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

Nov 13, 2015

Japan’s security role and capabilities in the 2020s

By Roger Cliff

Security challenges in East Asia are becoming acute. North Korea is developing a missile-deliverable nuclear weapon, and the long-term stability of the Pyongyang regime is questionable. Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of Chinese territory, is about to have a presidential election in which a candidate from a pro-independence party is the front-runner. China has […]

Defense Policy Japan

Report

Nov 12, 2015

Path to peace and prosperity the Colombian miracle

By Miguel Silva

  Colombia approaches the third anniversary of the negotiations with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on November 19 at a time of heightened expectations that peace is within reach. The Atlantic Council report, The Path to Peace and Prosperity: The Colombian Miracle, warns that peace will not be inexpensive and calls for deep […]

Colombia

Art of Future Warfare

Nov 12, 2015

War Stories from the Future

By Art of Future Warfare Project

Download the Mobi version Download the ePub version Read the Book (PDF) *Epub files are supported by Apple (iBooks), Barnes & Noble’s Nook, Sony Reader, Android devices, and many more. Mobi files can be downloaded on Amazon’s Kindle. “The authors in this anthology invite us to shed the shackles that bind us to our current […]

Issue Brief

Oct 29, 2015

The Militarization of Crimea under Russian Occupation

By Andrii Klymenko

Read the Issue Brief (PDF) In “The Militarization of Crimea under Russian Occupation,” Crimean activist Andrii Klymenko explains how the Kremlin has moved to tighten its grip on Crimea as the world turns its focus toward Syria. Indeed, Russia has proven itself to be settling in for the long haul in Crimea, with mass relocations […]

Russia Ukraine
Hiding in Plain Sight: Putin's War in Ukraine

Report

Oct 15, 2015

Hiding in plain sight: Putin’s war in Ukraine

By Maksymilian Czuperski, John Herbst, Eliot Higgins, Alina Polyakova, Damon Wilson

Drawing upon open source information, Hiding in Plain Sight: Putin's War in Ukraine provides irrefutable evidence of direct Russian military involvement in eastern Ukraine.

Conflict Disinformation
President Ghani

Issue Brief

Oct 14, 2015

Afghanistan and US security

By South Asia Center

It is the core purpose of the Atlantic Council to foster bipartisan support for policies that promote the security of the United States and the transatlantic community. The signatories of this piece have either served in Afghanistan, been involved in the formation of US policy in government, or otherwise devoted considerable time to Afghan affairs. […]

Afghanistan Conflict

Issue Brief

Oct 13, 2015

Crude oil for natural gas: Prospects for Iran-Saudi reconciliation

By Jean-Francois Seznec

Despite the sectarian barbs traded between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Iran's unique ability to meet the kingdom's fast growing demand for electricity may help spur a reconciliation, and the two dominant energy producers do not necessarily need to see their energy production as competition.

Energy & Environment Geopolitics & Energy Security

Issue Brief

Oct 9, 2015

Tunisia: The last Arab Spring country

By Mohsin Khan and Karim Mezran

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, a civil society group comprising the Tunisian General Labor Union; the Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade, and Handicrafts; the Tunisian Human Rights League; and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, October 9, 2015 “for its decisive contribution to the […]

North Africa

Issue Brief

Oct 8, 2015

Foreign policy for an urban world: global governance and the rise of cities

By Peter Engelke

In the latest FutureScape issue brief from the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security's Strategic Foresight Initiative, author Peter Engelke discusses the long-term economic, environmental, and policy implications of urbanization. Entitled "Foreign Policy for an Urban World: Global Governance and the Rise of Cities," the brief examines how urbanization is hastening the global diffusion of power and how cities themselves are increasingly important nodes of power in global politics.

