Energy & Environment

Mining corridors as catalysts: Building on the Lobito model

By Aubrey Hruby

The financing approach and public-private cooperation used to build the Lobito transportation corridor offers a playbook for the US and African governments and investors as they seek to tap Africa's critical mineral wealth.

Global Foresight 2036

In this year’s Global Foresight edition, our experts share findings from our survey of geostrategists on how human affairs could unfold over the next decade. Our scholars spot “snow leopards” that could have major unexpected impacts over the next decade. And our tech experts put AI’s forecasting ability to the test.

Welcome to 2036: What the world could look like in ten years, according to nearly 450 experts

By Mary Kate Aylward, Peter Engelke, Uri Friedman, and Paul Kielstra

We polled geostrategists and foresight practitioners on our most burning questions about the biggest drivers of change over the next decade. Check out their forecasts on everything from the future of NATO to the rise of cryptocurrency.

The Global Foresight 2036 survey: Full results

In the fall of 2025, the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security surveyed the future, asking leading geostrategists and foresight experts around the world to answer our most burning questions about the biggest drivers of change over the next ten years. Here are the full results. 

Six ‘snow leopards’ to watch for in the decade ahead

By Uliana Certan, Nikita Shah, Ginger Matchett, Sarah Wallace, Dominique Ramsawak, Tatevik Khachatryan

Our scholars scan the horizon for the underappreciated phenomena that could have outsize impact on the world, driving global change and shaping the future.

Mining without rules: The risky US bet on the deep sea

By Elisabeth Braw

Amid efforts to acquire coveted critical minerals, in April 2025 the United States permitted deep-sea mining within international waters. Elisabeth Braw explores the implications of the Trump Administration's move for global maritime norms.

Death by cold: Russia is attempting to freeze millions of Ukrainian civilians

By Kristina Hook

Russia is methodically bombing Ukraine's power and heating infrastructure amid arctic weather conditions in a bid to freeze millions of Ukrainian civilians and make much of the country unlivable, writes Kristina Hook.

How Iran’s water bankruptcy seeped into the protest movement

By Nik Kowsar

Many of Iran's protest hubs overlap with areas where severe water shortages in recent years have made life increasingly difficult for people.

How Israeli technology could help solve Iran’s water crisis

By Joseph Epstein and Dalga Khatinoglu

Iran faces a stark choice: find ways to access the world's most advanced water technologies, or continue toward a crisis.

Memo to the president: Steps to secure a prosperous, US-aligned Venezuela

By Jason Marczak, Ambassador James Story, General (ret.) Laura J. Richardson, and Geoff Ramsey

One month after Nicolás Maduro’s removal from power, Washington has significant leverage it can use in the short term to boost the odds of a stable, democratic Venezuela emerging in the long term. To that end, our experts lay out the tough asks the US government should make of interim president Delcy Rodríguez.