Atlantic Council Annual Report 2016-2017

Page 1

2016–2017

ANNUAL REPORT


2016–2017 ANNUAL REPORT

As the world changes, so too does the Atlantic Council. Yet all along we are driven by the conviction that if the United States shapes the future constructively with its friends and allies, the world will thrive. If we fail to do so, less benevolent forces—or chaos—will fill the void.

ATLANTIC COUNCIL


TABLE OF CONTENTS

04 LETTER FR OM THE CHA I R MA N & CEO

TABL E O F

06

CONTEN TS

CHAPTER 1 THEMATI C PR OGR A MS 08 B rent Scowcroft Center on International Security

12 Global Energy Center 16 Millennium Leadership Program 20 G lobal Business & Economics Program INTRODUCING:

24 Adrienne Arsht Center for Resilience

26 D igital Forensic Research Lab

54 CHAPTER 1II GLOB A L CON V EN I N GS 56 D istinguished Leadership Awards

58 G lobal Citizen Awards 60 Istanbul Summit 62 Wrocław Global Forum 64 G lobal Energy Forum

28 CHAPTER II R EGI ON A L CEN TER S 30 R afik Hariri Center for the Middle East

34 Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

02

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

66 CHAPTER 1V COMMUN I T I ES OF I N F LUEN CE 68 B oard of Directors & International Advisory Board

38 Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center

70 H onor Roll of Contributors

42 Future Europe Initiative

72 F inancial Summary

46 South Asia Center

74 B y the Numbers

50 Africa Center

76 Atlantic Council Staff

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

03


MESSAG E FR OM T H E C HA IR M A N & C E O The Atlantic Council emerged more than a half century ago to defend and advance the rules-based international order that far-sighted US leaders, working alongside allies, built on the ashes of World War II. Today’s challenges demand new thinking to renew that system and advance stability and prosperity. In this 70th anniversary year of the Marshall Plan, one of the most visionary initiatives in US history, a host of rising challenges threaten one of the greatest periods of major power peace, global prosperity, and democratic progress the world has ever seen. Today’s challenge is starkly similar to our founding mission: working alongside partners around the world to secure the future while recognizing our failure—witness Ukraine, witness Syria—will open the door to less benevolent forces or violent chaos. What is dramatically different is the context. While the post-World War II years were shaped primarily by a superpower competition, the forces at work now are more complex and confounding, requiring the Atlantic Council to operate globally and across more diverse functional areas to address the threats and pursue the opportunities. These challenges include European fragmentation, Russian revanchism, a more assertive China, and

04

a destabilized Middle East with waves of refugees and exports of violent extremism that have turned a regional crisis into a global threat. At the same time, the United States struggles to conjure the capacity, political will, and strategy to address this inflection point in history. These geopolitical trials come at a time of unprecedented acceleration in technological and societal change, driven by a fourth industrial revolution that is testing the capacity of all countries, communities, companies, and individuals to navigate. We at the Atlantic Council are the heirs to a commitment not only to sustain, but to improve the world—to adapt and advance the international system that has produced so much good for so many. Seldom have our tools and capacities been so urgently required. The Council represents a set of ideals, not a particular geography. Although the concept of an Atlantic community emerged from the destruction

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

of two world wars to define a grouping of North Atlantic nations united by shared interests and values, as those ideals have spread across the globe, so too has the Atlantic Council widened our circle of partners and adjusted the scope of our mission. The work of our five regional centers is global— from Latin America to South Asia—reflecting the rise of new powers and centers of commerce. Our half dozen thematic programs—including the newly launched Adrienne Arsht Center for Resilience—combine efforts with the high-impact regional centers to work in a way that mirrors the complexity of our contemporary world. We operate not in a vacuum, but in a collaborative effort that breaks silos and draws from a range of expertise, steered by an over-arching strategy and world view. As a single organization, we focus on a mission of “working together to secure the future”—a mission that has never been more crucial at the same time that our capabilities have never been as robust. Over the past decade, the Council has seen tremendous growth in size and impact, with a more than ten-fold increase of revenue and staff. This advance has been driven by our focus, dynamism, and optimism—what we call our culture of intellectual entrepreneurialism.

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

“We focus on a mission of ‘working together to secure the future.’” Our focus on results has also attracted an extended network of global citizens who join our community of influence. Many of them are mentioned in Chapter IV: Communities of Influence—from our Board of Directors and International Advisory Board members to those named in the Honor Role of Contributors and the Atlantic Council’s individual and corporate members, our partners, and our impressive staff. Thank you for joining our mission. This is the Atlantic Council’s moment. Onward and upward,

Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. Chairman

Frederick Kempe President and CEO

05


THEMATIC PROGRAMS

CHAPTER I

T HEMAT IC PROGR A MS 08

B rent Scowcroft Cente r on Internationa l Secur it y

12

Globa l Energy Cente r

16

Millennium Lea ders hip Prog ram

20

Globa l B usiness & Economic s Prog ram INTRODUCING:

24

Adrienne A rsht Cen te r for Re silie nce

26

Digita l Forensic Res e arc h L ab

06

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

07


BRENT SCOWCROFT CENTER ON INTERNATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGIES FOR NAVIGATING A TURBULENT AND DYNAMIC WORLD The Brent Scowcroft Center’s work is inspired by General Scowcroft’s lifetime of commitment to purposeful and collaborative US leadership— particularly among NATO countries and partners— to tackle the world’s most challenging security issues. In the spirit of Gen. Scowcroft, one of America’s leading strategists and the only individual to serve two presidents as national security advisor, and led by Atlantic Council Senior Vice President Barry Pavel, the Scowcroft Center emphasizes the search for comprehensive, lasting, long-term strategies. Leading that effort, the center’s Foresight, Strategy, and Risks Initiative in 2016 published eight Atlantic Council Strategy Papers. They included Global Risks 2035, a flagship quadrennial report examining unfolding global mega-trends that will shape the next two decades. The aim was to provide deeper understanding of potential future scenarios at a moment of transition between US administrations.

in California—in study trips designed to acquire a deeper understanding of what powers US economic dynamism and how federal and state policies can advance international innovation and competitiveness.

At the same time, the center reached far beyond Washington, DC, to inspire its future thinking and scenario planning, drawing upon local leaders, tech innovators, and venture capitalists from some of America’s most vibrant communities—including Madison, Wisconsin; Boulder, Colorado; Austin, Texas; and the San Francisco Bay Area

Meanwhile, the Transatlantic Security Initiative, in a year of geopolitical turmoil, leveraged its core NATO and European security expertise to address the risks associated with Russia’s increasingly assertive posture. The initiative led an all-star delegation to the 2016 NATO Warsaw Summit and published two critical reports on restoring the power and purpose of the Alliance and on the

A US Navy serviceman (left) launches an unmanned aerial vehicle assisted by a Philippine Navy serviceman during an annual joint military exercise called “Carat” at former US military base Sangley Point, west of Manila. (Photo by REUTERS/Erik De Castro.) RIGHT:

08

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

eroding European pillar of NATO. Both reports sparked debate in Washington, DC, Brussels, key allied capitals, and beyond. As one element of the center’s mission to strengthen global security partnerships, the Middle East Peace and Security Initiative also led a high-level delegation—this one to the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia— to meet decision makers such as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Nayef, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, and the United Arab Emirate’s ministers of energy and oil, Suhail Al Mazrouei and Sultan Al Jaber.

