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

MENASource

May 5, 2026

Dispatch from Beirut: Israel-Hezbollah talks risk falling into a failed, decades-long pattern

By Nicholas Blanford

As the war with Israel revives Hezbollah and divides Lebanon, the ongoing negotiations echo failed 1983 talks.

Conflict Israel

UkraineAlert

May 4, 2026

Zelenskyy rains on Putin’s parade: Kyiv and Moscow declare rival ceasefires

By Peter Dickinson

Victory Day was supposed to be an opportunity for Vladimir Putin to project power. Instead, this year’s drastically scaled down parade is exposing Russia’s weakness while revealing Ukraine's strength, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Drones

MENASource

May 4, 2026

Syria needs a trustworthy digital ecosystem to support its revival

By Nadia Farra

Robust digital infrastructure, digital literacy, and cybersecurity are no longer luxuries for high-income nations but fundamental requirements for national stability and economic resilience.

Freedom and Prosperity Inclusive Growth
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Latest in-depth research and reports

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

Issue Brief

Apr 30, 2026

How Colombia can reduce security threats ahead of its presidential election

By the US–Colombia Strategic Alignment Coalition

Though Colombia's recent legislative elections were largely peaceful, the security environment has worsened in recent weeks amid death threats against candidates and escalating violence by armed groups. The upcoming weeks present a narrow, but critical, window to reduce risks ahead of the May 31 presidential election.

Americas Civil Society

Issue Brief

Apr 29, 2026

Does liberal democracy drive inequalities?

By Yi Zhou

There has been much debate about the relationship between liberal democracy and social and economic inequality, but data shows that free societies remain more equal than their less free counterparts.

Freedom and Prosperity Inclusive Growth
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Content

In the News

Oct 13, 2020

Azodi quoted in Media Line on US sanctions on Iran
Iran Middle East

In the News

Oct 13, 2020

Slavin quoted in the New Arab on US sanctions on Iran
Iran Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Oct 13, 2020

Slavin quoted in The New York Times on America’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign against Iran
Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion Iran

In the News

Oct 13, 2020

Hruby in Bloomberg: Trump student visa plan will hurt Africa — and the United States

By Atlantic Council

Africa Economy & Business

In the News

Oct 13, 2020

Fishman in the Washington Post: No, Trump has not been ‘tough’ on Russia

By Atlantic Council

Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion Russia

In the News

Oct 13, 2020

Moehr quoted in the New York Times on the Airbus-Boeing WTO dispute

By Ole Moehr

Read the full article here.

European Union International Financial Institutions

In the News

Oct 13, 2020

Kroenig: US foreign policy should focus on revitalizing a rules-based system

By Atlantic Council

On October 13, Foreign Affairs published a Q&A with experts on whether great-power competition should be the central organizing principle of US foreign policy. Scowcroft Center deputy director Matthew Kroenig argues the United States should focus on revitalizing and adapting a rules-based international system. Defending that system from great-power competitors should be part of a […]

China Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Oct 12, 2020

Garlauskas quoted in New York Post on North Korea’s new ICBM

By Atlantic Council

On October 12, Markus Garlauskas, the former US National Intelligence Officer for North Korea and nonresident senior fellow with the Asia Security Initiative, was quoted in New York Post for his remarks on North Korea’s new intercontinental ballistic missile shown during the military parade on Saturday. Garlauskas commented that the new missile would erase any […]

Defense Policy East Asia

In the News

Oct 11, 2020

Lipner quoted in JPost on Strategic Affairs Ministry
Israel Middle East

In the News

Oct 11, 2020

Fontenrose interviewed on NPR about Iran policy under the Trump administration
Elections Iran
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