief

Jul 7, 2026

AI is the next major biodefense tech priority

By the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense

Artificial intelligence is changing how biological threats can be created, detected, and countered.

Artificial Intelligence Security & Defense
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Content

In the News

Jun 15, 2021

Friedlander quoted in LA times on Biden’s diplomatic successes

By Julia Friedlander

Read the whole article here.

Economy & Business Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Jun 15, 2021

Lipsky spoke with Yahoo! Finance ahead of June Fed meeting

By Josh Lipsky

Watch the whole interview here.

Economy & Business Financial Regulation

In the News

Jun 15, 2021

Marshall in Politico: Surprise Gifts, Security Details and Secret Smoke Breaks: The Art of Planning a Presidential Summit

"No matter the geopolitical crisis, no matter the weight of uncertainty, it is protocol that carefully and intentionally deploys predictability and mutual respect to hold the world’s weightiest relationships in place," writes Capricia Marshall in Politico.

In the News

Jun 15, 2021

Kroenig speaks to LSE IDEAS on an effective US national strategy

By Atlantic Council

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Deputy Director and Global Strategy Initiative Director Matthew Kroenig speaks with the London School of Economics IDEAS in a lecture titled "Can the United States effectively formulate and practice a national strategy?"

National Security United States and Canada

In the News

Jun 15, 2021

Ortagus calls for businesses to extend commitments on corporate responsibility to China.

By Atlantic Council

On June 14, Scowcroft Center Senior Advisor Morgan Ortagus published an opinion piece in The Hill, where she argued that American companies looking to be socially responsible should reconsider their reliance on an increasingly authoritarian China and cut all ties with businesses that are involved in the genocide in Xinjiang.

China Economy & Business

In the News

Jun 15, 2021

Friedlander quoted in LA times on Biden’s diplomatic successes

By Julia Friedlander

Read the whole article here.

Economy & Business Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Jun 15, 2021

Slavin in ISPI: “Us-Iran Ties Far Off Even if the JCPOA Is Restored”

By Atlantic Council

Elections Iran

In the News

Jun 15, 2021

Vershbow in NBC News: The Biden-Putin summit features high stakes, low expectations

By Alexander Vershbow

Ambassador Alexander Vershbow was quoted in NBC News on the Biden-Putin Summit and explained that the Russian president does not necessarily want the more stable or predictable relationship that the US seeks.

Arms Control Eastern Europe

In the News

Jun 15, 2021

Nooruddin quoted in Wall Street Journal on how Covid-19 has punctured Narendra Modi’s aura

By Atlantic Council

Coronavirus Crisis Management

In the News

Jun 15, 2021

Pepe Zhang and Felipe Larraín in Project Syndicate: How Latin America Should Navigate US-China Tensions

On June 15, 2021, Pepe Zhang co-authored an article in Project Syndicate with Felipe Larraín, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center's Advisory Council Member, "How Latin America Should Navigate US-China Tensions."

China Economy & Business
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