09


BRENT SCOWCROFT CENTER ON INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

THEMATIC PROGRAMS

The Scowcroft Center promotes strategies and policies for the United States and its allies to navigate a turbulent and rapidly changing world. It is the flagship for the Atlantic Council’s global mission of “Working Together to Secure the Future,” focusing on issues that range from NATO’s future and Mideast security to cyber statecraft and strategic foresight.

2 016 – 2 01 7 AN NUA L R E P O R T 10

With the Council’s Middle East Strategy Task Force (see page 30), the initiative also conducted wargame simulations on how to defeat the Islamic State. The participants tested various scenarios of increased or decreased US engagement in the Middle East to help incoming US administration officials identify fruitful strategic pathways. The center’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative focused on how the rapid evolution of the Internet of Things is increasing our dependence on connected technology faster than we are developing the ability to secure it from failure or attack. Underscoring the Atlantic Council’s results-oriented purpose, the initiative’s ideas helped inspire actions by the US Department of Homeland Security, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Presidential Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. The Emerging Defense Challenges Initiative continued to shape the discussion around the evolution of defense-industrial resources. Highlights

included two panel discussions, which assembled four Silicon Valley entrepreneurs to address defense requirements alongside commercial opportunities and a conversation with the chiefs of corporateventure investing at Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Thales, and Airbus. To better understand the security needs of the future, the initiative turned to fiction and the arts. The Art of the Future project hosted Hollywood writers and directors together with the National Intelligence Council to imagine the future of global governance and armed conflict. The initiative even hosted an evening of stand-up comedy to analyze and roast the center’s Global Risks 2035, an event hailed by Think Tank Watch as “the best think tank event of 2016.” Reflecting the growing importance of security issues in the Pacific Rim, the center’s Asia Security Initiative launched its Asia-Pacific Strategy Task Force to develop a comprehensive, nonpartisan Asia-Pacific strategy for the United States and its allies and partners.

“Thanks to the Atlantic Council for an opportunity to exchange some thoughts…. I think it is one of the most relevant institutions in this town, with a reach around the world that’s rather significant.” CHUCK HAGEL, FORMER US SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

WHO IS...

BRENT SCOWCROFT A soldier-scholar turned statesman, Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft remains the only man to have ever served two presidents as national security advisor. Over the course of Scowcroft’s career in public service, he developed a reputation as a source of balanced, bipartisan analysis that made him a sought-after voice on national security for commanders-in-chief of both parties. “He would not try to run over the head of cabinet members, or cut them off from contact with the president, yet I also knew he would give me his own experienced views on whatever problem might arise,” President George H. W. Bush said of Scowcroft. At the heart of the Cold War, Scowcroft was a leading and consistent advocate for NATO and strong transatlantic cooperation as a means to preserve peace and security. As national security advisor, he—with President Bush—presided over the Berlin Wall’s fall, German unification, and the Cold War’s peaceful resolution, events many thought were beyond reach.

Then-US Senator Jeff Sessions (left), now US attorney general, explains the dynamics of the US presidential election and the potential implications of a Trump presidency to the Atlantic Council’s International Advisory Board. IAB members Aleksander Kwaśniewski (center), former Polish president, and Jacob Wallenberg, chairman of Investor AB, listen. ABOVE RIGHT: Michael Morell (left), former deputy director of the central intelligence agency, and Gen. James L. Jones, former national security advisor and chairman of the Brent Scowcroft Center, give highlights of their versions of the president’s morning briefing at the Atlantic Council Annual Forum. ABOVE LEFT:

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

“The events were great. The hazards were deep,” said Scowcroft. “But we navigated the complexities to advance freedom and security, at a time when many others deemed it impossible.

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

When looking back at the events of 1989—what we commemorate is an attitude more than anything specific. It was the values that won.” The Atlantic Council in 2012 honored Scowcroft’s legacy by relaunching its flagship international security program as the Brent Scowcroft Center. Guided by Scowcroft’s vision, the center blends analysis of today’s challenges with long-term strategic thinking about how the United States’ role in the world interacts with historical forces, technological change, geography, and culture. “In 1961, the Council’s founders—those ‘present at the creation’ of our international rules-based system—joined forces across party lines and among disparate organizations to form the Atlantic Council,” said Scowcroft. “They did so out of a need for sustained US engagement in the world and to develop an ambitious agenda for the Atlantic community. They succeeded. The Council convinced me to lend my own name to the effort by showing me how it would help carry forward that same mission at this similarly crucial moment in history. I’m so proud of the work it accomplishes each day.”

11


GLOBAL ENERGY CENTER W H AT ’S POWER I N G A CH ANG I N G WOR L D The Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center provides reliable, objective, nonpartisan expertise that has made it the go-to venue for the exchange of ideas and practical policy solutions at the intersection of geopolitics and energy markets. In 2016 and 2017, the center combined a robust agenda in Washington, DC, with two major convenings abroad to explore the most pressing energy and environmental issues. Sensing a growing need for a truly global platform where energy producers and consumers could seek solutions to common concerns, the center launched the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi in January 2017, with CNN International as its media partner (see page 64). The forum will continue as an annual event, with the ambition of setting the global energy agenda year after year. In its inaugural iteration, the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum kicked off Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, welcoming more than five hundred delegates—including energy ministers from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s OPEC member states; Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency; Adnan Amin, the director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency, some fifty chief executives, and dozens of diplomats, civil society leaders, and media. Oil pumps and wind-energy turbines work together to produce energy supplies. According to the International Energy Agency, 2.5 wind turbines and 30,000 solar panels are installed globally every hour. (Photo by Krasowit.) OPPOSITE:

12

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

13


GLOBAL ENERGY CENTER

THEMATIC PROGRAMS

The Global Energy Center identifies trends and devises creative strategies to promote global access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy.

“This broad range of prominent participants assembled [at the Global Energy Forum] reflects the convening power and global standing of the Atlantic Council,

What set the forum apart was its success in bringing together leaders from both traditional and renewable energy worlds to discuss the intersection of geopolitics and energy production, technological innovation, and climate issues.

2 016 – 2 01 7 AN NUA L R E P O R T 14

At the same time, the center redesigned the Atlantic Council’s eighth annual Istanbul Summit as a regional discussion of energy, economic, and security issues that included keynotes from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Berat Albayrak, among others (see page 60). Covering topics as diverse as infrastructure financing, rebuilding Syria, and regional energy production, the summit in April 2017 zeroed in on forging stronger cooperative partnerships for the future—building on the Council’s successful effort to host the first public meeting since 2010 of Turkish and Israeli energy ministers in October

2016. This meeting proved to be instrumental in the normalization of relations between Turkey and Israel and points toward significant cooperation on gas development in the Eastern Mediterranean. In Washington, DC, the Global Energy Center, under the leadership of Founding Director and Chairman Richard Morningstar, focused on the changing dynamics of the energy world and their geopolitical implications.

which it not only enjoys in Washington, DC, its home, but also in many different parts of the world.” ADNAN AMIN, DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY

The center’s team of experts produced a range of cutting-edge analysis, including a report that encouraged ending the US oil export ban, innovative research on energy development opportunities in Latin America, a groundbreaking examination of downstream oil theft, and thought-provoking studies of gas development opportunities in the Eastern Mediterranean and on gas pipeline interconnections across central and southeastern Europe.

