Shaping the Global Future Together - Atlantic Council
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ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20
Shaping
the Global
Future
Together
On the cover: Demonstrators wave their
smartphones during a rally in Hong Kong,
China, June 26, 2019. REUTERS/THOMAS PETER
Contents
INTRODUCTION
The Atlantic Council was built
for this historic moment .................................................. 4
AT L A N T I C C O U N C I L A N N UA L R E P O R T
AT L A N T I C C O U N C I L A N N UA L R E P O R T
OUR PROGRAMS
The Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security .... 12
Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation
Resilience Center ............................................................. 16
The Digital Forensic Research Lab ............................ 20
Global Business & Economics Program ................... 22
Global Energy Center .................................................... 24
Millennium Leadership Program ................................ 26
Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center ....................... 28
Africa Center .................................................................... 30
Eurasia Center ................................................................. 32
The Future Europe Initiative ........................................ 34
Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East Programs ........... 36
South Asia Center .......................................................... 38
Atlantic Council IN TURKEY ......................................... 40
CONVENING
The Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards
and Distinguished Leadership Awards ..................... 44
The Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum ............. 46
NATO Engages ................................................................ 47
International Advisory Board ....................................... 48
Board of Directors .......................................................... 49
2019 Honor Roll ............................................................... 50
Financial summary .......................................................... 52
About us ............................................................................ 54
Ceremony marking the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall at Bernauer Strasse in Berlin, Germany, November 9, 2019.
2 Twelve years of growth ................................................. 56 REUTERS/FABRIZIO BENSCH
INTRODUCTION
We together seek to
understand and manage
the impact of these times
JOHN F.W. ROG ERS on our community of values
CHAIRMAN
FREDERICK KEMPE
and common interests.
PRESIDENT & CEO
The Atlantic
Council was
AT L A N T I C C O U N C I L A N N UA L R E P O R T I N T R O D U C T I O N
INTRODUCTION
built for
this historic
AT L A N T I C C O U N C I L A N N UA L R E P O R T
moment
It might seem counter-intuitive to
look backward in this Atlantic Council
Annual Report for 2019 when the world
is hurtling forward at warp speed.
Yet it is only by understanding the
ingredients involved in our past year’s
performance (see pages 54–55)—
preceded by a dozen years of growth
and innovation (see pages 52–53)—
that one can understand why the Atlantic
Council has so successfully negotiated
the historic disruptions of 2020.
The pages that follow, the Atlantic
Council’s Annual Report for 2019,
capture what may have been the most
successful year in the Atlantic Council’s
six-decade existence. That’s certainly
G-7 Working Session on the Global Economy,
true by any financial measure, and that Foreign Policy, and Security Affairs in Biarritz.
4 is also underscored in this report’s review ANDREW HARNIK/POOL VIA REUTERS 5
of the substantive work of our thirteen The words that follow, “the global following the first and second world wars. The leaders of that day failed to seize
programs and centers. future,” embrace our worldwide outlook As was the case during those periods, their historic opportunity for a host of
It is that sound foundation that and forward-focus. how we navigate the period ahead will reasons, including US isolationism and
has allowed the Atlantic Council to so Yet no word among the five is have generational consequences. political polarization, European disunity
effectively navigate the triple shock of more powerful to us than “together.” I’ve recently reread two books of and seething animosities, and a failure
2020: the worst pandemic in a century, It expresses our intentionally collabo- history that provide some perspective— by all to foresee the consequences of
the sharpest economic downturn since rative way of working alongside partners worst-case and best-case—on what’s at their actions.
the Great Depression, and the most and allies. stake as we confront this defining moment. The second book, Dean Acheson’s
significant anti-racism upheavals in We act with the conviction that One is Margaret MacMillan’s Paris 1919, Present at the Creation, is the memoir
more than fifty years. none of our most significant international which the late Richard Holbrooke in the of President Harry S. Truman’s secretary
The demand for our published challenges can be addressed in national book’s forward called “a study of flawed of state (and one of the Atlantic Council’s
work and convening platform has never or institutional silos. Common cause has decisions with terrible consequences, founders). Chastened by the post-World
been greater from our partners all seldom been so vital. many of which haunt us to this day.” War I experience and galvanized by the
around the world, as we together seek We entered this period with a funda- President Woodrow Wilson Soviet Communist threat, the United
to understand and manage the impact mental belief that the stakes we faced pronounced that the victory in World States and its allies rose to the challenge
of these times on our community of as an Atlantic Council global community War I would “make the world safe for after World War II.
values and common interests. were of historic dimensions. Even before democracy.” The writer H.G. Wells called Acheson called the task of creating
After fewer than four months of COVID-19, we confronted an inflection it “the war to end wars.” Instead, that a new world after the wars in Europe
AT L A N T I C C O U N C I L A N N UA L R E P O R T I N T R O D U C T I O N
INTRODUCTION
working remotely, our website had more point in history as significant as those aspirational world unraveled into one of and Asia ended in 1945 “as just a bit
than double the number of page views nationalism and fascism, protectionism less formidable than that described in
daily than it had in the previous year. and global depression, and then World the first chapter of Genesis. That was
Through mid-June, we had staged more War II and the Holocaust. to create a world out of chaos, ours, to
than 275 virtual events, some two-thirds create half a world, a free half, out of the
of which were public, with more than
How we navigate the period same material without blowing the whole
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600,000 individuals tuned in across all ahead will have generational “Visions in Motion” art installation at
Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. to pieces in the process. The wonder of
the many digital platforms we employ. consequences. REUTERS/FABRIZIO BENSCH it is how much was done.”
