Content Type: Issue Brief

Content

Issue Brief

Mar 20, 2026

The economic and political traps awaiting aging societies

By Markus Jaeger

Rapidly aging populations and falling birthrates create fiscal and economic headwinds that even advanced economies struggle to manage. Some middle-income countries are approaching the same “demographic cliff” at an even faster clip, while many lower-income countries face the opposite problem. Policymakers in all cases must be prepared to make politically tough decisions—and soon.

Economy & Business Fiscal and Structural Reform

Issue Brief

Mar 20, 2026

Aquatic Tiger: How long-range submarine drones could play a role in a Taiwan conflict

By Markus Garlauskas with contributions from Drew Holliday, Adam Kozloski, Nicholas Takeuchi, and Paul Vebber

Could submarine drones help the United States deter or counter a Chinese attack on Taiwan? The Aquatic Tiger wargame was designed to find out. The Atlantic Council's Indo-Pacific Security Initiative reports on the wargame's findings, with implications for the US government, the defense industry, and more. 

Conflict Defense Technologies

Issue Brief

Mar 19, 2026

Federal agencies under pressure need smarter systems, not tougher people

By Caitlin Thompson

Resilience is an important trait for national security practitioners, but it is not a solution for problems with agency and department design. Better systems and strategies can ensure that individuals are fully prepared and ready to respond to crises, rather than consistently under strain.

National Security Resilience

Issue Brief

Mar 18, 2026

Mythical Beasts: Investigating the role of intermediaries in the proliferation of offensive cyber capabilities

By Jen Roberts, Sarah Graham, and Lyla Renwick-Archibold

The opacity of intermediaries in the OCC marketplace represents a discernible gap in current policy frameworks. Brokers and resellers are essential enablers and connectors of the OCC supply chain.

Cybersecurity Technology & Innovation

Issue Brief

Mar 16, 2026

Reconstructing Gaza starts with giving Palestinians financial agency

By Melanie Robbins 

Palestinians are dependent on Israeli banks for cash and access to the financial system, and Jerusalem has floated the possibility of cutting off that access. Any credible reconstruction plan for Gaza has to account for this—otherwise, essential aid organizations can’t pay local staff, and households and businesses can't pay for daily necessities.

Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion Israel

Issue Brief

Mar 9, 2026

New START might be dead, but legally binding arms control isn’t

By Michael Albertson

Who killed New START? Moscow and Beijing's behavior is mostly to blame—but an arms control community that privileged the aspirational and performative over substantive measures didn't help.

Issue Brief

Mar 3, 2026

Expanding transmission infrastructure to achieve low-cost, reliable, and abundant energy

By Ken Berlin, Frank Willey

With demand for electricity rising, the United States needs a long-term strategy to expand the power grid and improve energy reliability and affordability.

Energy & Environment Renewables & Advanced Energy

In-Depth Research & Reports

Feb 26, 2026

The state of great power competition in the Gulf

By Jonathan Fulton

This issue brief examines Gulf states' strategic positioning amid shifting global power dynamics, the opportunities and challenges of great power competition, and regional efforts toward de-escalation and development.

Economy & Business Energy & Environment

Issue Brief

Feb 26, 2026

Standardizing carbon accounting worldwide with a single, robust, cost-effective system

By Vincent Aussilloux, Yann Coatanlem, and Karthik Ramanna

Carbon accounting has the potential to accelerate decarbonization, improve energy resilience, and strengthen economic security. But first, countries must decide on a robust, standardized system.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

Issue Brief

Feb 20, 2026

Four options for arms control after New START

By Amy Woolf

With the last quantitative limit on the world's largest nuclear arsenals now expired, Washington finds itself in a new and uncertain era, with less clarity about Russia’s nuclear forces, plans to upgrade its own, and growing concern about China's. The best option may be trilateral talks—but not about a new arms control treaty.

Arms Control China
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