Security & Defense

What Trump could do next in Iran

By Nate Swanson

As a US carrier strike group nears the Persian Gulf, what options does US President Donald Trump have to strike against the Iranian regime?

Trump may move on from Greenland. Europe won’t.

By Jörn Fleck, James Batchik

Trump’s willingness to engage in brinkmanship with Europe over Greenland will have a lasting impact on how the continent’s leaders approach relations with Washington.

To get the Greenland issue right, focus on alignment

By András Simonyi

The task now is not rhetorical escalation, but strategic certainty that secures Greenland and anchors it in the West.

The US is taking action against Russia’s shadow fleet. In the Baltic Sea, Europe should follow suit.

By Justina Budginaite-Froehly

European nations should force Russia’s shadow fleet out of the Baltic Sea and help to reshape the maritime legal order.

Wang Yi’s MENA tour was long on messaging, short on outcomes

By Jonathan Fulton

Wang worked to position China as a defender of free trade and a reliable partner for the Middle East region.

The future of Greenland and NATO after Trump’s Davos deal

By Atlantic Council

Our experts shed light on Trump’s speech at Davos and what the “framework of a future deal” on Greenland means for transatlantic relations.

By taking a win on Greenland, Trump set US and allied security in the Arctic on a better path

By Daniel Fried

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the US president pledged not to use force to take Greenland and rescinded planned tariffs against several European allies.

To adapt to today’s security threats, NATO should prioritize the basics of defense innovation

Transatlantic allies must focus on accelerating defense innovation while strengthening their defense industrial bases.

Countering Russian escalation in space

By John Klein, Clementine G. Starling-Daniels

Current US space policy and acquisitions are inadequate to address the growing threats from Russia in space. The United States needs a more resilient space architecture, able to withstand major-power conflict—and Russia’s designs to place a nuclear weapon in orbit. Here are fifteen recommendations to make that happen.