That exponential growth in our global Our challenge now is no less formidable.
reach through digital innovation will make Rather than creating a world out of
us even more effective and relevant when post-war chaos, as Acheson put it, the
we return to our offices later this year. task now is to reinvent the world for the
Above all, we are benefiting from 21st century while heading off the myriad
three strengths that were in place before threats of disarray that are emerging all
the coronavirus struck: a compelling around us. The mission is to find novel
mission and purpose, a committed ways to preserve and improve upon the
global community of stakeholders best of what we have achieved together
and donors, and a diverse, dynamic, in the past seventy-five years, knowing
and results-oriented team. that the consequences of failure could
Let’s take them in order. be even more horrific than World War II
given the war-fighting technologies of
SHAPING THE GLOBAL our times.
FUTURE TOGETHER Though the decades since that war
First, the short version of our mission have been punctuated with setbacks,
statement, “shaping the global future the overall trajectory was one of demo-
together,” is only five words long, cratic gain and the expansion and
but those words express a world protection of individual rights, prosperity,
of meaning. and rules-based institutions.
“Shaping” speaks to the results-ori- The United States and the Soviet
ented nature of how we operate. We Union, though both nuclear-armed,
aspire not just to admire and analyze avoided major-power war. The Berlin
challenges, but to inspire, seek, and Wall’s fall and Soviet collapse ended
6 implement solutions wherever possible. that era peacefully. 7
The Atlantic Council’s most recent In 2020, for the sixth year running,
strategic review—involving both staff and the Atlantic Council was recognized
board members—laid out six major chal- with a four-star Charity Navigator The mission is to
lenges that are at the center of our work rating, recognizing our commitment
find novel ways
for this new epoch. to industry best practices regarding both
They include: our financial health and our accountability to preserve and
• Managing a new era of major-power and transparency. improve upon the
competition. It is support from this committed best of what we
• Strengthening open market community that has empowered the
have achieved
democracies. innovations that have shaped the Atlantic
• Redefining and reinvigorating the Council over the past dozen years (see together.
US role in the world. pages 56–57).
• Reinvigorating our rules-based The decisions of board members and
global order. International Advisory Board members
• Harnessing emerging technologies to name centers and fellows have helped
for good. unlock the value of the Atlantic Council.
• Advancing global resilience through Most prominent and enduring among
climate-change mitigation and adap- these members have been Adrienne
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INTRODUCTION
tation, and by addressing migratory Arsht, Boyden Gray, Bahaa Hariri, and NATO Secretary General Jens
and public-health challenges. Brent Scowcroft. Stoltenberg shakes hands with
US President Donald Trump
The Atlantic Council has also at the NATO leaders summit.
If the United States rises to this enjoyed four significant chapters of REUTERS/YVES HERMAN
moment, alongside its partners and board leadership in the past dozen years,
allies, we can navigate this period serving to reorient the institution and then operating rhythm onto the foresight and The steps we took included the
AT L A N T I C C O U N C I L A N N UA L R E P O R T
successfully, build upon the progress remake it as a global leader in its field analytical capabilities of our expert staff introduction and design of a fully paid
of the past seven decades, and enter while consistently refreshing the board. and board. The approach recognizes that internship program so that it will be far
one of humanity’s most enlightened These leaders have included while policy makers must often make more diverse, inclusive, and competitive.
and prosperous times. Ambassador Henry Catto (1999– their most significant decisions in the The program will serve as a career accel-
Conversely, history has taught us 2007), General (ret.) James L Jones heat of events, those decisions turn out erator for the next generation of interna-
what a heavy price we will pay should (2007–2009; 2017– 2018), Senator best when they are informed by strategic tional policy leaders.
we fail in our efforts. (later Secretary of Defense) Chuck Hagel purpose and consistency. Among many other measures, we
(2009–2013), Gen (ret.) Brent Scowcroft The Atlantic Council recruits also added anti-bias training to our
THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL (long the organization’s driving force, its staff with the intentional aim of respectful-workplace workshops
COMMUNITY (1998–1999; 2013–4), and Jon M. forging a diverse, dynamic team of and launched a Diversity, Equity,
Second, the Atlantic Council has Huntsman, Jr. collegial, collaborative, optimistic, and Inclusion Council to ensure our
benefited from a committed community results-oriented, nonpartisan, and entre- efforts and policies are best-in-class.
of supporters and partners. THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL’S preneurial individuals. They are armed Our substantive programming will also
That community includes loyal RESULTS-ORIENTED CULTURE with deep content-area expertise. be expanded to look at the crucial
and generous donors (see honor role Third, and perhaps most crucially, The legendary management consultant domestic underpinnings of effective
on pages 50–51), an engaged Board the Atlantic Council over the last Peter Drucker famously wrote that “culture US foreign policy.
of Directors and International Advisory decade has transformed its culture eats strategy for breakfast.” We would We like to quote the anthropologist
Board (pages 48–49), and a worldwide into that of a faster-paced, innovative, extend that to all other meals of the day. Margaret Mead when people ask whether
group of stakeholders—inside and and results-oriented organization. Developing the right strategy achieves little the Atlantic Council is setting the bar too
outside of government—who contribute Its teams have become part of the daily without the right culture to deliver on it. high for itself.
to our work and benefit from it. policy mix, responding to world-shaping The work of building and sustaining “Never doubt that a small group
We have found that our most events at the speed with which they our culture is continuous, as we learned of thoughtful, committed citizens can
significant partners see themselves as unfold even while engaging in the again this year when we took additional change the world,” she said. “Indeed,
investors in our mission. They embrace deeper strategic thinking and work measures to make the Atlantic Council it’s the only thing that ever has.”
our adherence to intellectual indepen- required by our times. even more diverse after the tragic killing No organization of our kind has
dence and transparency regarding To nurture that culture, the Atlantic of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, ever achieved great results by aiming
8 our donors. Council has welded a more dynamic and the events that followed. too low. ● 9
Our Programs
T H E M A T I C P R O G R A M S
The Scowcroft Center for Strategy
and Security • Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller
Foundation Resilience Center • The Digital
Forensic Research Lab • Global Business &
Economics Program • Global Energy Center •
Millennium Leadership Program
R E G I O N A L P R O G R A M S
Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center •
Africa Center • Eurasia Center • The Future
Europe Initiative • Rafik Hariri Center &
Middle East Programs • South Asia Center •
Atlantic Council IN TURKEY
Soldiers hold NATO and
Enhanced Forward Presence
(eFP) battle group country
flags in Rukla military base,
Lithuania, February 4, 2019.
