Issue briefs and reports

Issue briefs and reports

Our programs and centers deliver in-depth, highly relevant issue briefs and reports that break new ground, shift opinions, and set agendas on public policy, with a focus on advancing debates by integrating foundational research and analysis with concrete policy solutions.

2026 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes: The legal foundations that enable prosperity are rapidly eroding

Global Energy Agenda Jun 8, 2026

2026 Global Energy Agenda full survey results

The Global Energy Agenda takes the pulse of the energy community, revealing expert views on global energy security, access, and sustainability.
Africa Americas
2026 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes: The legal foundations that enable prosperity are rapidly eroding

Report Jun 1, 2026

Atlantic Council Commission on AI lays a roadmap for US leadership in the age of AI

By Atlantic Council experts

The flagship report of the Atlantic Council Commission on AI and US competitiveness, which presents an action-oriented roadmap for strengthening US domestic AI capacity.
Artificial Intelligence Cybersecurity
2026 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes: The legal foundations that enable prosperity are rapidly eroding

Issue Brief Jun 9, 2026

How global authoritarians sustain inequality

By Deng Liu

Authoritarian leaders across the world use targeted strategies to sustain inequality. But developing countries should instead pull from a variety of existing development models to create societal prosperity.
East Asia Freedom and Prosperity

Content

Report

Jul 15, 2026

2026 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes: The legal foundations that enable prosperity are rapidly eroding

By Ignacio Campomanes, Nina Dannaoui-Johnson, Annie (Yu-Lin) Lee, James Mazzarella

Adherence to the rule of law has declined sharply since 2020. Drawing on thirty years of data across 171 countries, the 2026 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes show why that matters: without strong legal foundations, economic reforms stall, democracies erode, and prosperity stays out of reach for millions.

Freedom and Prosperity Rule of Law

Issue Brief

Jul 7, 2026

AI is the next major biodefense tech priority

By the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense

Artificial intelligence is changing how biological threats can be created, detected, and countered.

Artificial Intelligence Security & Defense

Issue Brief

Jul 7, 2026

India’s AI playbook: From talent incubator to AI leader

By Trisha Ray

India’s AI talent ecosystem is rapidly growing but faces structural gaps.

Artificial Intelligence India

In-Depth Research & Reports

Jul 6, 2026

A stronger Europe in NATO—the way forward

By Anna Wieslander and Louise Blomqvist

This report analyzes what a stronger Europe in NATO means in practice, how European allies can take greater responsibility without weakening the cohesion of the Alliance, and what role Sweden can play.

Northern Europe Security & Defense

Report

Jul 6, 2026

Supporting freedom, combating anti-US regimes: A democracy assistance agenda for 2026-2028

By Patrick Quirk

This report is the culminating publication of the Freedom and Prosperity Center's "The future of democracy assistance" series, which analyzes the many complex challenges to democracy around the world and highlights actionable policies that promote democratic governance.

Freedom and Prosperity Political Reform

Issue Brief

Jul 2, 2026

Europe’s no-panic playbook for a radically different US foreign policy

By Hans Binnendijk, James J. Townsend Jr.

How should the United States' allies, particularly in Europe, adapt to this new reality in US foreign policy?

Europe & Eurasia NATO

Issue Brief

Jul 2, 2026

From burden sharing to strategic delivery: NATO and Turkey’s priorities ahead of the Ankara summit

By Pınar Dost

As allies gather in Ankara, Turkey's rising influence, US retrenchment, and uneven burden sharing will test whether NATO can convert pledges into action.

Defense Policy European Union

Report

Jul 1, 2026

How NATO is facing mounting cybersecurity challenges

By G. Alexander Crowther

NATO's cyber defenses boast strong policy and training, but uneven capabilities and rising state threats will continue to pose major challenges.

Cybersecurity Defense Technologies

Report

Jul 1, 2026

Alliance evolving: The Ankara summit and NATO readiness

By Atlantic Council Turkey Program

As allies gather in Ankara for the 2026 NATO Summit, the seventh issue of the Defense Journal examines the issues at the forefront of the allied agenda.

Defense Policy Defense Technologies

Report

Jul 1, 2026

Fighting a land war in the digital age: How armies must reinvent themselves—or be destroyed by those that do

By Yavuz Türkgenci

Armies that fight the next war with last century's doctrine will lose it. AI targeting, drone swarms, and algorithmic command have already arrived on the battlefield.

Conflict Defense Industry
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