ABOVE LEFT: From

left, Senators Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) share details of their bipartisan legislation, the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA), during a public event at the Atlantic Council. ABOVE RIGHT: Then-US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz headlines the Atlantic Council board meeting.

Anticipating congressional action, the center’s report, Surging Liquefied Natural Gas Trade, demonstrated the commercial and political value to US, European, and global audiences of US liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports just before the first commercial cargoes of US LNG hit the international market. ABOVE: Participants

at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum snap a picture before test-driving one of several electric and hybrid vehicles at Yas Marina Circuit, home of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. For more on the Global Energy Forum, see page 64.

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

The center houses the Council’s rapidly growing body of work on climate change and energy transformation and on October 25, 2016, hosted

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

US Climate Envoy Jonathan Pershing ahead of the historic Marrakesh climate change conference—the first major climate gathering of nations following the US election. In addition, it initiated a series of reports to address power sector transformation in the developing world, led bilateral senate staff dialogues on carbon pricing, hosted US Senators James Inhofe (R-OK) and Sheldon Whitehouse (DRI) to discuss nuclear innovation, and convened numerous discussions on carbon capture and sequestration for fossil-fuel power plants.

15


MILLENNIUM LEADERSHIP PROGRAM ORGANIZING COMMUNITY DESIGNED FOR IMPACT Matt McDonald, the head of strategy and operations at YouTube Marketing, and Albert Cho, the vice president for strategy and development at Xylem, a global water management company, have more than just business acumen in common. They are both Atlantic Council Millennium Fellows, members of a growing community of the most promising rising leaders designed to advance transformational, global leadership. Each year, the Millennium Leadership Program, across four unique fellowship initiatives, gathers seventy-five of the highest-impact leaders under thirty-five through a recruitment process that is more competitive than Harvard College admissions. Fellows represent diverse sectors and backgrounds, hailing from more than fifty countries, and now include alumni numbering more than five hundred since 2011. A demonstrator stares down a riot policeman during a protest in Santiage marking the anniversary of Chile’s 1973 military coup. (Photo by REUTERS/Carlos Vera.) OPPOSITE:

16

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

17


MILLENNIUM LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

THEMATIC PROGRAMS

The Millennium Leadership Program forges and empowers a community of remarkable rising leaders to tackle the increasingly complex challenges they will need to navigate to secure the future.

tours, and flagship Atlantic Council conferences, as well as join the activities of MLP’s other thematic fellowships. The Council also continues its long-standing work of cultivating the next generation of NATO leaders.

2 016 – 2 01 7 AN NUA L R E P O R T 18

In 2016, the Atlantic Council tapped fifteen FutureNATO Fellows, selected through a photo and essay competition, to share the stage at the NATO Summit in Warsaw with heads of state and top leaders—including former Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt and former US Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright.

Carl Bildt (left), former prime minister and foreign minister of Sweden, speaks to regional press at the FutureNATO Summit in conjunction with the NATO Summit in Warsaw. ABOVE:

Directed by Jonathan Silverthorne, the program integrates its fellows into the heart of Atlantic Council programming as full participants, forging a memorable experience that catalyzes lifelong friendships and robust professional networks. Fellows leverage the opportunities presented by the program to deepen their influence on the issues of greatest importance to them. Examples include post-9/11 veteran fellow Tom Brennan, founder of the War Horse—which pushed the boundaries of military reporting by breaking the Marine Corps illicit photo-sharing story with support from the Council’s Take Point Fellowship—and Millennium Fellow Mira Patel, former senior adviser in USAID’s Global Development Lab, who helped to launch the Atlantic Council’s groundbreaking

LGBTI Diplomacy Initiative, convening top leaders in foreign policy to advance inclusion and diversity. MLP’s 2016 class featured seventy-five innovators and frontline practitioners in all four of the program’s core initiatives. The Millennium Fellows, like McDonald and Cho, are high achievers from the private sector, as well as civil servants and civil-society activists. Among them was Omaid Sharifi—the co-founder of ArtLords—whose anti-corruption themed blastwall stencils have made their way from the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan, to galleries around the world. Millennium Fellows participate in exclusive programming, including executive retreats, study

“The future…belongs to the young, but the young have to believe that there is a way for them to make a difference.” CONDOLEEZZA RICE, FORMER US SECRETARY OF STATE

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

Portugal, focused on the threat of coastal erosion and the health impacts of climate change; the president of the Arctic Institute in Washington, DC—a leading think tank bringing the frontline research of scientists stationed throughout the Arctic and Antarctic regions directly to policy makers; and business leaders representing Solar City, Southern California Edison, and other companies at the fore of the new energy economy.

Millennium Fellows attending the NATO Summit first participated in the program’s inaugural study tour to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Fellows learned firsthand about the important role NATO played, and continues to play, in “winning the peace” in Europe, helping to anchor the subsequent conversations at the summit in the concrete reality of NATO’s everyday impact. The Council also selected ten exceptional post9/11 military veterans for the 2016 class of the Take Point Fellowship, which is designed to allow these individuals to translate their downrange experience into international affairs leadership. In its three years, the program has trained more than thirty veterans and awarded more than $150,000 to support veteran-founded initiatives, including the War Horse—the only nonprofit newsroom dedicated to investigative coverage of the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments—and HillVets, a leading veteran-run nonprofit placing veterans into staff roles on Capitol Hill. For the sixth consecutive year, the Millennium Leadership Program also welcomed thirty new up-and-coming professionals into the network of Emerging Leaders in Energy and Environmental Policy (ELEEP). The 2016 class of fellows included Dr. Ricardo Baptiste, an elected member of the Portuguese national parliament and city counselor in Cascais,

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Millennium Leadership Fellow Peter Kalotai (left), former deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Hungary in the United States, moderates a panel with Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger (right), chairman of the Munich Security Conference, at the 2016 NATO Future Leaders Summit on the margins of the official NATO Summit in Warsaw. ABOVE:

19


GLOBAL BUSINESS & ECONOMICS PROGRAM INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH TO ANCHOR STABILITY The Atlantic Council’s Global Business & Economics Program explores and advocates policy innovation to modernize economic institutions, address persistent economic stagnation and rising income inequality, and develop a transatlantic and global economy that produces the greatest benefit for the most people. In 2016 and 2017, under the leadership of former executive director of the International Monetary Fund, Andrea Montanino, the program’s flagship EuroGrowth Initiative galvanized a transatlantic community behind free trade, regulatory harmonization, and macroeconomic coordination as an essential element of global prosperity. Students, trade union members, and federations of pensioners and food and tourism workers demonstrate against unemployment and pension cuts during a protest rally outside the Greek Ministry of Labor in central Athens. (Photo by NURPHOTO/ Panayiotis Tzamaros.) OPPOSITE:

20

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

21


GLOBAL BUSINESS & ECONOMICS PROGRAM

THEMATIC PROGRAMS

“I still believe in the European social model but we also need growth. That is why I was very pleased to hear

The Global Business & Economics Program works to deepen the integration between North America and Europe—and increase job-creating growth on both sides of the Atlantic—as the bedrock of global economic leadership.

about the EuroGrowth Initiative.” JYRKI KATAINEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION VICE-PRESIDENT

2 016 – 2 01 7 AN NUA L R E P O R T 22

Co-chaired by José Manuel Barroso, former president of the European Commission, and Stuart Eizenstat, former US ambassador to the European Union, the initiative published five reports tackling the implications of Brexit, the EU’s excessive fiscal burden, and other challenges to inclusive economic growth across Europe. The EuroGrowth Initiative became a forum of choice for European decision makers visiting Washington. In 2016, five former European prime ministers and six European commissioners chose the Atlantic Council to present their thoughts and engage toplevel audiences, physically and digitally.

Among them, European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström was the first European leader to speak in Washington following the Brexit vote. Her message: It’s now more important than ever to continue the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations. European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, who has broad responsibilities for the euro and financial markets, stressed the need to increase investment, deepen structural reforms, and consolidate responsible fiscal policies. After a year of research and fact-finding, the EuroGrowth Task Force launched its flagship report, Charting the Future Now, a road map for the European Union to stimulate economic growth, safeguard the European project, and reinvigorate the transatlantic economy—all as cornerstone priorities for prosperity in the United States.

transparency can advance innovation and economic dynamism, strengthen the rule of law, and combat corruption and terrorism. In partnership with Thomson Reuters, the series hosted six speakers in 2016 including Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, and Marcel Lettre, then-undersecretary of defense for intelligence at the Pentagon. The Global Business & Economics Program also expanded its work on economic sanctions, partnering with the Council’s Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center (see page 38) to release the report: Evaluating Western Sanctions on Russia by Sergey Aleksashenko, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Russia.

Working together with the Delegation of the European Union to the United States, the program also launched a four-event series to promote greater knowledge and understanding of the European Union within American communities beyond Washington, DC. For example, the program sponsored a discussion of the EU’s banking and capital markets unions at the University of Pennsylvania with Mario Nava, director of the European Commission’s DirectorateGeneral for Financial Stability, Services, and Capital Markets Union. Another of the program’s major projects, the Power of Transparency speaker series, investigated how Thomas Barrett (left), minister of the EU delegation to the United States and director of the European Investment Bank, and Laura Lane, president of global public affairs for the United Parcel Service (UPS)—both members of the EuroGrowth Initiative Task Force—talk after a private task force meeting on how to stimulate economic growth across Europe. LEFT:

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, takes audience questions at an Atlantic Council event on the importance of transparency and integrity in the world of international finance. ABOVE RIGHT: Then-US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker (right) shares her perspective on the challenges facing the next US administration alongside Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former Polish president. ABOVE LEFT:

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

23


THEMATIC PROGRAMS

ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER FOR RESILIENCE “A single event or disruption can spark any number of

CRAFTING

unexpected, reverberating

THE ANT IDOTE

consequences....

TO DISRUPTION

to turbulence.”

Resilience is the antidote ADRIENNE ARHST RESILIENCE TASK FORCE

The Atlantic Council in 2016 launched the Adrienne Arsht Center for Resilience as part of its continuing effort to break policy-making silos and cultivate innovative approaches to increasingly complex global challenges. Recognizing the building costs of the accelerating disruption that has become a hallmark of the early twenty-first century, Atlantic Council Executive Vice Chair Adrienne Arsht convened a unique, high-level group of first responders, local and national policy makers, and leading academics—including former Boston Policy Commissioner Ed Davis, who led the response to the Boston Marathon terror attack; former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency David Petraeus; and Nancy Lindborg, president of the United States Institute of Peace. The Arsht Resilience Task Force identified a host of leading international challenges ripe for the application of resilience-based solutions and set the stage for the launch of the Adrienne Arsht Center for Resilience to help fill the gap between resilience as a theory and as a practical tool for building stronger societies.

24

In late May 2017, the Atlantic Council welcomed former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Christine Wormuth as the center’s first director. Focused on promoting information-sharing and coordination across policy-making silos and at all layers of governance—from local and municipal organizations to transnational institutions—the center leverages the Atlantic Council’s convening power and creative communication tools to reach new audiences, whether they reside in rural US communities or govern an Asian megacity. In early 2017, the center published its first report, Crafting a Resilient World: A Strategy for Navigating Turbulence, which makes the case for resilience as a strategy to address a host of interconnected threats and disruptions—from global pandemics and severe weather to violent extremism.

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

The Adrienne Arsht Center for Resilience strengthens the ability of individuals, communities, cities, and nations to navigate an age of accelerating disruption, arming them with tools to meet shocks and bounce back better.

With that framework, the center launched several initial projects to highlight the importance of integrating resilience into public policies, to showcase the center’s creative capacity, and to demonstrate that resilience is a tangible tool for both the public and private sectors. The first project, led by Nonresident Senior Fellow Amy Pope—previously deputy homeland security adviser at the National Security Council—looks at how communities have responded to irregular migration flows in order to identify best practices

in better integrating immigrants in a way that maximizes the social benefits. At the same time, the center began investing in new resilience gaming techniques with Distinguished Fellow Peter Neffenger—a former administrator of the Transportation Security Administration—while also beginning to build a repository of “stories of resilience,” tales of resilience sucesses and failures to include the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the international response to the 2015 Ebola crisis.

US Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly speaks at the Atlantic Council on the importance of border security and the cross-disciplinary strategies—from civil society partnerships to increasing economic opportunities in emigrees’ home countries—to better secure the US southern border. “If we can improve the conditions—the lot in life of Hondurans, Guatemalans, Central Americans—we can do an awful lot to protect the southwest border,” Kelly said. ABOVE: Adm. Thad Allen (left), commandant of the US Coast Guard (ret.) and executive vice president of Booz Allen Hamilton, shares his thoughts on the role of resilience policy in defense with Adrienne Arsht (right) and other members of the Arsht Resilience Task Force. OPPOSITE:

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

25


THEMATIC PROGRAMS

“These 21st century technologies enable the entire world to bear witness to events as they are happening.” MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT, FORMER US SECRETARY OF STATE

DIGITAL FORENSIC RESEARCH LAB

The DFRLab uses open-source information such as social media posts, news reports, and online images and videos to produce fact-based, on-the-ground reporting and to develop analysis of misinformation campaigns.