REUTERS/INTS KALNINS
TH E M ATI C PRO G R A M S
The Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security develops
sustainable, nonpartisan strategies to address the
most important security challenges facing the United
States and the world. The center honors General Brent
Scowcroft’s legacy of service and embodies his ethos of
The Scowcroft Center nonpartisan commitment to the cause of security, support
for US leadership in cooperation with allies and partners,
for Strategy and Security and dedication to the mentorship of the next generation
of leaders.
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The Scowcroft Center currently priority issue areas in 2019: the return
A military vehicle carrying a WZ-8
supersonic reconnaissance drone houses four major practice areas: the of great-power competition; revitalizing
travels past Tiananmen Square during Foresight, Strategy, and Risks Initiative; the rules-based international system, and
military parade in Beijing, China the Transatlantic Security Initiative; the harnessing rapid technological change.
October 1, 2019. REUTERS/JASON LEE
Asia Security Initiative; and the Cyber In the area of great power competition,
Statecraft Initiative. In 2020, it will add the center’s Strategy Consortium zeroed
three new programs: the Global Strategy in on China while Scowcroft Center
Initiative, the New American Engagement experts contributed directly to a number
Initiative, and Forward Defense. of US national strategy efforts behind
In 2019, the Scowcroft Center distin- the scenes. The Strategy Consortium
guished itself as a go-to forum for serious is unique in that it regularly includes
strategy work and solidified its role as senior government officials responsible
one of the most impactful nonpartisan for strategy and directly informs their
centers working on national security. strategy development efforts. In early
Due in large part to the Scowcroft 2019, the center published a Strategic
Center’s work, the Atlantic Council was Insights Memo (SIM) on the China 5G
ranked the eighth top think tank in the threat to Europe that was briefed to
world for defense and national security senior US and European officials and
by the University of Pennsylvania’s Go helped to put the issue on the map
to Think Tank Index. globally. Additionally, the Scowcroft
The center notched important accom- Center’s report, Permanent Deterrence,
plishments in its three most important had a significant impact on the US military
presence in Poland. The center’s annual
“NATO Engages” event was once again
a huge success and was temporarily the
number one trending item on Twitter.
Due in large part to the To revitalize the rules-based system,
Scowcroft Center’s work, the Scowcroft Center published two
the Atlantic Council was major Atlantic Council Strategy Papers.
Global Risks 2035 analyzed the major
ranked the eighth top think
trends shaping the future of global
tank in the world for defense politics and Present at the Re-Creation
12 and national security. provided a comprehensive strategy for 13
the United States and its allies to revi- To that end, the Scowcroft Center will
talize, adapt, and defend a rules-based formally launch a new Forward Defense
international system. Both strategy practice area which will be a full-scope
papers were briefed to senior policy US and global defense policy effort
planners in the United States and Europe. covering defense foresight, defense
A Scowcroft Center event on alliance strategy and policy, novel operational
burden-sharing in Berlin helped to shape concepts, emerging defense technology,
German policy and the Strategic Insights and the defense industry.
Memo, “How to Break the Korea-Japan To ramp up its strategy work, the
Impasse,” informed US government Scowcroft Center will also establish
policy for managing relationships with two new strategy efforts. The Global
its key Asian allies. Strategy Initiative will focus on core
The Scowcroft Center helped the United Scowcroft Center strategy efforts. The
States and its allies harness technological New American Engagement Initiative
change. It played an instrumental role in will advance creative and unorthodox
incubating and launching the new Atlantic approaches to US grand strategy.
Council Geotech Center and published These new efforts are designed to
an Atlantic Council Strategy Paper that help steer US decision makers toward
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articulated a national security strategy creative solutions for the United States
for artificial intelligence. The center also to navigate one of the most disruptive
briefed its work on new technology and and transformative moments in history.
cybersecurity to both the National Security
Commission on Artificial Intelligence and Programmatic lines of effort
the Cyber Solarium Commission. Against a fundamentally changed global
landscape, the Foresight, Strategy, and
Core strategy for 2020 Risks Initiative advances the Atlantic
In 2020, the Scowcroft Center will Council’s mission to support renewed,
continue to target its priority issue areas constructive, and resourceful US lead-
with a special focus on great-power ership. Its competencies in long-range in order to develop a community of like- Dr. Choo-suk Suh, Vice Minister, ROK Ministry
competition with China, revitalizing assessments, strategy development, and minded nations that are committed to of Defense speaks with the 2018–2019 Atlantic
Council-Korea Foundation Journalist Fellowship
the rules-based system, and leveraging global trends will prove especially useful adapting, defending, and revitalizing the delegation trip to Seoul.
emerging technology with defense during a time when world dynamics are rules-based international system. A key
and national security applications. increasingly complex and unpredictable. piece of this mission rests on providing
The Transatlantic Security Initiative cutting-edge analysis and actionable
brings together senior officials and policy recommendations for the United
experts from Europe and North America States and its allies and partners as
to share insights, strengthen cooperation, they seek coordinated responses to
and develop innovative approaches to the rise of China in a new era of great
the key challenges facing NATO and the power competition. At the same time,
transatlantic community, including how to ASI continues to address broader issues
manage the rise of China. Through high- shaping the region’s strategic envi-
profile public convenings, off-the-record ronment, including traditional security
strategy sessions, war-gaming, digital issues as well as emerging challenges
engagement, and content-rich publi- in non-traditional areas.
