Security & Defense

The Iran war has forced the US-Gulf alliance out of the shadows

By Eric Alter

The Iran war is testing whether the informal strategic system the United States has assembled with its Gulf partners and Israel is strong enough to hold up amid a regional conflict.

‘They have been exposed’: The Iran war upends Gulf states’ security and business model

By Stefanie Hausheer Ali

The Iran war threatens the sense of security, prosperity, and opportunity that the Gulf states have spent years cultivating as they seek to diversify their economies away from oil.

Five ideas to make the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara a success

By Atlantic Council experts

While the upcoming summit is unlikely to produce anything as singularly significant as 2025’s “5 percent” pledge, there are important steps the Alliance should take.

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 long before the full-scale war of 2022

By Paul Niland

International efforts to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine must reflect the fact that the Kremlin's attack on Ukraine began in 2014 and not with the full-scale war of 2022, writes Paul Niland.

Four scenarios for geopolitics after the Iran war

By Jeffrey Cimmino, Barry Pavel

Policymakers should consider four potential outcomes for the Iran war and how they would impact US-China competition.

The Strait of Hormuz is ‘open,’ but the US blockade remains in place. Here’s what that means.

By Theresa Luetkefend, Joe Costa

How long can the US military sustain a naval blockade against Iran? What are the risks? Atlantic Council experts answer these and other pressing questions.

Drone diplomacy: Ukraine strengthens security role in Europe and the Gulf

By Maksym Beznosiuk, William Dixon

Ukraine has emerged since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 as a world leader in drone warfare. Kyiv is now using drone diplomacy to build security partnerships throughout Europe and the Middle East, write Maksym Beznosiuk and William Dixon.

Dispatches from the front lines of Russia-linked cyberattacks on Europe

Sweden recently announced that a 2025 cyberattack on a heat plant was conducted by a Russia-linked group, adding to the list of Russian aggression against European critical infrastructure.

Could Bulgaria replace Hungary as Putin’s proxy inside the EU?

By Jan Surotchak

Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán's recent election defeat was widely seen as a major setback for Russia, but victory for the pro-Kremlin candidate in this week's Bulgarian parliamentary elections could provide Putin with a new proxy inside the EU, writes Jan Surotchak.

The Iran war is not about China

By Jonathan Fulton

China is behaving like a normal external power with interests in the region, not like a crisis manager shaping outcomes.