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 1, 2026

The IEA’s Fatih Birol on ‘the greatest energy security threat in history’

By The Atlantic Council

The war in Iran continues with no clear end in sight, fueling economic turbulence and concerns of a global energy crisis. International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol spoke at an AC Front Page event on April 13th, and argued the conflict is the greatest energy security threat in history. He warned that oil prices will soon “converge” with the on-the-ground reality, knocking the global economy further into disarray.

Economy & Business European Union

AfricaSource

May 1, 2026

What can save Mali from collapse?

By Hussein Ba and Rama Yade

The security situation in Mali is becoming critical in the wake of a large-scale, coordinated series of attacks across multiple cities on April 25.

Extremism North & West Africa

UkraineAlert

May 1, 2026

Europe needs Ukraine as it looks to counter growing Russian threat

By Zahar Hryniv

More than a year since Trump returned to the White House, it is clear that Europe needs to develop its own strategic vision for the continent’s defense. It is equally apparent that Ukraine must be central to this vision, writes Zahar Hryniv.

Conflict Defense Industry
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Latest in-depth research and reports

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

Issue Brief

Apr 29, 2026

How information and communication technologies can empower women in Senegal

By Aminata Niang

Data and interview results show how information and communication technologies are empowering women in Senegal's informal economy.

Africa Freedom and Prosperity
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Content

In the News

Aug 2, 2020

Mack in The National: Thirty years on from the invasion of Kuwait, what have we learnt?
Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Aug 2, 2020

Mack in The National: Thirty years on from the invasion of Kuwait, what have we learnt?

When Saddam Hussein gave the order for Iraqi forces to enter Kuwait on August 1, 1990, he set off a chain of diplomatic, military and economic responses. The result was a decade-long peak of US presence and influence in the Middle East. In most respects, it was a period of positive accomplishments for the US […]

Conflict Middle East

In the News

Aug 1, 2020

Azodi quoted in The New York Times on Iran’s foreign policy
Iran Nuclear Energy

In the News

Aug 1, 2020

Azodi quoted in The New York Times on Iran’s nuclear program
Iran Middle East

In the News

Aug 1, 2020

Hruby joins Talking Africa to discuss how a new administration could impact evolving relations between the United States and Africa

By Atlantic Council

Africa Economy & Business

In the News

Jul 31, 2020

Pavel proposes steps for United States, allies in response to prospective China-Iran partnership

By Atlantic Council

On July 31, The National Interest published a piece by Barry Pavel in which he considers the strategic implications of closer China-Iran relations and outlines steps for the United States and its allies to take in response to a burgeoning China-Iran partnership.

China Iran

In the News

Jul 31, 2020

Kroenig and Ashford discuss the US approach toward China and the nature of the China challenge

By Atlantic Council

In this biweekly Foreign Policy column, Matthew Kroenig and Emma Ashford discuss the crisis in Hong Kong and the effectiveness of regime change, using 'Hamilton' and its insights as a premise.

China Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Jul 31, 2020

Robert Manning quoted in Newsweek on the role for allies in the US response to China

By Atlantic Council

China Indo-Pacific

In the News

Jul 31, 2020

Charai in the National Interest: America must become a world model again

By Atlantic Council

In recent years, America has become a country engulfed in turmoil, withdrawn from the world, wanting for leadership. Yet, all over the world, people still wish for a revival of values-driven American leadership. Read Atlantic Council Board Director Ahmed Charai's latest in the National Interest on the need for the United States to become a global role model again.

Africa Morocco

Digital currencies

Jul 30, 2020

Nikhil Raghuveera in Cointelegraph: China and US must learn from one another and collaborate on Central Bank Digital Currency

By Atlantic Council

Mr. Nikhil Raghuveera, a GeoTech Center Nonresident Fellows, was recently featured as a guest author in Cointelegraph, a digital publication focused on the future of money. In his article, Mr. Raghuveera discussed Central Bank Digital Currencies in continuation of his previous research for the Atlantic Council.

Digital Currencies Economy & Business
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