cations, the initiative directly advances The focus of the Cyber Statecraft In 2020, the Scowcroft
the council’s core mission of informing Initiative (CSI) is to examine the nexus Center will formally launch
the transatlantic security debate. of geopolitics and national security in a new full scope US and
The Asia Security Initiative’s (ASI) cyberspace, forge sustainable interna-
central mission is to enhance cooper- tional collaboration on cybersecurity
global defense policy
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg ation between the United States and and safety, and build the next generation program and two new
14 speaks at the NATO Engages event in London. its allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific of cybersecurity professionals. ● strategy programs. 15
TH E M ATI C PRO G R A M S
The Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center
will reach one billion people with resilience solutions to
climate change, migration, and human security challenges
by 2030. We focus our efforts on people and communities
Adrienne Arsht- to help them better prepare for, navigate, and recover from
shocks and stresses. We will help build a more resilient world.
Rockefeller Foundation
Resilience Center
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The Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller The center’s metric for resilience is
Foundation Resilience Center will “additionality.” When the center makes
reach one billion people with resilience people more resilient, it has provided
solutions to climate change, migration, a new and durable knowledge set,
and human security challenges by 2030. skill, or layer of protection (either seen
The center will help build a more resilient or unseen) over a person or group
world by focusing its efforts on people of people, that person or group are
and communities to help them better considered resilient.
prepare for, navigate, and recover from In May, the Resilience Center, led
shocks and stresses. by Kathy Baughman McLeod, announced
its first community partner as Miami-Dade
Description of center work for 2019 County, with which the center will partner
The Resilience Center will reach this on resilience solutions for at least three
goal by deploying a range of evidence- million residents of the county, with
based and innovative approaches, the potential to be scaled throughout
including policy frameworks, scalable South Florida.
community interventions, finance and In July, the Resilience Center estab-
risk tools, and technology and commu- lished relationships with five additional
nications, including the performing arts. cities: Athens, Chennai, Melbourne,
Leveraging the council’s intellectual Mexico City, and Paris. Building on
strength, global reach, and nearly sixty the resilience strategies these cities
years of measurable global public policy developed through 100 Resilient Cities,
impact, the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller a program of the Rockefeller Foundation,
Foundation Resilience Center will trans- the center identified extreme heat as
form ideas into action. a key challenge and began building
partnerships to craft interventions
cities could implement to reduce their
vulnerability to this climate and public
“When the Center makes health threat.
The Resilience Center continued its
a person more resilient, focus on extreme urban heat later in
it has provided a new and the year by co-hosting a convening with
16 Residents gather to fill empty containers with water from a municipal tanker in Chennai, India, June 25, 2019. REUTERS/P. RAVIKUMAR durable knowledge set.” the Rockefeller Foundation at its Bellagio 17
Center centered on this deadly global at ETH Zurich, the Resilience protection, and policy interventions volunteers helping migrants in Colombia
hazard. Extreme heat is creating an Center will expand and adapt the for disaster risk reduction. and elsewhere in the Americas.
unprecedented public health emergency existing “Economics of Climate As a centerpiece of its strategy to The center will launch the Climate
and profound economic disruptions. Adaptation” (ECA) methodology that tackle migration challenges, the Resilience & Migration Dialogue Series, which
In response, more than thirty leading will allow governments and institutions Center will partner with the International will promote a positive narrative
experts from city government, climate to more rapidly identify cost-effective Federation for Red Cross and Red Crescent around migration, refugees, and other
finance, disaster preparedness, risk and climate adaptation measures, and as Societies (IFRC) to scale and add capacity displaced populations as valuable
insurance, health, and science gathered a first of its kind, will consider gender, and tools to Humanitarian Service Points contributors to society. These discus-
to design a finance and risk facility for biodiversity, and social vulnerabil- (HSP)—safe, neutral centers that provide sions will feature top experts via virtual
protecting people and communities from ities. Once developed, the center and a welcoming environment for vulnerable and in-person events and podcasts,
extreme heat. The aim of the facility is its partners will begin applying the migrants and displaced communities. HSPs sharing new research and firsthand
to prepare cities for extreme heat events, Rapid Economics of Climate Adaptation will facilitate access to essential services accounts of migrant experiences.
as well as cool and increase livability for (RECA) tool to assess projects such as (such as aid, food, water, shelter, and It will also explore cutting-edge initia-
future high temperatures. infrastructure investments for coastal psycho-social support). In tandem, mobile tives to combat xenophobia and improve
At the Atlantic Council’s annual Global relief hubs connected to the HSPs will perceptions around migration and build
Citizen Awards dinner held in New York allow for continuity of services as migrants greater social inclusion for refugee and
City, Adrienne Arsht, Atlantic Council move through their journeys. With an host communities.
executive vice chair, announced Anna initial concentration on the Venezuelan To build the increasingly necessary
2019 was the second-hottest
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Deavere-Smith as the Council’s first-ever crisis, the Resilience Center will work skills to become more resilient in the face
“Artist-in-Residence”, sitting within the year on record. with local Red Cross and community of climate change and extreme events,
Resilience Center. An actress, playwright, the center is partnering with cities and
teacher, and author, she will lead a project communities around the world to
called Stories of Human Resilience, in deploy Community Resilience Pods.
which she will conduct interviews to The first mobile prototype, a trans-
capture people’s journeys to becoming formed 40-foot shipping container
resilient. She will then perform these donated by MSC (Mediterranean
stories through her interpretation. Shipping Company) Foundation,
to be deployed in Miami-Dade County
Preview of center intentions for 2020 in 2020, was designed in collabo-
Given that 2019 was the second-hottest ration with world-renowned architects
year on record, the center will carry on and local artists. These mobile assets
its initiative to prepare cities for extreme will educate on personal, location-spe-
heat. By building on an established cific risks and empower people and
evidence base, it will seek to help communities to prepare for and confront
cities finance and scale interventions and climate, migration, and public health
catalyze resilience policy approaches. crises by sharing tools, guidance,
In 2020 the Resilience Center will and actions to be taken at the individual
launch an urban horticulture program and community levels. ●
with Chennai, India, a resilience solution
that could potentially reach up to three
million people in the city, most of whom
live in slums and settlements. This
effort will reduce heat exposure among
at-risk populations, promote healthier
youth through better nutrition, increase
economic independence and pros-
perity among women, build greater
social cohesion, and enhance overall
community resilience. Migrants, mainly from Central America
and marching in a caravan, on the outskirts
Through a partnership with the of Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas, Mexico.
