Geopolitics & Energy Security

Three worlds in 2035: Imagining scenarios for how the world could be transformed over the next decade

2024 was marked by increased climate shocks and collaboration of autocratic adversaries. What will the world look like in the next decade? The Atlantic Council’s top experts brought their globe-spanning expertise to the task of forecasting three different scenarios for the future.

Global Foresight 2025

In this year’s Global Foresight edition, our experts share findings from our survey of global strategists on how human affairs could unfold over the next decade. Our team of next-generation scholars spot “snow leopards” that could have major unexpected impacts in 2025 and beyond. And our foresight practitioners imagine three different scenarios for the next decade.

Securing energy independence: The US path to resilient enriched uranium supply chain

By Mikael Pir-Budagyan

One critical challenge for the United States in the energy security space is the sourcing of enriched uranium that fuels nuclear reactors across the country, vital for the energy transition away from fossil fuels.

Ukraine can play a key role in Europe’s future energy architecture

By Nataliya Katser-Buchkovska

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the need for Europe to pursue greater energy flexibility and connectivity, writes Nataliya Katser-Buchkovska.

Baltic states unplug from Russia’s power grid—but Moscow still looms over critical infrastructure

By Justina Budginaite-Froehly

Breaking from the Russian system, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are about to synchronize their electricity systems with the Continental Europe Network.

Surrounded by superpowers, Kazakhstan walks a geopolitical tightrope

By Nargis Kassenova

Still a relatively young nation, Kazakhstan finds itself at critical juncture amid a series of domestic and geopolitical shocks. Its future depends on the success of economic liberalization efforts—and a delicate balancing act: The country must strengthen ties with the West and simultaneously manage its relations with powerful neighbors like Russia and China.

Jonathan Wilkinson: US and Canada need to ‘walk back from the brink’ and find new ways to cooperate—including on energy

By Atlantic Council

At an Atlantic Council event, the Canadian energy minister made the case for a US-Canada alliance on energy and minerals.

The green gold rush: Why renewable energy is Egypt’s next big opportunity

By Jonathan R. Cohen, Racha Helwa

Egypt’s abundant solar irradiance, strong wind corridors, and significant potential for cost-effective green hydrogen production give the country a competitive edge.

Can increased energy sector sanctions pressure Putin into peace talks?

By Aura Sabadus

US President Donald Trump has warned Russia that he will impose economic measures including taxes, tariffs, and sanctions unless Russian President Vladimir Putin agrees to end the war in Ukraine, writes Aura Sabadus.

Bigger than the Berlin Airlift: How NATO’s natural gas shut down a key Russian pipeline 

By Simon Lomax, Morgan Bazilian, and Greg Clough

NATO's formidable defense of Europe against Russian energy aggression has shut down one of the last natural gas connections between the EU and Russia. These efforts are reminiscent of the 1948 Berlin Airlift, and mark a moment in geopolitics, energy security, and climate progress that merits celebration.