COUNTERING DISINFORMATION Following the record-breaking success of the Atlantic Council’s report Hiding in Plain Sight, which demonstrated that the Kremlin was, in fact, in Ukraine by charting the movements of Russian soldiers through their own social media posts, the Atlantic Council launched the Digital Forensic Research Lab in 2016 as a standing capability to identify and understand security and political developments, often in real time, through social media research. Organized into digital research units—described by Michael Gordon of the New York Times as “experts operating like digital Sherlock Holmeses”—the DFRLab builds on the new tools

26

and methodologies used in Hiding in Plain Sight to investigate different areas of conflict and tension. Its methods provide fact-based insight into what is happening on the ground and analysis of the implications for decision makers. One of its first major undertakings as a permanent fixture of the Atlantic Council’s toolkit, the DFRLab’s report Distract, Deceive, Destroy focused on the Syrian conflict and Russia’s pattern of information and disinformation around its armed intervention. Using official footage and satellite imagery to pinpoint troop movements and airstrikes, the report demonstrated Russian activities were often far away from their claimed targets.

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

As a follow-up report in early 2017, the lab’s BreakingAleppo exposed the deliberate and systematic destruction of eastern Aleppo, Syria. The report chronicled six months of siege, during which government forces led by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies subjected opposition-held eastern Aleppo’s more than 100,000 residents— most of them noncombatants—to a crescendo of brutality using barrel bombs, cluster munitions, and chemical weapons. The report garnered more than 130 million Twitter impressions in just four weeks and was featured in major media coverage by

CNN, BBC, Vice, Der Spiegel, and BILD, as well as the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times. Throughout the year, the DFRLab’s #MinskMonitor project also continued to track ceasefire violations committed by both sides in the Ukrainian conflict. Combining online photos, videos, news reports, and satellite and ground imagery, the project determined the precise locations of artillery strikes and equipment movements, and, sometimes, identified the likely culprits.

Ben Nimmo, the Atlantic Council’s information defense fellow with the Digital Forensic Research Lab, gives a press interview on patterns and trends in disinformation and hybrid warfare—and their implications for US security. ABOVE LEFT: Elliot Higgins (left), DFRLab nonresident fellow and founder of Bellingcat, and Faysal Itani, a Syria expert in the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East (see page 30), speak on a panel at the launch of Distract, Decieve, Destroy—a collaborative effort between DFRLab, the Hariri Center, and the Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center that exposed the extent of Russian involvement in the Syrian Civil War. ABOVE RIGHT: Lina Murad, a board member of the Syrian American Medical Society, speaks on a panel at the launch of the BreakingAleppo report. OPPOSITE:

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

27


REGIONAL CENTERS

CHAPTER II

REGION A L PROGR A MS 30

R a fik Ha riri Center for t he Mid d le East

34

Adrienne A rsht Latin A me r ic a Ce nte r

38

Dinu Patriciu Eura si a Ce nte r

42

Future Europe Initiat ive

46

South A sia Center

50

Africa Center

28

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

29


RAFIK HARIRI CENTER FOR THE MIDDLE EAST FRAMING A NEW FUTURE OF PART NERSHIP The Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East builds on the legacy of the late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a visionary leader who saw the potential for a prosperous and secure Middle East where citizens share equally in dignity, freedom, and justice. For the past two years, the Hariri Center, through its Middle East Strategy Task Force, has advanced that mission with intensive investigation focused on developing a new strategy of partnership for the region aimed at winding down four raging civil wars and unleashing the potential of the region’s greatest resource: its people. The task force—co-chaired by former US Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and former US National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley—developed a holistic and long-term road map for the future of the region. The task force’s study reached deeper and wider than the usual security report, examining issues as diverse and nuanced as religious division, robust but obscured economic vitality, and demographic trends. The key takeaway: The Middle

A volunteer teaches inside a mobile educational caravan created by Saraqib Youth Gathering for children without access to traditional schools on the outskirts of the Syrian rebel-held town of Saraqib, Idlib province. (Photo by REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi.) OPPOSITE:

30

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

East is not condemned to never-ending cycles of conflict. With regional leadership and support from international partners, the Middle East has a path forward to a better future. Following the report’s release, the Hariri Center— directed by former Ambassador Frederic C. Hof—has galvanized a community committed to implementing its recommendations. The co-chairs testified before the House Armed Services and Senate Foreign Relations committees; and along with other task force leaders, they published their

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

findings in print media as varied as Al Arabiya, Politico, and the Chronicle for Higher Education. Task force members appeared on the Diane Rehm Show on National Public Radio and Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN, among others. Additionally, the task force conducted scores of private briefings in the United States, Europe, and across Middle East capitals, and took its findings to the American heartland, convening conversations on the future of the Middle East in communities from Boise, Idaho, to Chicago, Illinois.

31


RAFIK HARIRI CENTER FOR THE MIDDLE EAST

The task force’s strategic framework is shaping the Hariri Center’s entire body of work, with local outreach and regional voices augmenting its core themes and recommendations for specific countries and crises. That broadened global conversation is documented and shared through expanded multimedia and English-Arabic content—including photo essays, interactive infographics, videos, and a new Arabic-language website. As the siege of Aleppo reached its devastating crescendo, Hariri Center Senior Fellow Faysal Itani launched a cutting-edge project to identify immediately actionable opportunities for rebuilding the country and preventing further suffering

REGIONAL CENTERS

and instability. Meanwhile, the SyriaSource blog expanded its influence as a global multimedia forum for Syrian voices calling for civil society, rule of law, and legitimate self-government. As US-trained Iraqi forces pushed the Islamic State out of Ramadi and parts of Mosul, an Atlantic Council task force led by former Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker—and supported by former CIA Director General David Petraeus and now-National Security Council Director Joel Rayburn—met with leaders in Iraqi Kurdistan, Baghdad, and Najaf, as well as Berlin and Washington, DC, to develop a strategy to strengthen post-ISIS Iraq.

The Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East works to advance peace, prosperity, and political legitimacy across the world’s most volatile and violent region by galvanizing North American and European action alongside regional friends and allies.

In Libya, Senior Fellow Karim Mezran convened leaders of the internationally recognized Libyan government—including Foreign Minister Mohamed Syala—with key US, European, and international leaders to discuss options for ending the violence there. Aaron Stein, the center’s senior fellow studying Turkey, stepped up following the attempted

coup in July 2016, publishing analyses in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and other media outlets and providing critical expertise to the US administration. At the same time, he maintained his long-term focus on the complicated relationship between al-Qaeda and recruits in ISIS networks in Turkey and the future of Turkey’s nuclear power investments.

WHO IS...

RAFIK HARIRI Rafik Hariri was a dedicated statesman, businessman, and philanthropist—a two-time prime minister of Lebanon whose vision for a secure and prosperous Middle East, based on human dignity for all its people, was cut short when he was assassinated in 2005. Known affectionately as “Mr. Lebanon,” Hariri was renowned for his leadership in solving problems through political dialogue and compromise, a gift that called him to become an influential change maker in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East.

He remained devoted to the country’s rebirth until his assassination, along with twenty-one others, in a suicide bomb attack in Beirut in February 2005.

After launching a successful construction business in Saudi Arabia, Hariri returned home to Lebanon to play an integral role in brokering the 1989 Taif Agreement that ended that country’s sixteen-year civil war.

