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At the intersection of economics, finance, and foreign policy, the GeoEconomics Center is a translation hub with the goal of helping shape a better global economic future.

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Dispatches

Apr 14, 2026

15 charts that explain why the Strait of Hormuz shutdown matters for the global economy

By Kate Burnett, Kevin Li, Lisa Basquel, and Chloe O’Connor

Until it was effectively closed, the waterway had been a critical artery for not only crude oil and liquefied natural gas, but several critical commodities as well.

Conflict Economy & Business

Econographics

Apr 14, 2026

The debt comes due—but there is no one to pick up the tab

By Bart Piasecki

Many of the IMF’s latest warnings center on the fallout of the Iran war. But another key message has focused on debt: because the world has neglected fiscal consolidation for more than two decades, the time to reverse course is now.

Economy & Business Macroeconomics

EconoGraphics

Apr 13, 2026

Inside the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings as leaders grapple with war and supply shocks

By Atlantic Council experts

Amid war in the Middle East and an unprecedented energy shock, we sent our experts to the IMF and World Bank headquarters for their insights on the future of the global economy.

Economy & Business Energy & Environment

Dispatches

Apr 12, 2026

Washington needs a ‘Plan Venezuela’ before it’s too late

By James Story and David Bellon

Using Plan Colombia as a model, the United States should commit to a long-term, well-funded effort to bring security to Venezuela.

Colombia Economy & Business

Issue Brief

Apr 9, 2026

Transatlantic cooperation on AI and national security

By Antonio Calcara

AI and its linkages with national security will play a key role in transatlantic relations. But absent more structured cooperation, the United States and the European Union risk drifting further apart on AI policy.

Artificial Intelligence Digital Policy

Event Recap

Apr 8, 2026

Ajay Banga on responding to this economic crisis: ‘Focus on policies’ that ‘create jobs’

By Katherine Golden

At an AC Front Page event, Banga cautioned countries to "be careful" not to “put your country into an even bigger problem downstream" while responding to the Iran war.

Economy & Business Inclusive Growth

Report

Apr 8, 2026

Making aid work in the new geopolitical era will be an uphill battle

By Stefan Dercon

Development aid requires local political commitment, careful project selection, and long-term focus, or it can worsen the problems it seeks to solve. When aid becomes a pawn of geopolitical competition, those conditions for effective aid become more elusive.

Economy & Business Freedom and Prosperity

Dispatches

Apr 8, 2026

Sanctions waivers on Russian and Iranian oil are set to expire. Here’s what Trump should do next.

By Maia Nikoladze, Daniel Fried

Washington should rely on already established mechanisms to limit revenue flows to both Tehran and Moscow.

Conflict Economy & Business

Podcast

Apr 8, 2026

What’s behind Tehran’s tollbooth?

By the GeoEconomics Center

Last month, Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. Now, reports are emerging that it is charging some tankers massive fees to transit. But how exactly does Tehran's "tollbooth" operate?

Economy & Business Energy & Environment

Transcript

Apr 7, 2026

The World Bank Group’s Ajay Banga: Expect higher inflation, lower growth from this global crisis

By Atlantic Council

Banga dropped by Atlantic Council headquarters for his curtain-raiser speech before the 2026 IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings, where he talked about his jobs agenda and the fast-changing global economy.

Economy & Business Inclusive Growth

Experts

Events