Mon, Sep 13, 2021
Cyber defense across the ocean floor: The geopolitics of submarine cable security
The vast majority of intercontinental global Internet traffic—upwards of 95 percent—travels over undersea cables that run across the ocean floor. The construction of new submarine cables is a key part of the constantly changing physical topology of the Internet worldwide. However, this dependence is not matched by increased security, leaving our undersea cables—the core of the global internet—at risk.
Report by Justin Sherman
Wed, Sep 1, 2021
Addressing Instability in Central America: Restrictions on Civil Liberties, Violence, and Climate Change
Citizens across Latin America and the Caribbean are rising up in protest. Political frustration and economic stagnation are fueling social discontent exacerbated by the continued COVID-19 pandemic and the slow health response. In Central America, restrictions on civil liberties, high rates of gender-based violence and extortion, and worsening climate change are compounding the lack of economic opportunities and pervasive corruption seen in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Issue Brief by María Fernanda Bozmoski, María Eugenia Brizuela de Avila, Domingo Sadurní
Tue, Aug 31, 2021
Extreme heat: The economic and social consequences for the United States
A new report produced by the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center with analysis conducted by Vivid Economics—quantifies the impacts of heat under current and future conditions.
Report by Adrienne Arsht – Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center
Tue, Aug 31, 2021
Trusted connectivity: A framework for a free, open, and connected world
As democracies address the global demand for a free, open, and connected world while ensuring that local and global emissions targets are met, they need an organizing framework: the concept of “trusted connectivity.”
Issue Brief by Kaush Arha
Mon, Aug 30, 2021
Pitching Abraham’s tent: The human dimension of UAE-Israeli normalization
In the past year, many have written on the normalization of relations between Israel and Arab states, focusing on economic interests and emphasizing shared security interests in the region. Case studies, however, indicate that relations between countries are improved when they encompass aspects related to the lives of citizens. Incorporating an element of cultural affinity […]
In-Depth Research & Reports by Yoel Guzansky, Shalom Lipner, Jonathan H. Ferziger, Sarah Feuer, Tomer Fadlon, Ari Heistein, Ebtesam Al Ketbi, and Noura Al Breiki
Thu, Aug 26, 2021
Countering ransomware: Lessons from aircraft hijacking
Ransomware has plagued organizations for more than a decade, but the last three years have experienced a surge in both the number of incidents and the ransoms demanded. To more effectively counter ransomware, the US government should develop a strategy that draws on lessons learned from addressing a surge in aircraft hijackings through the late 1960s and early 1970s.
In-Depth Research & Reports by Simon Handler, Emma Schroeder, Frances Schroeder, and Trey Herr
Tue, Aug 17, 2021
The UK, France, and the United States in Sweden’s vicinity: Strategic interests and military activities
As a response to the deteriorated security situation, following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and war in eastern Ukraine, the UK, France, and the United States have substantially increased their presence and engagement in Sweden’s vicinity.
Report by Anna Wieslander, Viktor Lundquist
Tue, Aug 17, 2021
Whither the Arabs: The end of the welfare state and the start of a journey into the unknown
Arab countries, rich and poor, large and small, are rapidly approaching a moment of reckoning. A confluence of anachronistic governance, economic mismanagement, and disruptive technology, which has changed the dynamics of both the supply and demand for hydrocarbon fuels and raw materials, is pushing the region to a tipping point.
Report by Hani K. Findakly, Kevin A. Findakly
Mon, Aug 16, 2021
EU-US Future Forum 2021: A path forward for transatlantic relations
From May 5 to 7, the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center and the EU Delegation to the United States partnered to organize the first EU-US Future Forum (EUFF), a three-day open conference bringing together policy makers, experts, and the private sector to address the key challenges facing the transatlantic relationship in the coming decades.
Issue Brief by Benjamin Haddad, Jörn Fleck, Livia Godaert, Michaela Nakayama Shapiro
Thu, Aug 5, 2021
Getting from commitment to content in AI and data ethics: Justice and explainability
There is widespread awareness among researchers, companies, policy makers, and the public that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data raises challenges involving justice, privacy, autonomy, transparency, and accountability.
Report by John Basl, Ronald Sandler, and Steven Tiell
Wed, Aug 4, 2021
Beyond Pakistan’s 2021-22 budget: The economy and growth
Recently appointed to his position, Shaukat Tarin has positioned the budget as being growth oriented in focus, with significant increases to subsidies, public-sector development, and salaries of government employees.
Issue Brief by Uzair Younus
Wed, Aug 4, 2021
Hezbollah blames Lebanon’s economic collapse on the United States
One year from the August 4 Beirut port explosion, Lebanon continues to free-fall into utter dysfunction as it unravels under the pressure of its worst economic crisis in decades, high rates of COVID-19 infections, an indifferent political class, and Hezbollah’s control over critical junctures of the Lebanese state.
Issue Brief by David Daoud
Mon, Aug 2, 2021
The energy transition in the Arab Gulf: From vision to reality
The United Arab Emirates and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have emerged as leaders in the Arab Gulf’s energy transition. But even as the two countries work to decarbonize their economies, challenges remain.
Report by Dr. Jean-François Seznec; Samer Mosis
Thu, Jul 29, 2021
Xi Jinping’s politics in command economy
This issue brief examines the key role of Xi Jinping and the CCP in the development of a new strategy for state capitalism in modern China.
Issue Brief by Dexter Tiff Roberts
Wed, Jul 28, 2021
The security of defense trade with allies: Enhancing contact, contracts, and control in supply chains
The COVID-19 pandemic and a wave of “Buy American” policies have cast doubt on the ability of foreign suppliers to provide crucial defense goods and services to the US Department of Defense in times of crisis or conflict. Forward Defense Nonresident Senior Fellow James Hasik recommends the expansion of security of supply agreements (among other measures) to fully leverage the defense-industrial bases of US allies and partners and best support US security priorities.
Issue Brief by James Hasik
Fri, Jul 23, 2021
A strategic framework for countering China’s human-rights violations in Xinjiang
China is engaged in a systematic campaign of repression against predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in northwest China, and its actions call for a coordinated response on the part of the United States and its allies.
Issue Brief by Jeffrey Cimmino
Fri, Jul 16, 2021
Poland and the United States: What’s right, what’s not, and what’s next
Around the time of President Joe Biden’s first trip to Europe in June 2021, US-Polish relations experienced a short, but intense, rough patch. Both the United States and Poland need to look hard at what this relationship can do for both countries and for the transatlantic relationship, and at the sources of problems.
Issue Brief by Daniel Fried, Jakub Wiśniewski
Mon, Jul 12, 2021
Reassessing RuNet: Russian internet isolation and implications for Russian cyber behavior
This issue brief examines recent “RuNet” developments and explores how they could elevate national security risks for the United States and Europe by changing the internet landscape in Russia and potentially shifting Russian cyber behavior.
Issue Brief by Justin Sherman
Thu, Jul 8, 2021
Forgotten places around the world: A call for action
Spatial inequality is in many ways a macro-critical issue, as it directly interferes with broader sustainable growth goals. As the new Biden administration works to develop solutions to boost rural economies, they need to ensure that all levels of government work closely together to actualize real change.
Issue Brief by Martin Mühleisen
Tue, Jul 6, 2021
Reimagining the US-India trade relationship
The United States and India have long striven to maintain and deepen bilateral ties, weathering Cold War tensions and antagonisms over India’s nuclear tests to reinvigorate linkages and strengthen cooperation.
Report by Ridhika Batra, Mark Linscott, Anand Raghuraman, Harsha Vardhana Singh