Atlantic Council

• 1. Founding And Early Mission

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  Christian Herter and William L. Clayton established the Atlantic Council in 1961 to foster cooperation between North America and Europe after World War II. The organization began by publishing policy papers and polling citizens on both sides of the Atlantic about their views on international collaboration. Its initial focus centered heavily on economic issues, particularly promoting free trade between the two continents. It also addressed political and environmental matters but with less intensity than its economic work. Melvin Small of Wayne State University noted that the council's true strength lay not just in its publications. He observed that its real power came from connections to influential policymakers who gathered there for informal get-togethers. These leaders developed networks of continuing communication that extended beyond official government channels. This approach allowed the think tank to operate as a center for dialogue rather than just a research institution.

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• 2. Leadership Transitions And Expansions

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  James L. Jones stepped down as chairman of the Atlantic Council in February 2009 to become President Obama's National Security Advisor. Senator Chuck Hagel succeeded him before stepping down four years later to serve as US Secretary of Defense. Brent Scowcroft served as interim chairman until January 2014 when Jon Huntsman Jr. took over the role. The organization expanded its reach into Central and South America in 2013 through the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. Adrienne Arsht provided a $5 million gift to fund this new regional initiative aimed at improving relationships across three regions. Peter Schechter became the first director bringing extensive experience in elections and media relations to the position. By October 2023, the center had increased its influence throughout Latin America by integrating political economy issues into policy-making. Tom Bossert joined the council as a Nonresident Zurich Cyber Risk Fellow before becoming Homeland Security Advisor to the Trump administration in 2017.

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• 3. Strategic Initiatives And Centers

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  The Digital Forensic Research Lab launched in 2016 to study disinformation within open source environments and report on democratic processes. Facebook donated a significant but undisclosed sum in 2018 placing it among top donors alongside the government of Great Britain. The GeoEconomics Center opened in December 2020 with ECB President Christine Lagarde delivering a keynote address at the launch event. This center develops data-driven programs at the nexus of economics finance and foreign policy to bridge siloed sectors. It organizes work around three pillars including the Future of Capitalism and the Economic Statecraft Initiative. Researchers produce cutting-edge visualizations covering digital currencies China's economy sanctions and the future of the Bretton Woods system. The Global China Hub founded in September 2021 now researches challenges posed by China's economic growth under Xi Jinping. David O. Shullman serves as senior director leading all China-related work for the organization as of June 2023.

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• 4. Funding Sources And Controversies

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  Eric Lipton reported in The New York Times in September 2014 that the Atlantic Council received donations from more than twenty-five foreign governments since 2008. These overseas funds often conducted activities aligning with the agendas of those foreign governments. Bahaa Hariri donated money to establish the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East while Michele Dunne served as its founding head. Dunne resigned four months after complaining about her actions regarding Mohamed Morsi's removal from Egypt in 2013. FedEx provided financial backing for a 2014 report on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership while lobbying Congress directly. Adrienne Arsht, Bahaa Hariri, and the United Arab Emirates were the three largest donors between 2015 and 2016 each giving over US$1 million. Burisma Holdings donated $100,000 per year starting in 2016 until the relationship ended following scrutiny. Facebook and the British government led donor rankings in 2018 according to Reuters reporting. Almost $21 million came from foreign governments between 2019 and 2023 making it the highest recorded total among US-based think tanks.

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• 5. High Profile Events And Diplomacy

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  The Atlantic Council hosted former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen's first major U.S. speech in September 2009 discussing Afghanistan and Russia relations. Members of the U.S. Congress including Senator Richard Lugar and Secretary of State John Kerry appeared at council events throughout that period. Military leaders from both sides of the Atlantic have spoken since January 2007 through the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security. The Commanders Series invites American figures like General George Casey and European leaders such as French Chief of Defense Jean-Louis Georgelin to discuss conflicts of interest. Annual gatherings include the Distinguished Leadership Awards in Washington DC and the Wroclaw Global Forum held in Poland. Frederick Kempe released the Declaration of Principles at the Munich Security Conference on the 22nd of February 2019 to rally free peoples worldwide. A senior delegation led by former Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitė visited Taiwan in August 2023 meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen. The organization launched a joint delegation to India during its 2024 Global Citizen Awards event alongside the Motwani Jadeja Foundation.

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• 6. Geopolitical Stance And Criticism

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  Russia declared the activities of the Atlantic Council pose a threat to its constitutional system and security in July 2019. The country added the think tank to its list of undesirable organizations preventing it from operating within Russian borders. Scholars Andrei Tsygankov and Pavel Tsygankov noted pro-NATO bias in Atlantic Council publications regarding Russia. During the Russo-Ukrainian war the council became the most cited think tank by top U.S. newspapers. It supported shipments of Western weapons to Ukraine while rejecting any compromise with the Russian government. Diplomatic cables revealed close work between the Atlantic Council and Chevron Corporation representatives to undermine Brazilian legislative proposals for Petrobras. After failing to block legislation the organization pivoted to support impeachment efforts against Dilma Rousseff. Following legislative victories major contributors including Shell plc and BP received pre-salt exploration contracts at an auction event. Critics like the founder of the Human Rights Foundation condemned the decision to award Ali Bongo Ondimba a Global Citizen Award in 2016.

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