Conflict

Violent conflict within and between nations has been a consistent feature throughout humanity’s history, and although it has seen a considerable decline in recent decades, it remains a challenge. Conflict destroys lives, wrecks economies, and can destabilize entire regions. The international community has a responsibility to seek peaceful ends to conflicts and to avoid measures that unnecessarily extend or promote the violence.

Content

In the News

Mar 19, 2026

Kaluderovic in Fox News: Trump’s strike on Iran deals a major blow to Putin’s war machine in Ukraine

By Atlantic Council

Conflict Defense Industry

Fast Thinking

Mar 19, 2026

Why the Iran war energy shock is different 

By Atlantic Council

Our experts explain the factors that make the oil crisis resulting from the Iran war distinct from those caused by past conflicts.

Conflict Energy Markets & Governance

In the News

Mar 19, 2026

Gongadze in Ukrainska Pravda: “Europe at war.” Friends of Europe’s warning shot

By Atlantic Council

Conflict Europe & Eurasia

UkraineAlert

Mar 19, 2026

Wartime Ukraine offers global lessons on the future of cyber resilience

By Oleksandr Bakalynskyi, Maggie McDonough

The twelve years of cyber warfare that have accompanied Russia’s escalating invasion of Ukraine have transformed the country’s digital environment into a proving ground for modern conflict, write Oleksandr Bakalynskyi and Maggie McDonough.

Conflict Critical Infrastructure Policy

Dispatches

Mar 18, 2026

Six strategic risks the Trump administration should evaluate in the Iran war

By Nathan Freier

Risk assessments often boil down to one question: What is the likelihood that the chosen approach will deliver the desired outcomes at acceptable cost?

Conflict Iran

Dispatches

Mar 18, 2026

Attacks on desalination plants in the Iran war forecast a dark future

By Ginger Matchett

The attacks on desalination plants in Iran and Bahrain offer a glimpse into the dangers the region would face if water infrastructure is intentionally targeted at scale.

Conflict Energy & Environment

Dispatches

Mar 18, 2026

Europe should help in the Gulf to serve its own interests, regardless of Trump’s demands

By Daniel Fried, Jörn Fleck

European leaders have plenty of reasons to engage constructively with the United States and partners in the Middle East.

Conflict Europe & Eurasia

Inflection Points

Mar 18, 2026

Now that the Iran war is here, the US must complete its mission

By Frederick Kempe

The US-Israeli operation in Iran is a historic opportunity to neutralize the Middle East’s greatest destabilizer over the past four decades.

Conflict Iran

Dispatches

Mar 17, 2026

How the Iran war could trigger a European energy crisis

By Lisa Basquel

Refilling Europe’s depleted gas storage—already a difficult task given the continent’s efforts to stop purchasing Russian gas—is even more difficult now with the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed.

Conflict Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Mar 17, 2026

The Iran war is good for the Russian economy but bad for Putin’s prestige

By Maksym Beznosiuk, Will Dixon

From Armenia and Syria to Venezuela and Iran, Moscow’s inability since 2022 to aid its allies in times of crisis has seriously damaged Russia’s reputation as a global power, write Maksym Beznosiuk and Will Dixon.

Conflict Geopolitics & Energy Security

Experts

Events