Politics & Diplomacy

Healthy democratic societies are governed through the holding of elections, passage of policies through government institutions, and equal application of the law to all citizens. These activities influence not only the internal decisions of these societies, but also inform the ways countries interact with their regional and global neighbors, whether through direct bilateral ties or encompassed in larger international organizations.

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

New Atlanticist Mar 18, 2025

The Gaza cease-fire is over. What’s next from Israel, Hamas, and the US?

By Atlantic Council experts

In the early hours of March 18, Israel launched air strikes on Gaza, ending the two-month cease-fire. Atlantic Council experts answer pressing questions about the resumed conflict.
Conflict Israel
Europe should help in the Gulf to serve its own interests, regardless of Trump’s demands

New Atlanticist Mar 17, 2025

Enough carrots for Putin. For better negotiations, serve ‘maximum pressure’ instead.

By Benjamin L. Schmitt, Richard L. Morningstar, and Daniel Fried

Since Russia appears content for negotiations to move slowly, the Trump administration should turn up the pressure with new sanctions.
Conflict Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion
Europe should help in the Gulf to serve its own interests, regardless of Trump’s demands

Issue Brief Mar 13, 2025

Present without impact? How the Middle East perceives China’s diplomatic engagement

By Jonathan Fulton

Despite economic advancements and high-profile diplomatic engagements, China’s influence remains largely economic rather than political, Jonathan Fulton argues.
China Economy & Business

Content

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

TURKEYSource

Mar 18, 2026

The unspoken yet growing synergy in Turkey–Spain relations

By Riccardo Gasco & Samuele C. Abrami

Spanish-Turkish defense cooperation could help normalize Turkey as a security actor within the Euro-Atlantic perimeter.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Mar 18, 2026

Italy faces a dangerous gap between stability on paper and citizens’ lived experience

By Massimo Morelli

Giorgia Meloni’s three-year tenure as prime minister is unusually long by recent Italian standards. As her government faces its biggest test yet with a referendum on judicial reforms, what explains Meloni’s relative stability—and the frequent turnover that preceded it? A deep dive into economic and political indicators sheds light on Italy’s path forward.

Elections Fiscal and Structural Reform

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

Podcast

Mar 16, 2026

Inside Trump’s economic strategy, with EXIM Bank’s John Jovanovic

By the Atlantic Council

Amid a war in Iran, a slowdown in shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and tariff uncertainty, John Jovanovic, chairman and president of the US Export-Import Bank (EXIM), explains why he believes “these times call for a very strong, robust export-import bank.

Economy & Business Politics & Diplomacy

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Mar 16, 2026

Weakening democratic checks and regional insecurity put Benin’s future at risk

By Gilles Olakounlé Yabi

Benin’s democratic gains since 1990 have eroded over the past decade amid growing executive centralization, shrinking political competition, and rising insecurity. Renewing strong institutions and political openness is key to shared prosperity.

Africa Elections

In the News

Mar 14, 2026

Kroenig quoted in The Atlantic on Trump’s foreign policy

By Atlantic Council

On March 13, Atlantic Council vice president and Scowcroft Center senior director Matthew Kroenig was quoted in The Atlantic about Trump's foreign policy.

Politics & Diplomacy United States and Canada

UkraineAlert

Mar 14, 2026

UN: Putin’s deportation of Ukrainian children is a crime against humanity

By Peter Dickinson

Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children is a crime against humanity, a new United Nations investigation has found. The mass abduction and indoctrination of Ukrainian children is part of a genocidal Kremlin plan to erase Ukrainian identity, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation
Load More

Experts

Staff

Bart Piasecki

Assistant Director

GeoEconomics Center

Fiscal and Structural Reform International Financial Institutions

Staff

Emilia Pierce

Deputy Director, Operations and Finance

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Civil Society Conflict

Fellow

Maisie Pigeon

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Africa Center

Africa Financial Crimes & Illicit Trade

Fellow

Priya Pillai

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Africa Conflict

Fellow

Alan Pino

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Intelligence Iran

Fellow

Leah Pisar

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Transatlantic Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Civil Society Education
Load More

Events

Public Event Fri, March 20, 2026 • 2:00 pm ET

The fight for influence in Venezuela against Russia, China, Iran, and Cuba
Americas Latin America Politics & Diplomacy Venezuela
Public Event Mon, March 23, 2026 • 10:00 am ET

Kurt Campbell on what to expect from Trump’s Beijing visit
China Economy & Business Politics & Diplomacy Technology & Innovation
Public Event Thu, March 26, 2026 • 2:30 pm ET

Gina McCarthy and the European Commission’s Teresa Ribera on climate cooperation
Climate Change & Climate Action Politics & Diplomacy
Load More