Content

Report

Feb 4, 2026

Local and community-driven solutions for development in fragile states

By Elton Skendaj, Peter Mandaville, and Ibrahima Bokoum

This collaborative paper examines community-driven approaches to development from three unique perspectives and highlights the importance of putting local agency at the center of international development work.

Africa
Caribbean

Econographics

Feb 4, 2026

Understanding the vibe shift on the dollar

By Daniel McDowell, Bart Piasecki, Jessie Yin

Gold prices surged to record highs last week, driven by trade tensions, tariffs, and dollar uncertainty. For some, the rally signals rising skepticism about the greenback’s stability—even as policymakers insist the US remains committed to a strong dollar.

Dollar Dominance
Economy & Business

Memo to...

Feb 3, 2026

Memo to the president: Steps to secure a prosperous, US-aligned Venezuela

By Jason Marczak, Ambassador James Story, General (ret.) Laura J. Richardson, and Geoff Ramsey

One month after Nicolás Maduro’s removal from power, Washington has significant leverage it can use in the short term to boost the odds of a stable, democratic Venezuela emerging in the long term. To that end, our experts lay out the tough asks the US government should make of interim president Delcy Rodríguez.

Corruption
Democratic Transitions

Dispatches

Feb 2, 2026

To repair US-Colombia ties, Trump and Petro should focus on counternarcotics and Venezuela

By Kevin Whitaker

By focusing on shared interests on counternarcotics and Venezuela, Tuesday's Oval Office meeting between the US and Colombian presidents can put the two nations’ bilateral relations on a better path.

Colombia
Crisis Management

Dispatches

Jan 30, 2026

Haiti’s week ahead is the next test for Trump’s Western Hemisphere focus

By Camilla Reitherman and Diana Roy

US temporary protected status for Haiti and Haiti’s governing Transitional Presidential Council are winding down within days of each other.

Caribbean
Conflict

In the News

Jan 30, 2026

Kroenig quoted in Wall Street Journal on adversary nuclear capabilities

By Atlantic Council

On January 30, Atlantic Council vice president and Scowcroft Center senior director Matthew Kroenig was quoted in The Wall Street Journal on Russian and Chinese nuclear capabilities amid discussions on renewing New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

China
Nuclear Deterrence

In the News

Jan 30, 2026

Amato in RealClearDefense on the 2025 National Security Strategy

By Atlantic Council

On January 29, Forward Defense Nonresident Senior Fellow Paul Amato published an article in RealClearDefense on the Trump administration’s ambiguity on nuclear deterrence in the Korean peninsula. In the article, Amato argues that silence on the regime ending policy risks emboldening North Korea and unsettling South Korea and Japan.

Japan
Korea

Inflection Points

Jan 30, 2026

Markets and allies aren’t ‘selling’ America. They’re ‘hedging’ it.

By Frederick Kempe

The US dollar’s recent slide is not due to global investors abandoning the United States, but the trend does reveal an erosion of trust.

Dollar Dominance
Economy & Business

Fast Thinking

Jan 30, 2026

What Kevin Warsh means for the Federal Reserve and the US economy

By Atlantic Council

US President Donald Trump will nominate Warsh, a former member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, to chair the US Federal Reserve.

Economy & Business
Macroeconomics

Dispatches

Jan 30, 2026

Trump finally got the Fed chair he always wanted (or so he thinks)

By Josh Lipsky

The president announced Kevin Warsh as his nominee for Federal Reserve chair Friday morning.

Economy & Business
Macroeconomics

Experts

Events