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Featured Reading

Securing Northern Europe: Toward a comprehensive approach

New Atlanticist Apr 21, 2025

Four contests for democracy in Europe challenge the narrative of advancing authoritarianism

By Daniel Fried

In Georgia, Hungary, Serbia, and Turkey, pro-democracy demonstrators are taking to the streets in massive numbers. But how long will the upsurge last?
Democratic Transitions Europe & Eurasia
Securing Northern Europe: Toward a comprehensive approach

New Atlanticist Mar 17, 2025

Enough carrots for Putin. For better negotiations, serve ‘maximum pressure’ instead.

By Benjamin L. Schmitt, Richard L. Morningstar, and Daniel Fried

Since Russia appears content for negotiations to move slowly, the Trump administration should turn up the pressure with new sanctions.
Conflict Economic Sanctions
Securing Northern Europe: Toward a comprehensive approach

Issue Brief Mar 5, 2025

The EU must become a strategic player in defense—alongside NATO

By Justina Budginaite-Froehly

The European Union and NATO need renewed alignment on defense to meet the new geopolitical moment. Refocused cooperation would provide a critically needed burden sharing to eliminate vulnerabilities and prepare Europe to withstand new realities.
Defense Industry Europe & Eurasia

featured events

Online Event Thu, March 20, 2025 • 9:30 am ET

The future of EU defense

Following the release of the European Union’s whitepaper on the future of European defense, an expert panel unpacks what role the EU should play in transatlantic security.
Europe & Eurasia European Union NATO Security & Defense
Online Event Tue, February 18, 2025 • 11:30 am ET

How long can Russia sustain its aggression in Ukraine?

The Eurasia Center discusses how the confluence of Russia’s war of attrition, economic decline, and energy damage impact the Russian Federation and its global standing.
Conflict Economic Sanctions Europe & Eurasia International Markets

The Russia Tomorrow series

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 challenged much of the common Western understanding of Russia. How can the world better understand Russia? What are the steps forward for Western policy? The Eurasia Center’s new “Russia Tomorrow” series seeks to reevaluate conceptions of Russia today and better prepare for its future tomorrow.

Read More

Russia Tomorrow

The reluctant consensus: War and Russia’s public opinion

by Maria Snegovaya

A new Atlantic Council report explores Russian society’s consolidation around the Kremlin and the Russian public’s perception of Putin’s war on Ukraine.

In-depth Research & reports

Securing Northern Europe: Toward a comprehensive approach

Report Mar 3, 2025

The art of the transatlantic deal

By Frances Burwell

The transatlantic relationship is shifting with US president Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Nevertheless, discreet deals across the US-EU trade, energy, and defense sectors are possible.
Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia
Securing Northern Europe: Toward a comprehensive approach

Report Jun 7, 2024

Reconstructing Ukraine at war: The journey to prosperity starts now

By John E. Herbst, Olga Khakova, Charles Lichfield

Rebuilding the Ukrainian economy after Russia’s full-scale invasion will be a monumental task. Reconstruction can’t wait for peace and must be a well-coordinated, inclusive process.
Economy & Business Energy & Environment

programs

The Europe Center promotes the transatlantic leadership and strategies required to ensure a strong Europe.

EXPLORE THE PROGRAM

The Eurasia Center’s mission is to enhance transatlantic cooperation in promoting stability, democratic values and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe and Turkey in the West to the Caucasus, Russia and Central Asia in the East.

EXPLORE THE PROGRAM

The Atlantic Council in Turkey aims to promote and strengthen transatlantic engagement with the region by providing a high-level forum and pursuing programming to address the most important issues on energy, economics, security, and defense.

Learn more

Explore the Power Vertical podcast

The Power Vertical

The Power Vertical is a blog and podcast for Russia wonks and Kremlin watchers by Brian Whitmore. It covers emerging and developing trends in Russian politics, shining a spotlight on the high-stakes power struggles, machinations, and clashing interests that shape Kremlin policy today.

Explore the Debrief series

#AtlanticDebrief

#AtlanticDebrief hosts interviews with leading experts, policymakers, and newsmakers from both sides of the Atlantic to unpack the challenges and opportunities of the transatlantic relationship.

Explore the Series

#BalkansDebrief

The Atlantic Council Europe Center’s #BalkansDebrief series features timely conversations on key issues impacting the Western Balkans. Nonresident senior fellow Ilva Tare hosts newsmakers, experts, and officials for discussions on rule of law, energy security, cultural heritage, Russian and Chinese influence in the region, and more.

