Content Type: Report

North Macedonia: A reform agenda on the path to EU integration

By Aleksej Demjanski, Biljana Ivanovska, Branimir Jovanović, Sara Milenkovska, Lura Pollozhani, and Malinka Ristevska Jordanova

Five experts from the region map out a reform agenda for North Macedonia's newly elected government to pursue greater democratic progress and eventual European integration.

Avoiding entanglement: G20 responses in a Taiwan crisis

By Matthew Mingey, Laura Gormley, and Logan Wright

This report identifies China’s likely goals for interactions with G20 nations under a Taiwan contingency, as well as each case country’s respective economic and policy reactions.

A path forward for Colombia’s 2016 peace accord and lasting security 

By US-Colombia Advisory Group, with Isabel Chiriboga and Geoff Ramsey

Halfway through period allotted for the 2016 peace accord’s implementation, Colombia faces slow progress amid rising organized crime. To counter resurgent conflict, Colombia’s government must prioritize carrying out the commitments it made in the accord, backed by millions in US and European investment for long-term security.

Iraq’s 2024 budget: Not what it appears when it first meets the eye

By Ahmed Tabaqchali

Iraq’s budget update seems straightforward but holds hidden complexities. A closer look uncovers discrepancies between appearances and realities, offering insights into Iraq’s fiscal strategy and the structural challenges shaping its economic future.

NATO needs a ‘hellscape’ defense at ‘Replicator’ speed

By Franklin D. Kramer, Kristen Taylor

To enhance deterrence, the NATO Alliance should adopt a 'hellscape' approach designed to acquire and field low-cost, highly effective massed armaments, prepositioned on the forward lines of conflict, within a two-to-three year timeframe.

The economic and social costs of the war in Gaza

By Perrihan Al-Riffai

After a year of war, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and neighboring countries need a permanent ceasefire. But with development gains erased, billions of dollars in infrastructure damaged, and skyrocketing unemployment, the Middle East also urgently needs a solid reconstruction plan.

Capture the (red) flag: An inside look into China’s hacking contest ecosystem

By Dakota Cary and Eugenio Benincasa

China has built the world’s most comprehensive ecosystem for capture-the-flag (CTF) competitions—the predominant form of hacking competitions, which range from team-versus-team play to Jeopardy-style knowledge challenges.

End of the line: The cost of faltering reforms

By Atlantic Council GeoEconomics Center and Rhodium Group

The China Pathfinder project examines whether China’s economy is converging or diverging with the world's leading open market economies.

A bipartisan Iran strategy for the next US administration—and the next two decades

As tensions spike in the Middle East, how should the next US president approach Iran and its network of proxies including Hezbollah and Hamas? With a strategy that can be maintained for decades, by administrations of either party. A bipartisan, expert working group lays out the details.

Bridging US-EU interests and action for the Indo-Pacific and China

By Léonie Allard

The next US administration can build on a transatlantic agenda and benefit from the impetus in the European Commission to better frame the agenda on China and with Indo-Pacific countries.