Fri, Jan 22, 2021
The United States, Germany, and world order: New priorities for a changing alliance
Treating each divergence in security policy as an isolated incident may have allowed policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic to ignore the unpleasant fact that the United States and Germany could have increasingly disparate perceptions of threats and strategic cultures.
Issue Brief by Roderick Kefferpütz, Jeremy Stern
Wed, Jan 20, 2021
Choosing wisely: How the Biden administration can build a better coalition on international energy and climate policy in a post-COVID world
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have inherited a country deep in crisis. After the tumult of 2020, the new administration takes the helm amid high unemployment, a sluggish economic recovery, soaring national debt, and a staggering 360,000 Americans dead from a pandemic that shows few signs of slowing before new vaccines can be distributed. At the same time, President Biden has asserted that the United States will regain its mantle of leadership of the liberal order, reset its international partnerships, and, perhaps most importantly, rebuild as a clean, green superpower putting the global community back on track to meet its climate commitments and securing a sustainable trajectory for future economic growth.
Report by David L. Goldwyn, Andrea Clabough
Tue, Jan 19, 2021
How the rest of the world responds to the US-China split
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated fragmentation of the postwar world order. Its most poignant manifestation is in an intensifying competition between the United States and China for political and strategic influence. How countries respond to this split, unwelcome by most, depends on whether they see themselves as competitors to China, or as “price takers” in the international economic system.
Issue Brief by Hung Tran
Mon, Jan 18, 2021
The Global Energy Agenda
The inaugural edition of the Global Energy Agenda provides context for the unprecedented year that has passed. It features a survey of thought leaders in the energy sector, as well as a series of essays by the leading figures in energy, to set the energy agenda for 2021.
Global Energy Agenda by Randolph Bell, Jennifer T. Gordon, Paul Kielstra, and Andrew Marshall (Editors)
Mon, Jan 18, 2021
Mapping green innovation ecosystems: Evaluating the success factors for the world’s leading greentech-innovation centers
Enabling current and future generations to mitigate climate change requires the urgent creation and scaling up of technologies that minimize and reverse the impact of human activities on the environment. The ecosystems that foster innovation in green technologies, and the success factors that enable these ecosystems, must be better understood in order to replicate them around the world.
Report by Peter Engelke, Margaret Jackson, Randolph Bell
Thu, Jan 14, 2021
The hard work ahead in improving US-India agricultural trade
Between the United States and India, challenges on trade, specifically agricultural trade, persist. This analysis concludes that both countries should pursue a multi-pronged approach to expanding bilateral agricultural trade.
In-Depth Research & Reports by Mark Linscott and Scott Sindelar
Thu, Jan 14, 2021
Rejoining the Iran nuclear deal: Not so easy
President-elect Joe Biden takes office on January 20, 2021, facing a litany of daunting foreign policy issues, from another massive cyber hack by Russian intelligence to alienated allies in Europe and beyond to a regime in Pyongyang that continues to proliferate weapons of mass destruction unchecked. But perhaps the stickiest—and most immediate—crisis the Biden administration […]
Issue Brief by Brian O’Toole
Wed, Jan 13, 2021
Relaunching the transatlantic trade agenda: A European perspective
By analyzing the lessons learned from the failure of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations and drawing on interviews with European officials, this paper recommends adopting a step-by-step approach that pays greater attention from the start to the concerns of public opinion—notably, on climate change—the diversity of European sensitivities, and the need to rebuild trust progressively.
In-Depth Research & Reports by Emilie Bel
Tue, Jan 12, 2021
Smart partnerships amid great power competition
The report captures key takeaways from various roundtable conversations, identifies the challenges and opportunities that different regions of the world face when dealing with emerging technologies, and evaluates China’s role as a global citizen. In times of economic decoupling and rising geopolitical bipolarity, it highlights opportunities for smart partnerships, describes how data and AI applications can be harnessed for good, and develops scenarios on where an AI-powered world might be headed.
In-Depth Research & Reports by Mathew Burrows, Julian Mueller-Kaler
Wed, Jan 6, 2021
Gone with the Muhasasa: Iraq’s static budget process, and the loss of financial control
A new Iraq Initiative report, authored by Ahmed Tabaqchali, chief investment officer at AFC Iraq Fund, outlines the inefficiencies inherent in Iraq’s current budget process and recommendations for a revamped, dynamic, and transparent budget mechanism.