Explore the Series

Content

Issue Brief

Sep 20, 2019

Securing Northern Europe: Toward a comprehensive approach

By Anna Wieslander and Elin Schiffer

As Northern Europe finds itself on the front line of systemic great-power competition it has the consider three main challenges: an assertive Russia, changing dynamics in the transatlantic link and the development of a European defense. This present a unique window of opportunity to develop a comprehensive regional approach, bringing together the Baltic Sea, the North Atlantic and the Arctic.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

UkraineAlert

Sep 19, 2019

How to lose friends and allies

By Diane Francis

If Kolomoisky is not renounced and investigated, the world will turn its back on Ukraine. But the Russians and oligarchs won’t.

Corruption Political Reform

In the News

Sep 19, 2019

Michel in Maanpuolustus: Finnish defence policy: One American’s perspective

By Atlantic Council

Defense Policy Northern Europe

In the News

Sep 19, 2019

Bechev in Foreign Policy: Putin is trolling the United States in the Persian Gulf

By Dimitar Bechev

In the wake of the drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, the Russian president has positioned himself as a peacemaker. But continued conflict is his friend.

Conflict Russia

Issue Brief

Sep 19, 2019

Secondary sanctions’ implications and the transatlantic relationship

By Samantha Sultoon & Justine Walker

The term secondary sanctions provokes strong reactions from allies and markets. Due to the power of the US dollar, breadth of the US market, and dominance of the US financial system, even the threat of secondary sanctions prompts many non-US companies to change their behavior to avoid the risk of such sanctions. Although this approach has furthered US policies, it has resulted in transatlantic political divergence and enhanced compliance uncertainty among private sector actors.

China Economic Sanctions

UkraineAlert

Sep 18, 2019

The promise and peril of Ukraine’s borders

By Ruslan Minich

Many Ukrainians work abroad, and Ukraine’s western regions feel the labor shortage most acutely.

Economy & Business Migration

UkraineAlert

Sep 18, 2019

What holds Ukraine back

By Yuri Polakiwsky

It’s time for prison terms and the assertion of the rule of law. It also is time to draw the proverbial line in the sand, that the corrupt oligarchical practices in the economy, in politics, and in greater Ukrainian society will no longer be tolerated.

Corruption Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Sep 18, 2019

More haste, less speed?

By Bohdan Nahaylo

The focus needs to be broadened to include the entire range of oligarchs and not simply keep the spotlight on Kolomoisky.

Democratic Transitions Political Reform

Issue Brief

Sep 18, 2019

A transatlantic agenda for the new European Commission

By Benjamin Haddad and Jörn Fleck (Eds)

The new European Commission will take office on November 1, 2019, at a time of intensifying great power competition and new strain for transatlantic relations. This memo gathers the contributions of several Atlantic Council experts on a variety of issues such as defense, foreign policy, trade, and energy policy

Cybersecurity Economy & Business

Issue Brief

Sep 18, 2019

A transatlantic agenda for the new European Commission

By Benjamin Haddad, Jörn Fleck

The new European Commission will take office on November 1, 2019, at a time of intensifying great power competition and new strain for transatlantic relations. This memo gathers the contributions of several Atlantic Council experts on a variety of issues such as defense, foreign policy, trade, and energy policy

Cybersecurity Economy & Business
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Experts

Fellow

Fabio Petito

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Freedom and Prosperity Human Rights

European Leadership Accelerator Participant

Ivo Walinga

China Programme Officer, International Energy Agency

Millennium Leadership Program

Central Europe Energy & Environment

Fellow

Trevor H. Rudolph

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoTech Center

Cybersecurity Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Marek Magierowski

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Europe Center

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia

European Leadership Accelerator Participant

Jacobo Ramos Folch

Policy Manager, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Millennium Leadership Program

Central Europe Economy & Business

Fellow

David H. Young

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Afghanistan Conflict
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Events

Public Event Wed, May 14, 2025 • 9:30 am ET

Navigating a new era of NATO
Europe & Eurasia NATO Security & Defense United States and Canada
Online Event Fri, May 16, 2025 • 10:00 am ET

Lucian Kim on “Putin’s Revenge” and Russia’s war on Ukraine
Europe & Eurasia Human Rights Politics & Diplomacy Ukraine
Public Event Mon, May 19, 2025 • 9:00 am ET

US-Latvia Resilience Conference
Europe & Eurasia Resilience & Society Security & Defense
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