Climate Change & Climate Action Energy & Environment

Books

Sep 28, 2015

J. Peter Pham Authors Africa Chapter in John Hay Initiative’s “Choosing to Lead” Book

By J. Peter Pham

This chapter originally appeared in the book, Choosing to Lead: American Foreign Policy for a Disordered World, released by the John Hay Initiative. Africa is destined to present the United States with both significant challenges and extraordinary opportunities in the coming years, far more than has been the case in the recent past. It could hardly […]

Issue Brief

Sep 28, 2015

Ukraine: From Evolutionary to Revolutionary Reforms

By Olena Bilan, Mike Duane, Yuriy Gorodnichenko, and Ilona Sologoub

Read the Issue Brief (PDF) Since the Maidan revolution, the Ukrainian government has embarked on a comprehensive reform agenda. But almost two years since the revolution, reforms are still lacking in core areas. The most prominent achievements are the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau to fight high-level corruption, the introduction of a new police […]

Central Europe Ukraine

Report

Sep 25, 2015

A post-sanctions Iran and the Eurasian energy architecture: Challenges and opportunities for the Euro-Atlantic community

By Micha’el Tanchum

With the removal of international sanctions on Iran, different markets will have a great interest in importing Iranian gas, but which market will benefit the most? Lifting the sanctions carries the potential to radically restructure the Eurasian energy architecture and, as a consequence, reshape Eurasian geopolitics.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

Issue Brief

Sep 25, 2015

Nordic-Baltic Security and the US Role

By Mark Seip

Read the Issue Brief (PDF) The United States and the Nordic states enjoy a strong, productive relationship. However, stability in the Nordic-Baltic area is under increasing stress, which has implications for both NATO and its partner members, Finland and Sweden. In “Nordic-Baltic Security and the US Role,” the Atlantic Council’s US Navy Senior Fellow Mark […]

Climate Change & Climate Action Energy & Environment

Report

Sep 16, 2015

China’s evolving role in Latin America: Can it Be a win-win?

By Enrique Dussel Peters

Weeks before Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with President Barack Obama in Washington, the Atlantic Council’s Latin America Center launched a new report that unravels the complexities of the Latin America-China relationship. Titled China’s Evolving Role in Latin America: Can it Be a Win-Win?, the report provides five recommendations to help both China and Latin […]

China

Report

Sep 14, 2015

NATO’s new strategy: stability generation

By Franklin D. Kramer, Hans Binnendijk, and Daniel S. Hamilton

The new threat landscape the transatlantic community faces means that NATO must adapt its strategy to remain relevant. While many transatlantic policymakers and thought leaders have called for a new strategy for NATO, few have outlined what that strategy should actually entail. This report proposes that NATO adopt a new strategy called “Stability Generation,” built […]

Europe & Eurasia NATO

Issue Brief

Sep 14, 2015

Iran debates its regional role

By Nasser Hadian

Concerns in the United States and its traditional Middle Eastern allies about Iran’s expanding regional role in the aftermath of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached between Iran and the P5+1 on July 14, 2015, fail to take into consideration a significant debate within the Iranian policy elite. In “Iran Debates Its Regional […]

Iran

Issue Brief

Sep 10, 2015

Energy sanctions and Russia: What comes next?

By Adnan Vatansever

The West has responded to the Kremlin's increasingly bellicose policy in the former Soviet space by imposing punitive measures against Russia's energy sector. The immediate impact of such measures appears limited as neither oil nor gas flowing from Russia is expected to suffer right away. However, the sanctions' long-term implications may prove more important.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

Report

Sep 10, 2015

Risk Nexus: Overcome by cyber risks? Economic benefits and costs of alternate cyber futures

By Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, Zurich Insurance Group, and The University of Denver’s Pardee Center on International Futures

In 2030, will the Internet and related information and communications technologies (ICTs) continue to drive global innovation and prosperity? Or will that bright promise be swamped by an unstable and insecure Internet, so overwhelmed by non-stop attacks that it has become an increasing drag on economic growth? The answers, as far as we can predict, […]

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

Issue Brief

Sep 2, 2015

Toward a sustainable peace in the South China Sea

By Wei-Teh Li

This issue brief argues that SCS countries need to work toward a "mutual confidence" and "mutual dependence" end state. In particular, the paper focuses on sharing meteorological data to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, including search and rescue operations, foreign disaster relief goods delivery, and medical care.

China Indo-Pacific

Issue Brief

Sep 2, 2015

Seizing local opportunities in Syria

By Bassam Barabandi and Faysal Itani

Despite the many external players involved, the Syrian war is ultimately a local conflict. In “Seizing Local Opportunities in Syria,” authors Faysal Itani of the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center and Co-Founder of People Demand Change Bassam Barabandi identify three opportunities on the ground for the United States to develop partnerships with segments of the […]

Syria
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