When the Arab Spring changed the political landscape, Rafik Hairri’s eldest son, Bahaa, was moved to help. He recognized in the revolutions that the Arab world needed global citizens, like his father, more than ever to help people find the strength and wisdom to secure a more vibrant and just future.

In the years that followed, fueled by his fundamental belief in the untapped potential of ordinary people, Hariri became an instrumental leader in rebuilding his homeland. In 1992, he became Lebanon’s first post-civil war prime minister, serving until 1998 and again from 2000–2004, during which time he worked tirelessly to revive Lebanon’s war-weary economy and promote the country’s independence from Syria, which had occupied his country since 1976.

“With the Council’s unique platform for debate and dialogue among global voices—combined with the Council’s capacity for strategic analysis— we are helping the people of the Middle East discover their talent, initiative, and capability,” said Bahaa Hariri. “Together we are helping bend the forces of change to guide a convergence of the Middle East and the international community—promoting robust civil society, democracy, and free markets.”

Zainab Salbi (right), author and humanitarian, speaks with former Turkish Minister of State Mehmet Audin (left) at an event on overcoming Islamophobia. She urges Muslims to “demystify” Islam and showcase the Muslim community as diverse and peaceful. ABOVE: Former National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley (right) and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (left), the two co-chairs of the Middle East Strategy Task Force, present the conclusions of their two-year endeavor to develop a new road map for securing peace in the Middle East. LEFT:

“This Middle East Task Force, I think, may be one of the most important undertakings that we’ve had in recent years in the community that studies and tries to examine ways to approach some of our most difficult problems.” CONDOLEEZZA RICE, FORMER US SECRETARY OF STATE

32

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

33


ADRIENNE ARSHT LATIN AMERICA CENTER R EI MAG I N I N G LAT I N AM ER I CA’S R OL E I N THE WOR L D The Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center spotlights Latin America’s evolving role as a global player. As the region’s political and economic landscape took rapid and uncertain turns in 2016 and 2017, the center used its innovative techniques to quickly understand, analyze, and communicate the implications. In Colombia, voters unexpectedly rejected the peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia, followed only two months later by the national congress’s approval of a modified agreement. Mexico witnessed a US presidential candidate publicly question the value of the two countries’ bilateral relationship. A new administration in Argentina excited investors when it brokered a long-overdue debt settlement. Across the region, incumbent presidents faced weakening mandates, and in Brazil, impeachment. LEFT: Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos holds up his right hand—with the Spanish word

for “peace” written on his palm—in celebration of his election to a second term as president. The president fulfilled a key campaign promise with the ratification of the peace deal with the FARC in November 2016. (Photo by REUTERS/Jose Miguel Gomez.)

34

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

35


ADRIENNE ARSHT LATIN AMERICA CENTER

REGIONAL CENTERS

The Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center expands awareness of the new Latin America across diverse communities of influence by positioning the region as a core partner of the Atlantic community.

“This organization [the Atlantic Council] focuses on the new Latin America. I wanted to come here because… our hemisphere and the relationship between the

2 016 – 2 01 7 AN NUA L R E P O R T 36

United States and our partners across the Americas is at a transformational moment.” SUSAN RICE, US NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR

With each of these shifts, the center scrutinized the layers of disruption head-on, revealing the regional and global impact using new tools of engagement. When the US presidential campaign turned up the heat on US-Mexico relations, the center positioned itself as a principled advocate of strong ties with the United States’ southern neighbor, focusing on the facts and forces that drive this crucial relationship.

Launched in June 2016, the #WhyMexico campaign is now at the core of the center’s work, comprising videos and infographics that illustrate the inimitable economic and security partnership between the United States and Mexico. The campaign’s messages have reached more than 800,000 users on social media. Complemented by Google Hangout events on Mexico’s burgeoning knowledge economy, the campaign continues to gather steam. The center’s China-Latin America Initiative explored the implications of the internationalized renminbi and China’s involvement in regional industrial development. To understand the region’s role as an energy producer, the center studied Argentina’s and Brazil’s sustainability efforts and examined the implications of Venezuela’s influence in the Caribbean. These analyses were undertaken in concert with voices from the Americas and Asia. Expanding its presence in Latin America, the center hosted three major events in Mexico, two in Brazil, and one each in Argentina, Colombia, and Guatemala. Government ministers, business

“Air Force One will depart Andrews Air Force Base en route to Havana, Cuba. No national security advisor has ever said that before. No US president has traveled to Cuba since Calvin Coolidge came on a battleship eighty-eight years ago,” said then-National Security Advisor Susan Rice at the Atlantic Council just days before President Barack Obama’s trip to Cuba. LEFT:

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

WHO IS...

ADRIENNE ARSHT Adrienne Arsht is a renowned business leader and philanthropist. In her role as Atlantic Council executive vice chair, her leadership and support have propelled the Council into some of its most cutting-edge areas of work. Adrienne’s life as a trailblazer began with her parents, both of whom were children of Russian Jewish immigrants but who rose to become successful lawyers in Delaware. Arsht’s mother, Roxana, became Delaware’s first female judge and fifth woman member of the bar.

to include Latin America, eventually founding the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center in 2013.

Arsht herself became the eleventh woman admitted to the Delaware bar. Later, after nearly three decades in New York at Trans World Airlines (TWA)—she moved to Washington, DC. In 1996, she moved to Miami where she served as chairman of the board of the family-owned TotalBank. During her decade of leadership, the bank grew from four locations to fourteen, with more than $1.4 billion in assets. In 2007, she sold TotalBank to Banco Popular Español for $300 million and was named chairman emerita.

It was that perspective—along with the lingering grief over her younger sister’s suicide—which guided her to her latest effort: the launch of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Center for Resilience (see page 24), aimed at promoting the ability of nations, cities, communities, and individuals to manage disruption.

Inspired by her experience engaging the Hispanic community in Miami, Arsht returned to Washington, DC. She felt it important to expand awareness of the new Latin America on the global stage. Reminding audiences that “the Atlantic also washes up on the shores of South America,” she took the first steps in expanding the Council’s work

titans, and media and civil society leaders gathered to examine some of the leading issues shaping the region’s future: trade, innovation, energy, and economic partnerships. Even as the immediate crises and uncertainties of 2016 captured the world’s attention, the center maintained its long-term, forward-thinking analysis of US-Latin America relations. Working with the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security (see page 8) and the Inter-American Development

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

“What am I aspiring to? Just to make a difference, just to matter,” Arsht told the Washington Post in 2011.

Said Arsht, “We are at a critical moment of increasing global disruption. We must cultivate the strength of communities and individuals to thrive in today’s unpredictable world.” In addition to her contributions shaping the global landscape, Arsht’s efforts to increase women’s representation in business and philanthropy—as well as her role in promoting artistic, business, and civic growth in the three cities she calls home (Miami, Washington, DC, and New York)—have had impact on diverse people across sectors and geographies.

Bank, the center laid out how unfolding global trends could impact Latin American governance, citizenship, and economic competitiveness. The center also launched task forces on the future of post-conflict Colombia and on security and prosperity in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—two efforts where US participation may hold the key to continued progress.