In-Depth Research & Reports by Ahmed Tabaqchali
Tue, Dec 29, 2020
The Future of DHS Project: Key Findings and Recommendations: Congressional Oversight
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is overseen by more than ninety committees and subcommittees–an oversight burden far greater than any other cabinet department. This issue brief proposes that Congress streamline its oversight of DHS to increase its effectiveness as a department with national security responsibilities.
Issue Brief by Thomas Warrick & Mark J. Massa
Wed, Dec 23, 2020
Countering China’s challenge to the free world: A report for the Free World Commission
The increasing assertiveness of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) poses a significant challenge to the interests and values of likeminded allies and partners and a rules-based internationa system.
Issue Brief by Jeffrey Cimmino, Ash Jain, Matthew Kroenig
Wed, Dec 23, 2020
Countering Russia’s challenge to the free world
Over the past decade, the Kremlin has executed a concerted strategy to undermine the cohesion of, and confidence in, democratically-elected governments in Europe and around the world. In response, leading democracies have acted to counter Russia by enacting sanctions and pursuing other measures aimed at defending frontline states against Russian aggression.
Issue Brief by Edward Fishman, Ash Jain
Tue, Dec 22, 2020
United States interests and policy choices in the Middle East: We didn’t start the fire…
In a new report, Dr. Michael S. Bell, a professor at the National Defense University’s Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, defines those interests, highlights major threats to them, and offers recommendations for US policy makers.
In-Depth Research & Reports by Michael S. Bell
Fri, Dec 18, 2020
Engaging Europe: A transatlantic digital agenda for the Biden administration
Without engagement, Europe and the United States are likely to continue their disparate approaches to the digital economy. The Biden administration must meet the challenge of building better US-EU cooperation on digital issues, for the sake of transatlantic security, prosperity, and shared values.
Issue Brief by Frances Burwell
Thu, Dec 17, 2020
Countering Chinese disinformation reports
A series of reports on countering Chinese disinformation campaigns around the globe from the Digital Forensic Research Lab and Asia Security Initiative, housed in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.
In-Depth Research & Reports by Digital Forensic Research Lab
Thu, Dec 17, 2020
Countering China’s crackdown on Hong Kong
The implementation of the national security law has stifled the democratic movement in Hong Kong. This action sparked a series of democratic protests that China quickly attempted to dismantle—alarming observers worldwide. Can democracies mitigate the impact of the new national security laws on Hong Kong? Should Chine face penalties from the international community? Or will aligned democracies fail to defend other vulnerable democratic nations against Chinese malign influence?
Issue Brief by Anna Downs and Ash Jain
Wed, Dec 16, 2020
Dealmaking with China amid global economic uncertainty: Opportunities, risks, and recommendations for Latin America and the Caribbean
Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic is exerting extraordinary pressure on Latin American and Caribbean economies with reverberations that will be felt for years to come. October estimates point to a 8.1 percent contraction of regional GDP this year, accompanied by a 23 percent reduction in exports. Between January and May, Latin American and Caribbean exports to […]
In-Depth Research & Reports by Sergio Ley López and Salvador Suárez Zaizar
Tue, Dec 15, 2020
A guide to illicit Iranian weapon transfers: The Bahrain file
A new report by illicit weapon flows expert Tim Michetti offers a comprehensive, field-based case study on illicit Iranian weapon flows. The report is based on a confidential assessment of the materiel procurement networks of militants operating inside Bahrain.
In-Depth Research & Reports by Tim Michetti
Mon, Dec 14, 2020
Iraq’s energy security strategy: A path to diversity and energy independence
A paper co-authored by Dr. Abbas Kadhim, director of the Iraq Initiative at the Atlantic Council, and Dr. Sara Vakhshouri, founder and president of SVB Energy International, outlines immediate and medium-term practical measures to tackle Iraq’s most pressing issues, in its quest to attain energy independence.
In-Depth Research & Reports by Abbas Kadhim and Sara Vakhshouri