Scowcroft Center Commentary, Analysis, & Reports

How a crisis over a stockpile of uranium created an opening for US reengagement in Niger

By Adal Rhoubeid and Maureen Farrell

The recent failed coup in Benin has had the unintended consequence of creating a path forward for US reengagement in the Sahel.

Decapitation strikes are not enough to take on Mexico’s cartels. Here’s what else the US should do.

By Charlotte Bertrand

Strikes on cartels should be combined with greater efforts to disrupt supply and reduce substance use disorder in the United States.

Iran’s supreme leader is dead. Here’s what it means.

By Atlantic Council

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, was killed in a US-Israeli bombing campaign on Feb. 28.

What Trump’s ‘Epic Fury’ means for Iran and the Middle East 

By Atlantic Council

Operation Epic Fury has begun. On Feb. 28, US President Donald Trump announced a “massive and ongoing” attack on Iran.

Experts react: The US and Israel just unleashed a major attack on Iran. What’s next?

By Atlantic Council experts

Atlantic Council experts assess the unfolding Operation Epic Fury and where it goes from here.

NCIS: Origins S02E03 – The Edge (2025)

By the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense

Bond yields have spiked, especially in advanced economies. But why is that? And what does that actually mean? Alice Fulwood, US business editor at the Economist and co-host of the podcast Money Talks, joins Josh and Jessie to decode the signals in the global bond market—from Iran inflation concerns to growing government debt.

In Guinea, the US has a rare opportunity to gain an edge over China

By Rose Keravuori, Maureen Farrell

Guinea’s democratic transition and mineral riches put it center stage in US-China competition. The United States now has a rare chance to align investment, security, and governance to secure strategic influence in West Africa.

Toxins are an escalating global threat. Here’s how governments should respond.

By Asha M. George, John T. O’Brien

Recent cases in the news of poisons derived directly from plant or animal life highlight a danger that is too often overlooked in biodefense.

The US-Lithuania LNG partnership exposes the myth that there are ‘no alternatives’ to Russian gas

As US LNG exports grow, a Baltic ally that decided to break with Russia more than a decade ago shows the way forward for Europe.

Four options for arms control after New START

By Amy Woolf

With the last quantitative limit on the world's largest nuclear arsenals now expired, Washington finds itself in a new and uncertain era, with less clarity about Russia’s nuclear forces, plans to upgrade its own, and growing concern about China's. The best option may be trilateral talks—but not about a new arms control treaty.

National preparedness starts at the state level with governors and the National Guard

By Jeanne Thorpe and Sarah Wallace

US state governors must retain meaningful access to the National Guard as a critical, time-sensitive resource for their own populations.