18 Weather and Climate Risks Group REUTERS/ANDRES MARTINEZ CASARES 19into a suspected Russian-based infor-
TH E M ATI C PRO G R A M S mation operation, dubbed “Secondary
Infektion 2.0,” which demonstrated an
evolution of foreign influence operations.
Later in the year, the DFRLab partnered
with Facebook to provide independent
analysis exposing the first widespread
use of profile photos generated through
The Digital Forensic artificial intelligence.
Research Lab
Building a community
of #DigitalSherlocks
Disinformation does not exist in just one
newsroom, on just one platform, or within
our neatly defined national borders.
It is a collective challenge, and it requires
a cooperative, people-based solution.
DFRLab has built a community designed
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to grow, organize, and create standards
In 2019, the DFRLab expanded its for #DigitalSherlocks around the world.
network of digital forensic analysts In 2019, the DFRLab conducted more
Building transparency and working to explain information environ- than sixty trainings in thirty countries,
accountability online and ments—both open and closed—around teaching more than 1,500 people how
the world. The stark reality remains that to use open-source tools to combat disin-
around the world to promote disinformation, the spread of false news formation. These sessions gave trainees
free and open societies. with intent to mislead or manipulate, has hands-on experience and actionable
a catalytic effect and makes other global skills via table games, simulations, and
The Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic challenges more difficult to solve. project-based activities.
Research Lab—whose work resides While each case of disinformation
at the unique intersection between that DFRLab examined was distinct, one Connecting with leading voices
government, media, and technology— insight was universal: the global compe- In an effort to translate research and
aims to establish accountability and tition for information has gone viral, and grassroots efforts into actual policy
transparency online as a means the outcome of this competition, both at change, the DFRLab brought together
to secure democracy and restore home and abroad, remains unclear. The more than 650 leading voices repre-
trust in public discourse. same technologies that have democ- senting civil society, tech, media,
DFRLab is spread across five continents, ratized access to information have also academia, and governments for two
and its work is rooted among three pillars: enabled malicious actors to undermine major events in 2019: the 360/OS Open
• To promote objective fact as democratic values and processes. Sir Julian King, European Commissioner for the Source summit in London and StratCom
Security Union at 360 Open Source Summit, The
a foundation of government Roundhouse, Camden Town, London, June 2019.
in Washington, DC. These convenings
for and by people, to protect Open-source research and reporting ATLANTIC COUNCIL facilitated collaboration across sectors
democratic institutions and norms One of the key cornerstones of the and advanced policy frameworks in the
from those who would undermine DFRLab’s work is open-source research. stands at the forefront of this trend, spirit of moving from talk to action.
them online, and to identify, Using only sources that are publicly raising—and sometimes setting—industry
expose, and explain disinformation accessible, the lab does not assume standards through rigorous innovation. Vision for 2020
when and where it occurs. its own credibility but instead contin- The DFRLab publishes real-time In 2020, the DFRLab will build on
• To create a new model of uously proves it, delivering work that analysis on events as they occur, as well its body of research and reporting;
expertise adapted for impact is transparent, verified, and replicable. as more in-depth investigations into expand training and capacity building;
and real-world results. At a time when global trust in institutions elections, conflict zones, democratic and identify policy solutions with
• To forge digital resilience at a time and platforms is receding, this approach protests, violent extremism, global news partners in order to look beyond
when humans are more interconnected is crucial. As open-source research stories, and hyper-local events. In June, disinformation and build a more
20 than at any point in history. becomes more widely utilized, DFRLab the DFRLab published an investigation resilient society for the years ahead. ● 21of publications, and having a presence at countries’ social infrastructure. The project
TH E M ATI C PRO G R A M S trade conferences and corporate summits, will highlight how empowering women
allowed GBE to elevate its trade coverage and minorities can be an economic game-
in 2019. changer in all types of economies, and the
policies needed to realize these gains—
Building a gender balanced roster from health care to taxes to streamlined
of fellows: In 2019, GBE added a number regulations. Through research and events,
of younger, highly qualified female fellows the GeoEconomics Center will develop
Global Business & to improve the age and gender balance a blueprint for reform of the Bretton Woods
of the program’s roster. institutions and the WTO, with a particular
Economics Program
focus on grappling with China’s future role
Strategy for 2020: History accelerates and its competitor model.
after a crisis. This will be the reality of The 2020s will be the decade in
the post COVID-19 world. which the concept of money is rede-
fined. Therefore, the team will develop
The GeoEconomics Center will be content and programming around the
a collaborative and innovative part of future of the Euro, the rise of digital
the Atlantic Council and, through part- currencies, and the US dollar’s uncertain
AT L A N T I C C O U N C I L A N N UA L R E P O R T T H E M AT I C P R O G R A M S
AT L A N T I C C O U N C I L A N N UA L R E P O R T T H E M AT I C P R O G R A M S
nerships, will leverage the existing destiny as the world’s reserve currency.
