Annual Report

Nov 9, 2021

The Atlantic Council at 60: Enriched by its past, energized by its present, and equipped for the future

By John F.W. Rogers, Frederick Kempe

We are fortunate that the Atlantic Council our founders created six decades ago has never been more robust, but the array of challenges we face has never been more daunting. Here’s how we are shaping the global future together.

Civil Society Politics & Diplomacy

Annual Report

Nov 9, 2021

South Asia Center

By The Atlantic Council

Fostering partnerships with key institutions in the region to serve as a forum for dialogue as well as offering pragmatic recommendations for policymakers.

Annual Report

Nov 9, 2021

GeoEconomics Center

By The Atlantic Council

Transforming for a new era in the global economy.

In-Depth Research & Reports

Nov 8, 2021

Surveillance Technology at the Fair: Proliferation of Cyber Capabilities in International Arms Markets

By Winnona DeSombre, Lars Gjesvik, and Johann Ole Willers

Nation-state cyber capabilities are increasingly abiding by the “pay-to-play” model—both US/NATO allies and adversaries can purchase interception and intrusion technologies from private firms for intelligence and surveillance purposes. This paper analyzes active providers of interception/intrusion capabilities, as well as the primary arms fairs at which these players operate. The answers to these questions will allow policymakers to better understand the proliferation of cyber capabilities in the hands of irresponsible corporate actors that presents an urgent challenge to national and global security.

Arms Control Cybersecurity

Report

Nov 4, 2021

What future for the Western Sahel?

By Richard Cincotta and Stephen Smith

The Western Sahel is in a demographic impasse. To work their way out of this dilemma, Sahelian governments must shift a significant part of their development focus and funding to policies and programs aimed at preventing adolescent marriages and childbearing, promoting girls’ education, securing women’s participation in public- and private-sector workplaces, and achieving small, healthy, well-educated families.

Africa Energy & Environment

Assumptions Testing Series

Nov 3, 2021

Assumption #3: US leadership is indispensable to the health of the global order

By Christopher Preble

Experts often assume that US power is essential to global peace and prosperity, but need to question what role the United States can play in the global system among partners and allies.

Human Rights National Security

Report

Nov 2, 2021

Deterring Chinese strategic attack: Grappling with the implications of China’s strategic forces buildup

By Matthew Kroenig

To counter the increasing threat from China’s assertive foreign policy and growing nuclear capabilities, Matthew Kroenig outlines a strategy for Washington and allies to reliably deter Chinese strategic attack.

China Cybersecurity

Report

Oct 26, 2021

North Africa 2030: What the future holds for the region

By Frederick Kempe, Giampiero Massolo, Yahia Zoubir, Abdelkader Abderrahmane, Pietro Gagliardi, Guillaume Biganzoli, Aldo Liga, Nader Kabbani, Nejla Ben Mimoune, Hannah Abdullah, Karim Elgendy, Shlomo Roiter Jesner, Jay Mens, Armando Sanguini, Karim Mezran, and Alissa Pavia

In the last decade, several events redefined North Africa’s heterogeneous character and identity. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the beginning of the Arab spring, but most of the root causes fueling the unrest remain unaddressed.

Middle East North Africa

Issue Brief

Oct 26, 2021

Deploying distributed renewable energy to reduce the impacts of extreme heat on the urban poor

By Jorge Barrigh and Owen Gow

Increased urbanization and related demographic shifts, combined with the growing threat of heat stress, extreme heat events, and other climate change–related impacts, are set to continue to strain urban centers in the coming decades.

Climate Change & Climate Action Energy & Environment

In-Depth Research & Reports

Oct 25, 2021

AUKUS: The Impact on the Transatlantic Partnership — Wieslander in ISDP Report

By Anna Wieslander

This Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) special publication brings together a number of experts from Europe and Asia to discuss the implications of AUKUS for Europe. AUKUS is a critical geopolitical development. It has complex chapters attached to it. Therefore, any assessment of the AUKUS has to be understood from a comprehensive perspective, […]

Australia China

Article

Oct 21, 2021

“The Hultqvist Doctrine”: Swedish security and defence policy after the Russian annexation of Crimea — Wieslander in Defence Studies journal

By Anna Wieslander

Abstract: “This article analyses how Sweden has adapted to the worsened security situation in its vicinity following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and war in Eastern Ukraine. The paper builds on security policy research focused on neoclassic realism and small state strategies in order to explore how the, broadly unknown, security policy from 2009 has […]

Europe & Eurasia NATO Partnerships

Issue Brief

Oct 18, 2021

Recasting Pakistan’s water scarcity challenge

By Fazilda Nabeel

Pakistan’s water situation is at a crossroads. The country has been increasingly cited by international organizations for being on the brink of water scarcity because of its declining per capita water availability. At the same time, the architecture of water resource governance in the country is undergoing a major overhaul.

