GeoStrategy Initiative Analysis and Events

History’s lessons for resolving today’s Middle East conflicts

By Mathew J. Burrows

In the spirit of the adage that “those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it,” History’s Lessons for Resolving Today’s Middle East Conflicts, by Mathew J. Burrows, examines past precedents for resolving highly complex conflicts, by delving into seven historic examples of peacemaking.

Gene Editing: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

In the 2016 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US National Intelligence Community, Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper noted: “given the broad distribution, low cost, and accelerated pace of development of this dual-use technology [genome editing], its deliberate or unintentional misuse might lead to far-reaching economic and national security implications.” The CRISPR-Cas9 (clustered regularly […]

Wanted: Leadership

Strategic planning will play a crucial role in the next US president’s ability to mitigate an amalgamation of political, social, security, and economic threats at home and abroad, according to Mathew Burrows, director of the Strategic Foresight Initiative at the Atlantic Council. “We need leadership on a lot of different levels to get us out […]

Global Risks 2035: The Search for a New Normal

By Strategy Initiative

In the four years since the National Intelligence Council’s Global Trends 2030 was published, the biggest change in the world is the increased risk of major conflict. In 2012, a large-scale US/NATO conflict with Russia or China was close to unthinkable. Now, the post-Cold War security order has broken down, and the consequences are immense, […]

Global risks 2035: the search for a new normal

By Mathew J. Burrows

What will the world be like in 2035? The forecast seems dire. In the four years since Global Trends 2030 was published, the biggest change in the world is the increased risk of major conflict.

Reducing the risks from rapid demographic change

By Mathew J. Burrows

In Reducing the Risks from Rapid Demographic Change, Dr. Mathew Burrows explores how longer life expectancies, aging workforces, and high birthrates will affect the future economic growth and development of countries around the world.

Toward global water security

By Peter Engelke and David Michel

Toward Global Water Security, a report produced by the Atlantic Council and US Water Partnership, outlines a process for forging a stakeholder-driven, “Whole of America” water grand strategy.

Boulder, Colorado: Innovation in a Small Town and a Big State

By Peter Engelke and Alex Paul

In mid-July, the Strategic Foresight Initiative (SFI) conducted a research trip to Colorado, visiting Boulder, Denver, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden. The trip was part of the Future of American Technological Leadership project with Qualcomm, which seeks to investigate American innovation in the technology sector. The project will culminate in a […]

A foundational proposal for the next administration

By Chester A. Crocker, Daniel Levin, David C. Miller, Jr. and Thomas R. Pickering with Foreword by Brent Scowcroft and Jason T. Kirby, Chief of Staff

This foundational report serves as a point of departure for the next administration. It contains the essential elements for building the most effective national security structure in the small window between today and the first hundred days of the next administration.

Toward a new national security space strategy: time for a strategic rebalancing

By Theresa Hitchens and Joan Johnson-Freese

There are growing risks and threats to US satellites, civilian and military alike, and challenges to stated US goals in space. The question for the new administration, however, is whether hegemonic means to address those challenges are likely to achieve US goals.

Shape, steer, and sustain: a US strategy for the new global economic order

By Robert D. Hormats

Ten years ago, most observers predicted a period of smooth sailing for the world economy. Today, the world looks very different. To better deal with this new global economic environment, the United States requires a new strategy for the twenty-first century. That strategy should enable the country to shape, steer, and sustain a new global economic order that accomplishes several key objectives underpinning prosperity and stability for greater numbers of Americans.

The Cybersecurity Conundrum

By Robert A. Manning

A quarter-century on, as whole new layers of a burgeoning digital economy like the Internet of Things (IoT) rest on it, the Internet faces an array of challenges from the Dark Side that its inventors never quite anticipated.