37


DINU PATRICIU EURASIA CENTER COUNTERING REVISIONIST RUSSIA TO SECURE FREEDOM The Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center is Washington’s leading voice on Russia’s activist foreign policy and military interventions—which have cost thousands of lives and upended the rules of the international system. The program’s Ukraine in Europe Initiative draws intense public policy and media attention to the historic risks arising from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s revisionist policies and influence operations. Eurasia Center Director John Herbst focuses the initiative’s work to demonstrate the urgent need for the United States and Europe to sustain sanctions on Russia and counter propaganda while also supporting democratic reform throughout Europe’s East. In 2016 alone, the Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center hosted more than one hundred events, including the center’s flagship conference, New Dawn: Russia and the West after the US Russia’s President Vladimir Putin holds a glass during a ceremony to receive diplomatic credentials from foreign ambassadors at the Kremlin in Moscow. (Photo by REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin.) RIGHT:

38

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

39


DINU PATRICIU EURASIA CENTER

REGIONAL CENTERS

The Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center reinforces the transatlantic cooperation needed to promote stability, democratic values, and prosperity across Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus, Russia, and Central Asia.

2 016 – 2 01 7 AN NUA L R E P O R T 40

Presidential Elections, which drew more than three hundred participants and 4.4 million impressions on social media. A session with key leaders from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine—former President of Belarus Stanislav Shushkevich, former Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Gennady Burbulis, and former President of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk (signatories to the Belovezha Accords that disbanded the Soviet Union)—explored the new dangers associated with assertive Kremlin policies. Parallel to its impressive convening efforts, the center published eight policy-focused research papers. Downloaded more than 1,500 times—and named Atlantic Council publication of the year— The Kremlin’s Trojan Horses: Russian Influence in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom,

traced the Kremlin’s influence operations in Western Europe as Russian hackers and political fellow travelers sought to undermine presidential elections in the United States. At the same time, the center worked with the Global Business & Economics Program (see page 20) to produce Evaluating Western Sanctions on Russia. The report analyzed the effects of Western sanctions on Russia’s economy, policies, and relations with the West and called for the international community to do more to address Russian aggression in Ukraine. UkraineAlert, the center’s subscription-based blog, continues to reach thousands of readers in Washington and European capitals—including Moscow and Kyiv—with real-time analysis on politics, reform, and the war in Ukraine.

In addition to producing original Atlantic Council content, Eurasia Center experts published extensively in leading national and international publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, Politico, American Interest, and others. Even while the center worked publicly to underscore the risks in Eastern Europe, it labored behind the scenes to build relationships in Congress to support real bipartisan solutions. When Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) launched their Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act to help US allies counter foreign government propaganda from Russia, China, and other nations, they selected the Atlantic Council as the place to discuss it with top policy actors.

Then-Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) partnered with the Eurasia Center on an event exposing human rights violations in Putin’s Russia. US Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA 11) and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH 9) took part in Atlantic Council discussions on frozen conflicts and the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, respectively.

“We are in for, as my father would say, a spell of bad weather.” RET. GEN. PHILIP BREEDLOVE, FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER EUROPE

WHO IS...

DINU PATRICIU Dinu Patriciu founded the Atlantic Council’s Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center in 2009 to pursue his dream of a Black Sea region—torn apart by World War II and the Cold War— reunited by common values, mutual interests, and economic cooperation. As a philanthropist and businessman, Patriciu put his ideas into action. His businesses ranged from energy, media, and real estate to automotive technologies and banking. A founding member of the National Liberal Party in Romania, and one of the most effective advocates of Romania’s NATO membership, Patriciu was a pioneer of his country’s democratic evolution in the early 1990s.

Samantha Power (center), in her last days as the US ambassador to the United Nations, speaks at the Atlantic Council to outline the “major threat” Russia poses to the United States and the international rules-based system. Pictured here, Power pauses for a selfie with ten journalists and bloggers from independent media outlets in Russia who were visiting Washington, DC, as part of a US government-sponsored tour to cover the Trump inauguration. ABOVE RIGHT: With Swedish Ambassador to the United States Björn Lyrvall (center) looking on, US Secretary of State John Kerry greets former Ukrainian Army pilot, recently released Russian prisoner of war, and Atlantic Council Freedom Award recipient Nadiya Savchenko at the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards in New York. ABOVE LEFT:

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

He was also one of Central Europe’s earliest philanthropists. In 2014, with his enthusiastic support, the Eurasia Center launched the Atlantic Council’s flagship Ukraine in Europe Initiative—designed to galvanize international support for an independent Ukraine under threat of Russian aggression. Since then, the Eurasia

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Center has greatly expanded its work on Russia, and has increased its programming on Moldova and Georgia. Patriciu was also a gifted architect and, in his later years, an artist. At its 2014 Global Citizen Awards in New York, the Atlantic Council presented a special tribute to Patriciu—received by his daughters, Ana and Maria, and his longtime partner, Melanie Chen. “The Atlantic Council will be forever grateful for Dinu’s wisdom, ingenuity, and generosity,” said Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe. “We will miss his unique insights and his determination to make a difference.”

41


FUTURE EUROPE INITIATIVE A STR ON G , CO M PE T ITI VE EU R OPE ALLI E D WI TH THE U S The Atlantic Council in 2016 launched the Future Europe Initiative to double down on its efforts to understand the political, social, and economic forces at play in Europe, while at the same time working more closely with transatlantic partners. The initiative helps manage the challenges Europe faces from Russian revanchism in the east, Middle Eastern volatility and refugees in the south, and anti-European nationalist forces among EU member states. Under the leadership of Executive Vice President for Programs and Strategy Damon Wilson, the initiative blends cutting-edge analysis on pitfalls and roadblocks to European progress while also charting potential new terrain for transatlantic cooperation. Amid enormous global digital transformation, the initiative recognized a major but rapidly diminishing opportunity to boost transatlantic cooperation and innovation via the creation of a transatlantic digital single market, stretching from Silicon Valley to Tallinn, Estonia. French presidential candidate for the En Marche! movement, Emmanuel Macron, reacts as he gives a speech during a meeting in Arras, on April 26, 2017, ahead of the second and final round of the presidential election. Macron’s election was widely regarded as a victory for advocates of European integration. (Photo by AFP/Eric Feferberg.) ABOVE:

42

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

It reacted with the Task Force on Advancing a Transatlantic Digital Agenda, co-chaired by former Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt and former US Ambassador to the European Union William E. Kennard, and led by Distinguished Fellow Frances Burwell. Task force

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

43


FUTURE EUROPE INITIATIVE

REGIONAL CENTERS

The Future Europe Initiative works to sustain US partnership with a Europe that is united and empowered to act as a global leader. As Europe’s home in Washington, the initiative galvanizes attention to the crucial importance of Europe alongside its North American allies to shape the global future.