Civil Society Energy Markets & Governance

Issue Brief

Oct 15, 2021

Designing decentralized finance for financial inclusion

By Nikhil Raghuveera

The next iteration of DeFi must be developed toward an intentional vision for financial inclusion. Financial inclusion means that everyone has the tools to not only meet their daily needs, but to also build wealth for themselves, their families, and their communities. And in turn, greater financial inclusion supports more resilient and robust economies.

Digital Currencies Digital Policy

Report

Oct 14, 2021

Standardizing the future: How can the United States navigate the geopolitics of international technology standards?

By Giulia Neaher, David Bray, Julian Mueller-Kaler, and Benjamin Schatz

Standards for data and technology represent a key part of the world’s digital ecosystem, and as such, they can have significant implications for geopolitics. This report, published in partnership with the American Edge Project, endeavors to study the geopolitical dynamics surrounding technology standards setting to better inform related US policy.

China Digital Policy

Issue Brief

Oct 8, 2021

Global Britain: An American review

By Dame Karen Pierce, Max Bergmann, Peter Rough, Rachel Ellehuus, Yakov Feygin, Nate Sibley, Livia Godaert, Leah Scheunemann, Safa Shahwan Edwards, Margaret Jackson, Olivier-Remy Bel, Damir Marusic, Jörn Fleck, Julia Friedlander, Frances Burwell, James Batchik

What is happening to Britain in the world? Since 2016, when Brexit began with the United Kingdom’s shock “leave” vote to quit the European Union, the conversation has become almost impossible to have without entering into a fierce and polemical debate surrounding the country’s departure.

Economy & Business Politics & Diplomacy

Issue Brief

Oct 7, 2021

Una squadra vincente: The US-Italian defense-industrial partnership

By Mauro Gilli and James Hasik

The United States needs to more closely integrate its own defense-industrial base with those of its allies, including Italy. This issue brief focuses on the US-Italian defense-industrial partnership to enable policymakers to better understand this relationship, leverage it more comprehensively to meet key strategic objectives, and secure the supply chains necessary to ensure US national security.

Defense Industry Defense Policy

Report

Oct 5, 2021

China Pathfinder: Annual Scorecard

By GeoEconomics Center and Rhodium Group

Over the past eight months, teams from the Atlantic Council and Rhodium Group have taken a dive into China’s economy to address a fundamental question: Is China becoming more or less like other open-market economies? 

China European Union

In-Depth Research & Reports

Oct 4, 2021

Introduction: Cooperation on maritime cybersecurity

By William Loomis, Virpratap Vikram Singh, Dr. Gary C. Kessler, Dr. Xavier Bellekens

It is imperative to establish at the outset that there is no silver bullet for maritime cybersecurity. This report is intended to deliver a more complete and operational plan to better protect the MTS by focusing on building upon, broadening, and deepening the priorities put forward by the National Maritime Cyber Plan by focusing on three key principles: risks and standards, information and intelligence sharing, and creating a maritime cybersecurity workforce.

Cybersecurity Defense Technologies

In-Depth Research & Reports

Oct 4, 2021

A system of systems: Cooperation on maritime cybersecurity

By William Loomis, Virpratap Vikram Singh, Dr. Gary C. Kessler, Dr. Xavier Bellekens

The MTS is not monolithic; it is a markedly complex “system of systems.” This section segments the MTS into three discrete systems—ships, ports, and cargo—each with its own life cycle, in order to highlight areas of risk and leverage for policy makers and the industry.

Cybersecurity Maritime Security

In-Depth Research & Reports

Oct 4, 2021

Recommendations: Cooperation on maritime cybersecurity

By William Loomis, Virpratap Vikram Singh, Dr. Gary C. Kessler, Dr. Xavier Bellekens

This report puts forward twelve recommendations—split into three overarching themes—to help better secure all subsystems of the MTS from evolving cyber threats.

Cybersecurity Maritime Security