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

Podcast

May 8, 2026

So What’s the Strategy for China?

By the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Host Matthew Kroenig is joined by Kurt Campbell, chairman and co-founder of The Asia Group, to discuss former President Joe Biden’s strategy toward China, the Trump administration's strategic approach to Beijing, and Donald Trump’s upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Campbell most recently served as the 22nd US deputy secretary of state. Previously, as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, he was widely credited as the architect of the US “pivot to Asia.”

China Security & Defense

MENASource

May 8, 2026

New avenues for Syria-EU cooperation are forming amid conflict in the Middle East

By Marie Forestier 

The May 11 EU-Syria High-Level Political Dialogue marks a step toward a closer partnership.

Energy & Environment European Union

UkraineAlert

May 7, 2026

Putin is dragging Belarus deeper into Russia’s Ukraine invasion

By Hanna Liubakova

Belarus may not currently be poised to join the invasion of Ukraine, but Vladimir Putin is clearly intent on dragging the country deeper into Russia’s war effort, writes Hanna Liubakova.

Belarus Conflict
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Latest in-depth research and reports

Issue Brief

May 8, 2026

Can Friedrich Merz’s chancellorship survive?

By Phyllis Berry

One year into his chancellorship, Friedrich Merz heads a government beset by economic stagnation, low public approval, and coalition tensions.

Economy & Business Elections

Issue Brief

May 7, 2026

The new playbook for AI leadership: The case of the United Arab Emirates

By Trisha Ray, Ryan Pan, Raul Brens Jr.

This report is the first in a series by the Atlantic Council’s GeoTech Center assessing emerging artificial intelligence (AI) powers around the world according to a novel five-pillar framework.

Artificial Intelligence Middle East

Report

May 4, 2026

Powering data centers in emerging markets

By Phillip Cornell

This report examines how emerging markets are increasingly powering the next wave of data centers, with recommendations for policymakers.

Africa Artificial Intelligence
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Content

In the News

Apr 20, 2021

Forscey in Lawfare: the cyber regulators are coming for the cloud

Today’s cloud computing industry is as important as it is complicated, a critical and opaque sector that undergirds the economy but that few people truly understand. Cloud services have become a pillar of digital society, supporting nonstop innovation. They also create interdependencies that generate a wellspring of concentrated risk. Ensuring that the various subsectors of […]

Cybersecurity

In the News

Apr 19, 2021

Ben Mahfoudh in JCL-MENA: “Tunisia: between calls for dialogue and the politics of denial”
Democratic Transitions Middle East

In the News

Apr 19, 2021

Blanford quoted in Forbes on Iran’s militia proxies

By Atlantic Council

Iran Middle East

In the News

Apr 19, 2021

Binnendijk, Kirchberger, Kramer, and Skaluba on DEFAERO Report Podcast: The need for a transatlantic China Plan

By Hans Binnendijk, Sarah Kirchberger, Franklin D. Kramer, Christopher Skaluba

China Plan authors Hans Binnendijk, Sarah Kirchberger, Franklin D. Kramer, and Chris Skaluba joined DEFAERO Report Founder and Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the China Plan's key analysis and findings.

China Europe & Eurasia

In the News

Apr 19, 2021

Foroohar in Financial Times on Biden’s infrastructure package and Atlantic Council event

By Rana Foroohar

Read the full article here.

Economy & Business Macroeconomics

In the News

Apr 19, 2021

Mark in Foreign Policy on Taiwan and China’s codependent economic relationship

By Jeremy Mark

Read the full article here.

China East Asia

In the News

Apr 19, 2021

John in Dark Reading: SolarWinds a catalyst for change and a cry for collaboration

The Sunburst campaign, which includes the SolarWinds incident, is not unique in its type or frequency. Supply-chain attacks have been happening more often over the past seven or so years. As adversaries continue to rapidly identify vulnerabilities, coupled with the world’s increased reliance on digital connectivity, we face mounting challenges in preventing, detecting, and responding […]

Cybersecurity

In the News

Apr 18, 2021

Peek in NY Daily News: “Salute Biden’s bravery on Afghanistan”
Afghanistan Conflict

In the News

Apr 18, 2021

Ferziger and Sievers in Foreign Policy: “For Arab Israelis, the New Peace Treaties Spell Opportunity”
Israel Middle East

In the News

Apr 16, 2021

Friedlander and O’Toole quoted in Washington Post on the history of US economic sanctions

By Brian O’Toole, Julia Friedlander

Read the full article here.

Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion United States and Canada
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