United States and Canada

The United States has enjoyed an unparalleled period of peace and prosperity since the end of the Second World War, due to its construction of a rules-based international order and maintenance of close alliances and partnerships. Canada has been a key partner for the United States, both due to their close economic links and their shared border, the world’s longest at 5,525 miles. Canada is also a key NATO ally for the United States and is active in international diplomacy around the world.

Content

UkraineAlert

Dec 18, 2025

What’s in the new US defense bill for Ukraine?

By Doug Klain

The NDAA includes the best legislative support from Congress that Ukraine has received all year. At the same time, it also underscores the dramatic reduction in overall US support for Ukraine during 2025, writes Doug Klain.

Conflict Human Rights

New Atlanticist

Dec 18, 2025

Can US leaders convince Americans that Taiwan is worth fighting for?

By Phillip M. Ramirez

If elected leaders in the United States want to continue to deter Chinese military action, they must work to convince Beijing that Americans would be willing to fight for Taiwan.

China Conflict

Dispatches

Dec 17, 2025

What Trump’s Venezuela oil blockade means for Maduro and the world

By Atlantic Council experts

Atlantic Council experts react to news that the US military would soon impose a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into or out of Venezuela.

Caribbean Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Dec 16, 2025

‘Putin is lying’: Zelenskyy visits front to expose false claims of Russian gains

By Peter Dickinson

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid a personal visit last week to a front line city that Putin has repeatedly bragged of seizing in order to expose the Russian leader's habit of lying about battlefield gains, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

Dispatches

Dec 15, 2025

As the US, Ukraine, and Europe talk of peace, Russia still thinks only of surrender

By John E. Herbst

As US and European officials work with Kyiv to sort out security guarantees and other elements of a potential deal, Moscow continues its obstinance.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

Issue Brief

Dec 12, 2025

From the DRC to Sudan, Trump’s disruptive moves could revive stalled negotiations

By Maureen Farrell

Across Africa, US President Donald Trump’s unorthodox diplomacy is unsettling old patterns—reviving talks between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda and injecting new momentum into Sudan mediation. The gains may be fragile, but the openings are real.

Africa East Africa

Report

Dec 12, 2025

Inside Trump’s peace plans  

By Atlantic Council experts

From Rwanda to Cambodia, US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts mix economic pressure, trade deals, and high-profile ceremonies. His unorthodox style produces rapid results—but can it achieve lasting peace?

Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo

Issue Brief

Dec 12, 2025

It’s all about Hamas’s disarmament

By Daniel B. Shapiro

A US-brokered cease-fire ended the Israel-Hamas war, but the next phase depends on the group’s disarmament. Until that happens, Gaza’s reconstruction, regional diplomacy, and political future hang in the balance.

Israel Middle East

Issue Brief

Dec 12, 2025

In Southeast Asia, the promise and pitfalls of tariff diplomacy are on full display 

By Amy Searight

US President Donald Trump’s high-profile intervention in the Thai-Cambodian border dispute delivered a cease-fire, but its violation exposes the fragility of tariff diplomacy and raises questions about the durability of coercive US diplomacy in the region.

Indo-Pacific Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

Dispatches

Dec 12, 2025

Dispatch from Beijing: Both China and the US think they have the advantage. Only one can be right.

By Melanie Hart

US policymakers must understand exactly how the China model is working if the United States is going to compete effectively with it.

China Economy & Business

Experts

Events