In-depth research and reports

Our programs and centers deliver relevant, policy-focused research that matters to inform debate and action. Our focus is always on moving debate forward, integrating analysis with active, relevant conclusions throughout our published work.

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

Report

Jul 1, 2026

US-Turkish relations: Impact on NATO and the Middle East

By Rich Outzen

As Europe warms to Turkey and US influence shifts, the US–Turkey relationship has become crucial to shaping NATO's strength and Middle East security.

Europe & Eurasia Middle East

Report

Jul 1, 2026

Q&A with Senator Jeanne Shaheen

By Atlantic Council Turkey Program

Ranking Senator Shaheen on NATO's value, Turkey's role in the Alliance, and why political division is the greatest threat to Western security.

Conflict Defense Policy

Report

Jul 1, 2026

Q&A with Lieutenant General Max A. L. T. Nielsen, commandant of the NATO Defense College

By Atlantic Council Turkey Program

An interview covering resilience, deterrence, airpower, and preparation for an era of multi-domain competition.

Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia

Report

Jul 1, 2026

From cloud to kill zone: How Ukraine rewired naval warfare for the age of algorithmic warfare

By Can Kasapoğlu

Ukraine's Black Sea naval drone campaign shows how AI, cloud tech, and autonomous systems are rewriting the rules of modern maritime warfare.

Defense Technologies Maritime Security

Report

Jul 1, 2026

The Atlantic Alliance in the air

By Tod D. Wolters and Phillip Stewart

Though work remains to be done, NATO's air readiness is growing, backed by F-35s, integrated missile defense, joint pilot training, and space capabilities.

Artificial Intelligence Defense Policy

Issue Brief

Jul 1, 2026

When innovation becomes security: Finland’s innovation ecosystem in transition

By Satu Vasamo-Koskinen

Geopolitical tensions are reshaping innovation ecosystems, with dual-use technologies increasingly linking economic competitiveness and security. In Finland, NATO membership has accelerated this shift, creating new opportunities for innovators to engage with NATO DIANA and contribute to allied defense innovation.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

Issue Brief

Jun 30, 2026

Looking to a decade of delivery: The Three Seas Initiative charts its course forward

By Emma Nix and Ian Brzezinski

The Three Seas Initiative aims to bolster investment in cross-border energy, digital, and transport infrastructure to fuel regional prosperity and security.

Central Europe Economy & Business

Report

Jun 30, 2026

A network of corridors is the only reliable hedge against Middle East chokepoint disruptions

By Afaq Hussain, Maisoon H. Kafafy

The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor was proposed in September 2023. Progress stalled shortly after, in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel. With the economic cost now clear of reliance on maritime chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz, the proposed network of road and rail corridors linking Europe and India through the Middle East has taken on even greater relevance.

Economy & Business India

Issue Brief

Jun 26, 2026

Lessons for Africa from Brazil on becoming more resilient to climate disasters

By Eduardo A. Haddad, José Marengo, Regina Alvalá, and Tércio Ambrizzi

The growing economic and social impacts of natural disasters highlight the need for stronger disaster risk governance across many African countries. Brazil's disaster monitoring and early-warning system offers a model.

Africa Brazil

Issue Brief

Jun 24, 2026

Harmonizing USMCA: Enhancing customs to facilitate US-Mexico competitiveness

By the Binational Task Force on Economic Security and Competitiveness

With the 2026 USMCA review underway, negotiating authorities should focus on strengthening the mechanisms that promote trade facilitation: customs.

Economy & Business Latin America

Issue Brief

Jun 24, 2026

Perspectives from the 2026 CEO Dialogue

By Nour Dabboussi, Joze Pelayo, Manal Fatima, David Maloney, Khalid Azim

The Atlantic Council’s MENA Futures Lab hosted a group of more than thirty business leaders, academics, analysts from international organizations, and policymakers for the CEO Dialogue in the lead up to the World Governments Summit in Dubai. The insights shared there reflect trends in AI, supply chain resilience, and more.

Artificial Intelligence Economy & Business

Report

Jun 23, 2026

Balancing openness and control: Cross-border health data and AI governance in China

By Kenton Thibaut

In China, health data is no longer just a medical resource—it is a strategic asset at the center of AI competition.

Artificial Intelligence China

Issue Brief

Jun 18, 2026

The case for a US Northeast Asia Command

By Christopher Lee, Ben Blane, and Markus Garlauskas

To maximize its deterrent and warfighting effectiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, the United States must reform its military command-and-control structure in Northeast Asia.

Arms Control East Asia

Report

Jun 16, 2026

Financing the end of the digital divide

By Kenton Thibaut, Jochai Ben-Avie

Digital connectivity has become a strategic geopolitical contest shaping the future of the global internet. This report examines China’s global digital infrastructure investments and the ways that the United States and its allies can leverage blended finance, partnerships, and policy to close the digital divide while offering a credible alternative to China’s expanding digital influence.

China Digital Policy

Issue Brief

Jun 15, 2026

Updating the Democratic Transition Framework to chart a way forward in Venezuela

By Geoff Ramsey

To seize the opportunity for a democratic transition in Venezuela in the wake of Nicolás Maduro's January capture, the United States should update a power-sharing framework proposed in 2020 to serve as a road map for the restoration of Venezuela’s democratic institutions.

Americas Democratic Transitions

Issue Brief

Jun 12, 2026

A renewed security and cooperation agenda for Colombia’s next government

By the US–Colombia Strategic Alignment Coalition

As Colombia heads to its presidential runoff election June 21, the next government will inherit a security crisis that requires a renewed US-Colombia agenda for dismantling criminal governance structures and the financial networks that sustain them.

Americas Colombia

Issue Brief

Jun 11, 2026

To stop Chinese dual-use battery dominance, the United States and South Korea need to team up

By Joseph Webster, Alvin Camba, Emily E. Kim

Should China establish a global monopoly across battery supply chains, the military, strategic, and commercial implications for the US-ROK alliance will be profound.

China Critical Minerals
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