Content

Report

Aug 27, 2026

AI and autonomy in contested operations

By Owen J. Daniels

Any potential major conflict the United States engages in will be shaped by AI and autonomous systems. US forces should expect their systems to operate in denied, degraded, intermittent, and limited (DDIL) conditions imposed by jamming techniques, cyber-attacks, and anti-satellite capabilities designed to sever the connectivity and wreak havoc on military operations.

Artificial Intelligence Defense Policy
A view from the top of Sassafras Mountain on the border of South Carolina. Unsplash/Bradley Allweil

Report

Aug 26, 2026

Atoms for Appalachia: Building state capacity for nuclear-enabled economic development

By Lauren Hughes

Appalachian states, despite different industrial foundations, aim to convert interest in nuclear energy into broad economic gains. State-level strategies will be key.

Energy & Environment Nuclear Energy

Inflection Points

Aug 26, 2026

The danger of hitting mute on US bond markets

By Frederick Kempe

Stanley Druckenmiller's argument against his protégé Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's approach has caused a stir in fixed-income markets.

Economy & Business Macroeconomics

Dispatches

Aug 26, 2026

In an age of great-power competition, democracy is an advantage for the United States

By Markus Jaeger

The spread of democracy could give Washington an edge in great-power competition and make armed conflict less likely.

Americas China

EnergySource

Aug 26, 2026

Electricity demand is rising. How can the US secure energy for its dual military and civilian needs?

By Chuck "Chim Chim" Dockery, Wilson RIckerson, Morgan D. Bazilian

US military bases rely on the civilian power grid and are just as vulnerable to blackouts as regular customers. New policies should prioritize supply and resilience for critical missions.

Energy & Environment Geopolitics & Energy Security

Econographics

Aug 25, 2026

Maritime trade routes are under threat—and markets still underprice the risks

By Alex Mills

Conflict, climate change, and geopolitical tensions are putting unprecedented pressure on the world's most important waterways. The economic costs are set to ripple far beyond the shipping industry.

Central America Economy & Business

Inflection Points

Aug 25, 2026

Threats to US global leadership are mounting: fiscally, militarily, and with allies

By Frederick Kempe

Rising national debt, the ongoing war in Iran, and the trade dispute with Canada are testing the United States’ global leadership.

Economy & Business Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion

Dispatches

Aug 24, 2026

Canada wants a deal, but Washington keeps moving the goalposts

By Marcy Grossman

As trade negotiations falter and the possibility of tariffs looms, there is better way forward for Washington and Ottawa—if they choose to take it.

Economy & Business Politics & Diplomacy

Dispatches

Aug 24, 2026

Experts react: Will Trump’s Operation Economic Outcast isolate Iran?

By Atlantic Council experts

Our experts weigh in on the US Treasury’s newest measures intended “to sever every remaining economic lifeline sustaining” the Iranian regime.

Conflict Economy & Business

Dispatches

Aug 20, 2026

Why Iran has not folded yet

By Andrew L. Peek, Jonathan Panikoff

Formed by the brutal Iran-Iraq War, the men who now lead the Iranian regime will fight back before giving in. But time is not on their side.

Conflict Iran

Experts

Events