The GeoEconomics Center will build top-level Council workstreams on energy, Among other issues, the center will
on the work of the Global Business & climate policy, national security, and explore whether the EU monetary union
Transforming for a New Era Economics Program (GBE). In 2019, technology. The center will organize will become a fiscal union, inform policy
in the Global Economy. GBE expanded its sanctions and around three pillars central to the future on the development of central bank
trade portfolio, and added a group of of the global economy and US economic digital currencies (CBDCs), and highlight
There is an urgent need to restore confi- senior fellows to deepen the program’s leadership: the future of capitalism, the the impact of massive federal reserve
dence in US global economic leadership intellectual capital. future of money, and the way forward on liquidity on the global economy.
and the open, rules-based system it has economic statecraft. These pillars are Finally, the GeoEconomics Center
championed for seventy-five years. To Expanding the sanctions initiative’s critical to ensure that free markets and will strengthen the Council’s ongoing
rejuvenate the post-war economic order, policy input and reach: GBE took its international economic cooperation will work on sanctions while broadening the
and rebuild trust in capitalism, the United sanctions work beyond the Beltway remain the best architecture to enable aperture to consider the range of tools,
States and its allies must understand and to key markets including New York, human potential. including tariffs, that US policy makers
adapt to the changing global economy. London, and Brussels. The Economic Within these pillars, a project on can deploy. The Economic Statecraft
Therefore, the program is pivoting to Sanctions Initiative serves as a bridge inclusive growth will examine the Initiative will look at the future of the
relaunch as the GeoEconomics Center in between the current US administration, economic fractures which existed transatlantic trading partnership, outline
2020 to establish itself as the go-to place the US Congress, and European allies before COVID-19, including the rise of how US and EU regulatory policies can
at the intersection of economics, finance, on questions of sanctions policy. Under wealth, income, and intergenerational better align to unleash both partners’
and foreign policy. Ambassador Dan Fried’s leadership, inequality within advanced economies. full economic potential, and examine the
the initiative has built a constructive Our work will assess the consequences increase of illicit financial flows across
relationship with both the executive of climate change, low productivity growth, the world and how strategic competitors
and legislative branches. excessive inequality, and automation on and adversaries to the United States are
developing sophisticated systems to
Shaping facts-based trade dialogue: GBE avoid detection.
broadened its transatlantic trade focus This is the time for Geoeconomics.
and put a greater emphasis on China, the The United States can once again
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement “This is the time for energize the world with creative and
(USMCA), Latin America, and the future Geoeconomics. The United collaborative economic leadership. But
of the World Trade Organization (WTO). States can once again it will be impossible without adaptation,
High-level public and private events with and without a substantive understanding
speakers such as EU Trade Commissioner
energize the world with of how economics, finance, geopolitics,
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He welcomes US Trade Representative
Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in Cecilia Malmstrom, a deep bench creative and collaborative and diplomacy interact every day on the
22 Shanghai, China, July 31, 2019. NG HAN GUAN/POOL VIA REUTERS of first-rate experts, a steady stream economic leadership.” world stage. ● 23TH E M ATI C PRO G R A M S
Global Energy Center
AT L A N T I C C O U N C I L A N N UA L R E P O R T T H E M AT I C P R O G R A M S
AT L A N T I C C O U N C I L A N N UA L R E P O R T T H E M AT I C P R O G R A M S
The Atlantic Council Task Force
on US Nuclear Energy Leadership,
Promoting energy security co-chaired by Senators Mike Crapo
alongside partners to devise (R-ID) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI),
launched its report, US Nuclear Energy
pragmatic solutions to the Leadership: Innovation and the Strategic
challenges of the energy. Global Challenge. The GEC also
wrote two subsequent nuclear policy
The Global Energy Center (GEC) promotes issue briefs, one of which was cited in
energy security by working alongside a bipartisan letter signed by 20 senators
government, industry, civil society, and arguing that support for US nuclear policy makers’ line of sight. The center Smoke is seen following a fire at Aramco
facility in the eastern city of Abqaiq, Saudi
public stakeholders to devise pragmatic power should be included in the NDAA. also launched the Veterans Advanced Arabia, September 14, 2019. REUTERS/STRINGER
solutions to the geopolitical, sustainability, As part of the center’s spotlight on Energy Project (VAEP), anchored by the
and economic challenges of the changing the role of oil and gas companies in the inaugural Veterans Advanced Energy transition, while continuing to amplify
global energy landscape. energy transition, the center hosted Summit, which convened nearly two its analysis on climate, advanced energy,
The GEC has quickly developed into workshops in New York, Abu Dhabi, hundred people to discuss trends in and civil nuclear issues. The center will
an important resource for governments, Singapore, and Houston with stake- clean energy and to hear from policy also expand its research on sustainable
industry, and civil society to understand holders from the finance, hydrocarbon makers, including Representative Sean aviation fuels; critical minerals; and
and navigate the energy transition. The production, and oil and gas trading Casten (D-IL) and former Senator Kelly carbon capture, utilization, and storage
center focuses on three core themes: industries, as well as a conference in Ayotte (R-NH). (CCUS); as well as the global impact of
energy security, geopolitics, and Washington, DC, in collaboration with Finally, in partnership with the RBC the 2020 US election on energy policy. ●
markets; understanding and managing the International Energy Agency. Foundation, the center announced the
the energy transition; and climate and GEC’s Climate and Advanced Energy inaugural class of its Women Leaders
advanced energy. Program remained a driving force in Energy Fellowship, a one-year
2019 also saw the unveiling of for the center’s work in 2019. Events program for women energy and
the GEC’s European energy security in Washington, DC, a congressional climate policy leaders under the age of
The GEC has quickly
project, which evaluated opportunities staff delegation to South Carolina to thirty-five to receive unique mentorship developed into an important
for strengthening transatlantic energy explore the future of clean transport, opportunities and professional devel- resource for governments,
security via events in Washington, DC; and reports covering forest restoration opment training. industry, and civil society
Brussels; and Berlin, and with a series of financing, blockchain, and interna- In 2020, the GEC will build on its
issue briefs on the future of US-European tional grid integration strategies, all expertise in energy security, the oil
to understand and navigate
24 Union cooperation. propelled this important program into market, and the geopolitics of the energy the energy transition. 25TH E M ATI C PRO G R A M S
