Putin’s quiet Syrian surrender reveals the weakness behind his intimidation tactics

Issue Brief Mar 21, 2025

To win the AI race, the US needs an all-of-the-above energy strategy

By Joseph Webster

To ensure US AI leadership, the United States must harness all forms of energy, allow a level playing field, and remove red tape constraining the buildout of critical enablers, especially transmission lines and grid enhancing technologies.
Artificial Intelligence China
Putin’s quiet Syrian surrender reveals the weakness behind his intimidation tactics

MENASource Feb 26, 2025

How the Houthis’ strikes on US MQ-9 Reaper drones serve a wider regional agenda

By Leonardo Jacopo Maria Mazzucco

The United States needs to adjust its drone deployment strategy to ensure that MQ-9 Reapers are less vulnerable to the militant group’s attacks. 
Defense Policy Defense Technologies
Putin’s quiet Syrian surrender reveals the weakness behind his intimidation tactics

New Atlanticist Feb 18, 2025

What’s missing from the AI debate? Patience.

By Trey Herr

The AI sector is evolving quickly, fueled by a self-reinforcing cycle of investment, commentary, and ambition. In this race for compute, patience is important to sorting out sustainable innovation from speculative excess.
Artificial Intelligence Defense Technologies

Democracy & Tech Initiative

The DFRLab’s Democracy & Tech Initiative creates policy practices that align global stakeholders toward tech and governance that reinforces, rather than undermines, open societies. This initiative builds on the DFRLab’s leadership in the OSINT field, empowering global communities to promote transparency and accountability.

Explore the program

Content

UkraineAlert

Dec 17, 2024

Putin’s quiet Syrian surrender reveals the weakness behind his intimidation tactics

By Peter Dickinson

Vladimir Putin’s inability to save his Syrian ally Bashar Assad is a timely reminder that Russia is far weaker than many appreciate and Western fears of Kremlin escalation are wildly exaggerated, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Policy

In the News

Dec 16, 2024

Lord and Sweatt advocate for rapid adoption of cutting-edge defense software in DefenseNews

By Atlantic Council

Ellen Lord and Tyler Sweatt of Forward Defense's Commission on Software-Defined Warfare published an article in DefenseNews on how the US Defense Department and its allies ought to approach software-defined warfare.

Artificial Intelligence Defense Industry

AfricaSource

Dec 15, 2024

Opportunity for Africa lies beyond the continent’s youth boom: It’s also in the ‘silver surge’

By Tom Bonsundy-O’Bryan

Africa can set a global standard for dignity and care, proving that its elders are not a burden but a source of prosperity and resilience.

Africa Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Dec 10, 2024

Ukraine is expanding its long-range arsenal for deep strikes inside Russia

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine is producing its own arsenal of long-range weapons as Kyiv seeks to bypass Western fears of escalation and bring Vladimir Putin's invasion home to Russia in 2025, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Industry

Atlantic Debrief

Dec 10, 2024

#AtlanticDebrief – What is the future of the Three Seas Initiative? | A debrief from Amb. Georgette Mosbacher

As part of Central Europe Week, Ian Brzezinski sits down with Ambassador Georgette Mosbacher to discuss 3SI and Central Europe’s effort to modernize and expand cross-border regional infrastructure.

Central Europe Economy & Business

Report

Dec 10, 2024

Europe and the United States need to revolutionize their defense industrial bases—and how they cooperate

By Rob Murray

With powerful state and nonstate actors challenging the post-World War II international order, innovation in the tech sector happening at breakneck speed, and climate change threats, NATO allies must rethink traditional defense cooperation to stay relevant.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

MENASource

Dec 9, 2024

Advancing US national security through Middle East AI negotiations 

By Akash Wasil

Leading negotiations around global AI standards can help the United States manage security risks and ensure that emerging frameworks align with its values and interests.

Artificial Intelligence Middle East

New Atlanticist

Dec 6, 2024

Romania annulled its presidential election results amid alleged Russian interference. What happens next?

By Atlantic Council experts

Our experts answer six burning questions on the Romanian Constitutional Court’s decision to annul first-round presidential election results after allegations of Russian interference.

Central Europe Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Dec 5, 2024

Ukraine’s entrepreneurial class can drive the country’s economic recovery

By Anton Waschuk

The Ukrainian SME sector has demonstrated remarkable wartime resilience and is poised to be at the forefront of efforts to create a modern, innovative, postwar economy, writes Anton Waschuk.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Dec 4, 2024

Tucker Carlson warns of WWIII, but Russia’s nuclear threats ring hollow

By Peter Dickinson

US media personality Tucker Carlson was back in Moscow this week warning of nuclear war as Russia struggles to address growing Western indifference to its frequent nuclear threats, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation
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Experts

Fellow

Mahnaz Khan

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoTech Center

Geopolitics & Energy Security National Security

European Leadership Accelerator Participant

Alexandre Marques Pinho

Adviser to the Minister, Portugal Ministry of Defence

Millennium Leadership Program

Europe & Eurasia Security & Defense

Fellow

Martin Wolf

Nonresident Fellow

GeoTech Center

Climate Change & Climate Action Technology & Innovation

European Leadership Accelerator Participant

Antti Rauhala

Programme Officer, International Energy Agency (IEA)

Millennium Leadership Program

Central Europe Eastern Europe

European Leadership Accelerator Participant

Chiara Cocchiara

Senior Innovation Officer, European Space Agency

Millennium Leadership Program

Europe & Eurasia Resilience & Society

Fellow

Andrea Rigoni

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Cybersecurity Digital Policy
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Events

Public Event Thu, May 8, 2025 • 9:30 am ET

General John Raymond on national security and the future of space commerce

An #ACFRONTPAGE EVENT—Raymond, who served as the first chief of space operations of the US Space Force, talks about maintaining the US military edge as the space domain becomes increasingly contested and congested.

Space Space Security Technology & Innovation United States and Canada