In-depth research and reports

Falling in: The deterrent value of Host Nation Support in the Baltic Sea region

By Kathleen McInnis and Connor McPartland

Host Nation Support plays a vital, yet often overlooked, role in enabling NATO’s overall deterrence strategy for the Baltic Sea region.

COVID-19 vaccine tracker: Latin America and the Caribbean

Our interactive maps track the percentage of the population of each Latin American and Caribbean country covered by current vaccine agreements; the total number of doses secured by each country and breakdown by supplier/vaccine; where each vaccine is being used across the region; and how many vaccines flow from each major producing country to regional destinations.

China-LAC Trade: Four Scenarios in 2035

By Tatiana Prazeres, David Bohl, and Pepe Zhang

Executive Summary Trade between China and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) experienced dramatic growth since the early 2000s. Going forward, China is poised to solidify its position as a leading regional trading partner.  By 2035, trade values will likely reach unprecedented levels. This, accompanied by greater Chinese investment and financial flows, will further increase […]

What would Winston do? Cooperative approaches toward securing the Five Eyes information environment

By Daniel Dobrowolski, David V. Gioe, and Trey Herr

Given the global prevalence of English, the countries comprising the Five Eyes intelligence alliance should build upon existing proven frameworks to cooperate to secure their shared information environment.

Europe needs to take a lead on Iraq

By Christian Koch

In a new report Dr. Christian Koch argues that Europe has already invested in Iraq’s stability and, going forward, should lead in policy areas demanding immediate and continued attention. Deliberate policy coordination and a European willingness to significantly increase its burden-sharing would be a tangible contribution to the Biden administration’s stated goal of rebuilding alliances and partnerships.

Mission resilience: Adapting defense aerospace to evolving cybersecurity challenges

By Simon Handler, Trey Herr, Steve Luczynski, and Reed Porada

While aerospace presents inherently distinct challenges from other spaces, defense organizations could look to the private sector and adapt commercial practices to implement the principles of resilience.

A transatlantic agenda for homeland security and resilience beyond COVID-19

By Anna Wieslander

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has disclosed the importance of resilient power – a society’s capability to absorb unexpected major shocks, handle and adapt to these, and then, most importantly, bounce back. As the pandemic still rages, endurance has become a major challenge for individuals, institutions, companies, and societies. It emphasizes another dimension of resilience: it is not only about how fast society is able to bounce back and recover at a certain moment, but also how it can withstand repeated shocks over time.

The impact of Western sanctions on Russia and how they can be made even more effective

By Anders Åslund, Maria Snegovaya

While Western sanctions have not succeeded in forcing the Kremlin to fully reverse its actions and end aggression in Ukraine, the economic impact of financial sanctions on Russia has been greater than previously understood.

Iranian women in the year 1400: The struggle for equal rights continues

By Mehrangiz Kar and Azadeh Pourzand

A new report outlines an image of women’s struggles for equality to help US policymakers better understand the intricacies of Iranian society and to design policies that support—but do not supplant or undermine—the women’s movement.

Partnering for Africa’s digital future: Opportunities for the United States, South Korea, and India

By Aleksandra Gadzala Tirziu

For Washington, cooperation with emerging powers such as South Korea and India could advance US influence in Africa and could help ensure that Beijing’s digital foothold on the continent does not deepen.

What will the impact be if Nord Stream 2 is completed?

By Anders Åslund

A completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline will have an impact on a number of issues, from national and energy security to geopolitical and governance considerations, all while the gas supply will hardly be impacted with costs already sunk. Does the pipeline make commercial sense?

2025 Post-Covid Scenarios: Latin America and the Caribbean

By Pepe Zhang and Peter Engelke

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has found that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the worst economic decline in Latin America and the Caribbean in two hundred years. In addition to its economic toll, the pandemic has had a devastating impact on the region’s society and health systems. Although the region represents just 8 percent […]

Россия после Путина – Первоочередные шаги новой власти

By Anders Åslund and Leonid Gozman

Мы не знаем, когда прекратит свое существование режим Путина, но он явно испытывает трудности. В своем новом докладе д-р Андерс Ослунд и д-р Леонид Гозман дают рекомендации о том, что следует сделать после завершения путинского правления.

Four things to know about environmental justice

By Clinton Britt, Andrea Clabough, and David Goldwyn

Environmental justice (EJ) has become a driving theme in the mainstream energy and climate policy discourse, and EJ considerations have been at the forefront of the most substantial energy, climate, environmental, and infrastructure policy and personnel decisions of the new Biden-Harris administration. What does environmental justice mean, how has it evolved in recent years, and how might environmental justice guiding concepts, analytical frameworks, and goals become actionable policy under this administration?

Fighting for the hearts and minds of Sakartvelo: The Georgian information environment during the 2020 parliamentary election

By Eto Buziashvili, Givi Gigitashvili, Sopo Gelava, Graham Brookie, Andy Carvin, Iain Robertson, Zarine Kharazian

A technical analysis of how various online actors, both foreign and domestic, attempted to manipulate public opinion and influence the recent Georgian parliamentary election results.

Priorities for US-Africa commercial policy in the Biden Administration

By Aubrey Hruby

This new decade has created a unique moment for the Biden administration to reset US-Africa policy. A more multifaceted and nuanced engagement with African states will set a foundation for stronger US-Africa partnerships, support mutual economic growth, and contribute to strengthening US global leadership.

The future of security in space: A thirty-year US strategy

By Clementine G. Starling, Mark J. Massa, Lt Col Christopher P. Mulder, and Julia T. Siegel

Outer space is rapidly transforming as new actors test new limits. This Atlantic Council Strategy Paper calls for the United States and its allies and partners to secure space over the next three decades or risk wasting the promise of this emerging domain.

Beyond the war: The history of French-Libyan relations

By Farah Rasmi

On February 23, 2011, French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared to the world his revulsion at the brutalities taking place in Libya: “The international community cannot remain a spectator to all the massive violations of human rights,” he said. Much had changed in the relationship between Sarkozy and Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi since the latter’s visit to France in 2007. Much has also changed in Libya and the rest of the world since these declarations were uttered and the ensuing intervention by NATO began.

Digital Autocracy: Maduro’s control of the Venezuelan information environment

By Esteban Ponce de León, Daniel Suárez Pérez

A 16-month monitoring report that analyzes the information environment in Venezuela, exploring the Maduro regime’s tactics when promoting influence operations in the country and abroad.

The digital Yuan, digital Euro, and the Diem: Key issues for public debate

By Hung Tran

As momentum grows for the development of CBDCs many policy questions remain unanswered. For insights into how CBDCs may develop, it will be important to watch where the current leaders, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) and the European Central Bank (ECB), converge and diverge.