Millennium Leadership
Program
2019 Millennium Fellows in Guatape on Fellow Expedition focused on Leading Change in Colombia.
Bogotá and Medellín. They also spent successful year of executive education
time in rural Colombia, sharing meals programming, the addition of a full-time
and stories with grassroots activists and community manager to more fully inte-
AT L A N T I C C O U N C I L A N N UA L R E P O R T T H E M AT I C P R O G R A M S
AT L A N T I C C O U N C I L A N N UA L R E P O R T T H E M AT I C P R O G R A M S
former combatants from different sides grate fellows across the council, the
landmark deal to change its name; of the conflict, as well as Venezuelan addition of next-generation firepower
a Ukrainian member of parliament driving leaders in exile. This extraordinary expe- to our programs and centers, and
Enabling innovative ideas, sustainable energy development in rience was the product of exemplary the introduction of a new leadership
transformational leadership, her country as the chairperson of this cross-program collaboration within the curriculum that includes individualized
committee in Parliament; the senior Atlantic Council between MLP and the executive coaching and practical training
and global impact. advisor for international economic Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. on key frameworks and concepts
affairs at the National Security Council Fellows figured prominently both supplemented with distance and
In 2019, the Millennium Leadership supporting the US-China trade negotia- across and beyond council work, virtual learning to complement in-person
Program (MLP) celebrated its fifth cohort tions; and the chief financial officer and including serving as featured speakers at gatherings. MLP’s fellowship has already
of Millennium Fellows. Chosen from deputy treasurer for the state of Illinois our largest events such as the 2019 NATO emerged as one of the most compet-
over 1,200 applications and 100 coun- overseeing its $300 billion banking Engages conference in Washington, itive, transformational, and prestigious
tries, this year’s class was our strongest operation and $31 billion investment DC; and launching new programs and programs of its kind. These new addi-
yet. All thirty-five years old or younger, portfolio. The program also included projects within the council such as the tions, along with partnerships in the exec-
these young leaders inspire hope for Fortune 500 executives such as Allianz’ Veterans Advanced Energy Summit in utive search, leadership advisory, and
a bright future. chief economist; award-winning entre- Chicago, Illinois. Beyond the council, academic worlds, position the program
From the public sector, they included preneurs solving food security, mobility, fellows were engaged in impact projects as an emerging center of excellence on
the senior advisor on parliamentary and healthcare challenges in devel- supported by the MLP community, leadership within the council. ●
affairs to the prime minister of North oping nations; and groundbreaking such as the Azadi Project—moved by
Macedonia instrumental in forging media figures such as the first female their 2018 study tour to the frontlines
political consensus for his country’s football commentator in the Arab of the Syrian refugee crisis in Turkey
world, among many others across civil and Greece, fellows founded the Azadi
society, academia, business, the arts, Project, a non-governmental organization
and science. (NGO) that trains young female refugees
“The MLP is in my mind the
In May, MLP took the class to Colombia and connects them to employment most impactful leadership
to explore the country’s historic peace opportunities. Through two workshops program in the world for
process, the promise of the “Orange in 2019, they trained women from Niger, international policy makers,
Economy,” and the crisis in Venezuela. Palestine, Iran, and Afghanistan, and
Under the theme of “Leading Change,” are now entering their second year
business leaders and public
they met with current Colombian of operations. intellectuals.”
President Iván Duque and former pres- MLP also deepened its expertise Dr. Manuel Muñiz, 2016–2017 Millennium
2018 Millennium Fellow Zafar Hashemi from
Afghanistan delivers talk at the 2018 NATO ident Alvaro Uribe among many other and capabilities in the domain of lead- Fellow, Secretary of State for Global Spain,
26 Engages Summit in Washington, DC. senior officials and business leaders in ership development with a second Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs 27the continent took to the streets to With the United States-Mexico-
REGIONAL PROGRAMS advocate for change in Colombia, Chile, Canada Agreement’s passage complete,
and beyond. In a year of transition, the the center will analyze opportunities
Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center to harness the agreement’s potential.
doubled down on its mission to work In Central America, the center
with partners and allies to provide will advance momentum to help
certainty amid uncertainty and to high- secure the livelihoods of those
light the opportunities Latin America who face daily violence and remote
Adrienne Arsht holds for the United States and the world.
With the crisis in Venezuela persisting,
economic opportunity.
Seizing on economic synergies and
Latin America Center
the Adrienne Arsht Latin America progress, the center will provide a
Center accelerated its efforts to support renewed vision and innovative recom-
a peaceful transition to democracy. mendations for strengthening US-Brazil
As Juan Guaidó was elected president of trade and investment, in partnership with
the National Assembly, the center hosted US and Brazilian policy makers and the
him to discuss his plans for the country private sector.
and convened policy makers from nine In Venezuela, the center will build on
countries for a PeaceGame with Foreign new ways to work toward a democratic
AT L A N T I C C O U N C I L A N N UA L R E P O R T R E G I O N A L P R O G R A M S
AT L A N T I C C O U N C I L A N N UA L R E P O R T R E G I O N A L P R O G R A M S
Policy magazine to align innovative solu- transition by supporting democratic
tions to the crisis. actors and countering disinformation,
In Colombia, the center launched in partnership with the Digital Forensic
phase two of its US-Colombia Task Force, Research Lab.
led by Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and The center will also deepen its support
Ben Cardin (D-MD), the findings of which of the US-Colombia partnership–
were presented to President Iván Duque. critical as Venezuelan migration flows
Founded by Adrienne Arsht and continue to accelerate–through efforts
chaired by HSBC’s Gerardo Mato, to strengthen investment and build the
the center also launched the Adrienne infrastructure needed to integrate local
Arsht Latin America Center Advisory markets into the broader economy.
Council, which includes US and regional Through it all, China remains
public and private-sector leaders, a major influence in Latin America. As
former presidents, artists, governors, the Asian giant deepens engagement
and others to harness opportunities and investment across the region, the
for collaboration. center will closely follow how China may
Over twelve months, the center shape opportunities and perspectives
hosted over seventy-five events, in the hemisphere. ●
Demonstrators holding Chilean, Argentinian and Colombian flags take part in a protest as a national strike continues in Bogota, Colombia
garnered over 1,400 media hits,
December 4, 2019. REUTERS/LUISA GONZALEZ produced ten reports, and provided
expertise in briefings and meetings
and civil society. The center focuses on with the US Congress, the US adminis-
Latin America’s strategic role in a global tration, and regional governments.
Shaping understanding context with a priority on pressing polit-
of Latin America’s global ical, economic, and social issues that will Preview of 2020 work
define the trajectory of the region. In 2020, ahead of key elections in
importance. the United States and in the region,
Description of 2019 work the Adrienne Arsht Latin America
The Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center The year 2019 was one of transformation Centre will look toward solidifying its
broadens understanding of regional for Latin America. New governments role in harnessing economic and polit-
transformations through high-impact entered into office in Brazil, Argentina, ical opportunities to deepen US-Latin
work that shapes the conversation among El Salvador, and Panama. In parallel, American relations and Latin American
28 policy makers, the business community, tens of thousands of citizens across relations with other regions of the world. President of Colombia Iván Duque. 29REGIONAL PROGRAMS
Africa Center
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok addresses the Atlantic Council on December 5, 2019.
AT L A N T I C C O U N C I L A N N UA L R E P O R T R E G I O N A L P R O G R A M S
AT L A N T I C C O U N C I L A N N UA L R E P O R T R E G I O N A L P R O G R A M S
Cameron Hudson–provided an inimi- States special envoy for the Great Lakes of Foreign Affairs and International
table forum for research and analysis. Region of Africa. Cooperation Kamissa Camara in March.
Promoting dynamic Over the summer, the Africa Center The appetite for change was not While 2019 proved to be a mile-
geopolitical partnerships hosted two strategy sessions for policy universal, however. The citizens of stone year for intra-continental trade,
makers, including one for US Special some of Africa’s foremost powers— with the much-awaited entry into force
with African states. Envoy for Sudan Ambassador Donald Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa— of the African Continental Free Trade
E. Booth. The center also provided the voted to return incumbents to office in Area in May, US-Africa trade hit some
The Africa Center seeks to promote venue for Sudanese Prime Minister 2019. Democracies across the continent roadblocks. Notably, US Customs and
dynamic geopolitical partnerships Abdalla Hamdok’s public address to continued to struggle under the siege Border Protection (CBP) issued several
with African states and to redirect US Washington in December, which marked of extremist violence. Most worryingly, withhold release orders on goods
and European policy priorities toward the first official visit of a Sudanese head a soaring number of attacks by Islamist produced on the continent on grounds
strengthening security and bolstering of government in over thirty years. militants forced more than one million of forced labor. CBP’s investigation
economic growth and prosperity on Another important, and imperfect, people to flee their homes across the into reports of child labor in Côte d’Ivo-
the continent. transition occurred in the Democratic Sahel. Over one thousand violent inci- ire’s cocoa sector triggered a visit to
African communities harnessed Republic of the Congo. Popular outrage dents were reported in 2019 alone, Washington by First Lady Dominique
the power of social media and public and international pressure prevented underscoring worrisome cracks in Ouattara, who spoke at the council in
protest to mount important, and overdue, authoritarian President Joseph Kabila the capabilities of G5 Sahel countries September. Further engaging with the
challenges to authoritarian states in from running for an illicit third term and and donor nations to respond to the West Africa region, the Africa Center
2019. The Republic of the Sudan’s compelled him to surrender power to escalating security crisis. Recognizing hosted Guinean President Alpha Condé
popular removal of long-standing ruler Félix Tshisekedi. The center hosted these challenges, the center welcomed for a strategic discussion on US trade and
Omar al-Bashir in April was a singular Tshisekedi in April, where he outlined his Mali’s former Prime Minister Soumeylou human rights ahead of much-anticipated
and still-fragile achievement. His fall vision for a strategic partnership with the Boubèye Maïga and former Minister elections in 2020.
from power has left the country with a United States. Senior Fellow Dr. Pierre Looking ahead, center Director
power vacuum that can only be repaired Englebert continued to lead the center’s of Programs and Studies Bronwyn
by a long and complex sequence of Congo on the Edge programming Bruton is tracking the run-up to
reforms, which will necessitate both through astute analysis of the elections Ethiopia’s upcoming elections and
the cooperation of Sudan’s security and cutting-edge research on provincial As Sudan’s civilian-led the pace of Nobel Laureate Prime
forces and the active re-engagement of decentralization efforts. While center transitional government Minister Abiy Ahmed’s reforms. In June,
Western powers. As Sudan’s civilian-led Director Dr. J. Peter Pham recused she moderated a roundtable with
transitional government worked to find himself from the center’s work on the
worked to find its footing, Berhanu Nega, the head of the newly
its footing, the Africa Center–through Congo, he was very much engaged the Africa Center provided formed political party Ethiopia Citizens
30 its Sudan Initiative led by Senior Fellow in this historic transition as the United an inimitable forum. for Social Justice. ● 31You can also read