2 016 – 2 01 7 AN NUA L R E P O R T 44

The Future Europe Initiative remains a hub of Europerelated work at the Council and a resource for the Council’s other programs and centers. Major crossprogram projects in 2016 and 2017 included the Global Business & Economics Program’s flagship EuroGrowth Initiative (see page 20) and the Brent Scowcroft Center’s project on restoring NATO’s power and purpose, led by former US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns.

members convened policy makers from Berlin, Brussels, Warsaw, and beyond to identify twenty specific steps to build a common digital marketplace capable of encouraging trust and preserving the Internet’s global commercial commons. The initiative also advances the Council’s nearly sixtyyear tradition of serving as the platform-of-choice for European leaders visiting Washington. In 2016, Future Europe hosted heads of state or government from seven European countries, including Poland and Turkey, three European Commission vice-presidents, and dozens of European foreign ministers and members of the European and British parliaments. It also convened regular dinner conversations on the future of Europe in partnership with European embassies in Washington.

The Council’s robust work on Europe continues to attract top talent. In 2016, Sir Peter Westmacott, former British ambassador to the United States; Evelyn Farkas, former US deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia and Eurasia; Laure Mandeville, senior reporter for Le Figaro; and Jeffrey Gedmin; former president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, all joined the initiative’s expanding team of experts.

At the same time, the past year saw the initiative’s convening power extend more broadly to the other side of the Atlantic. Channeling Brussels, a podcast that goes beyond the headlines and sound bites to track developments in Europe’s political epicenter, was conceived to broadcast instant insights from the city’s movers and shakers. The Council also opened its fourth global office in Stockholm, Sweden, led by Northern European security expert Anna Wieslander to take a closer look at Nordic-Baltic security challenges in an era of assertive Russian activity in the region. The initiative’s major annual gathering, the Wrocław Global Forum (see page 62), also grew to include the Three Seas Initiative, which connects leaders from the Adriatic, Baltic, and Black Seas.

Polish President Andrzej Duda (left) discusses European security and the importance of NATO in a discussion moderated by the co-hosts of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski (right) and Joe Scarborough (not pictured). OPPOSITE LEFT: Former President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves speaks to reporters after delivering the seventh annual Christopher J. Makins Lecture at the Atlantic Council. Established in 2005 to honor a former president of the Council, the Makins Lecture has hosted some of the world’s most prominent internationalists, from Lord George Robertson to former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. OPPOSITE RIGHT: European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini offers public remarks immediately following her first meeting with US President Donald Trump. “We need each other,” said Mogherini. “It is not Europe that needs America only, it is America that needs Europe, and we better recognize that.” ABOVE:

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

“We need to preserve, defend, and enlarge the scope of our values of open societies, open Europe, and an open world that prevents us from falling back on the mistakes of the past.” CARL BILDT, FORMER PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF SWEDEN

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

45


SOUTH ASIA CENTER DEEPENING RELATIONSHIPS FOR LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS The South Asia Center creates new opportunities for cooperation in a region buffeted by frenetic change and deep divisions, highlighting common interests and the power of mutually beneficial economic ties to overcome the obstacles posed by competing national ambitions. In April 2016, the center convened Atlantic Council Chairman and former US Deputy Trade Representative Jon M. Huntsman, Jr.; Indian Ambassador to the United States Arun Singh; and the co-chairs of the US Senate’s India Caucus—Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Mark Warner (D-VA)—to launch the US-India Trade Initiative. The effort aims to foster a stronger US-India trade relationship to match the robust security partnership that already serves as a cornerstone of the United States’ military presence in the region. Schoolchildren attend a yoga session at a camp in Ahmedabad, India. (Photo by REUTERS/Amit Dave.) RIGHT:

46

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

47


SOUTH ASIA CENTER

REGIONAL CENTERS

“Finding solutions to our global problems is the only way to maintain peace and stability in a world which has become multi-polar, characterized by the need to respect different cultures, values, and political concepts.” KLAUS SCHWAB, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

2 016 – 2 01 7 AN NUA L R E P O R T 48

Zarif, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, Senior Adviser for Public Diplomacy in the Office of Iranian Affairs Gregg Sullivan, and United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ahmed Shaheed. Recognizing that the potential for future regional cooperation rests in the hands of the next generation of leaders, the center continued its Emerging Leaders

of Pakistan Fellowship Program in partnership with the US Embassy in Islamabad. In November, fifteen young leaders from Pakistan visited the United States to meet with policy makers, community leaders, diaspora communities, entrepreneurs, and regional experts. Over the course of the three-week, multi-city program, young Pakistani leaders built collaborative relationships with each other and new contacts in the United States.

Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad (left), president of Gryphon Partners and Atlantic Council board director, welcomes Rula Ghani, first lady of Afghanistan, to discuss her activist work and the challenges and opportunities facing Afghanistan. ABOVE:

The South Asia Center works to overcome entrenched rivalries and foster collaboration in one of the world’s most volatile, dynamic, and strategically significant regions.

Continuing the conversation sparked by the trade initiative, the South Asia Center organized a discussion among key US and Indian business and policy leaders in New Delhi to identify major impediments to unlocking the potential of USIndia trade. This meeting laid the foundation for a larger conference to take place in Bangalore in 2017, hosted in partnership with the US Consulate General in Chennai. Beyond its programming on trade and economics, the center has emerged as a leading nonpartisan voice on regional security and one of the only organizations capable of credibly working across the India-Pakistan divide on the critical issue of nuclear stability. In cooperation with two key partners, the Center for International Strategic Studies in Pakistan, and the Center for Policy Research in India, the South Asia Center organized conversations on the nuclear

future of both countries. The center then broadened the conversation with a Beijing workshop on the role of China in South Asia’s nuclear future and a strategic approach to the “second nuclear age.” The South Asia Center, directed by Bharath Gopalaswamy, is also home to the Council’s primary body of work on Iran through the Future of Iran Initiative. Co-chaired by Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat and former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, and directed by Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Barbara Slavin, the initiative explores Iran’s complex political dynamics, including its economic potential, human rights record, and opportunities for public-to-public engagement, while also developing a deeper understanding of Iran and new approaches to the Islamic Republic. Throughout 2016, the initiative provided a platform for a wide range of US and Iranian officials and experts, including Iranian Foreign Minister Javad

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) emphasizes the importance of maintaining the nuclear deal with Iran during the new administration: “All of the Armageddon predictions that were made about the Iran nuclear deal have simply not come true.” ABOVE RIGHT: Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) explains the importance of the US-Indian relationship at an Atlantic Council event: “As the largest and oldest democracies in the world, India and the United States share a relationship built on common values…We have an opportunity to strengthen our unique bond, advance American interests in the region, and grow both economies.” ABOVE LEFT:

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

49


AFRICA CENTER M O D E R N A PPR OACHES F O R A VI BR A N T CON TI N EN T As populism upended the Western political landscape in 2016, a different kind of popular discontent rippled across Africa. In response, the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center dramatically expanded its activities as a leading platform of engagement between the transatlantic policy community and African political and civic leaders. In August 2016, the center hosted Zimbabwean Pastor Evan Mawarire for his first public appearance in the United States. His impassioned speech was the Council website’s mostviewed event of the year. It galvanized the nascent citizens’ movement in Zimbabwe and the center’s renewed focus on southern Africa. At the same time, the center remained a leading voice on troubling developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo through the Congo on the Edge campaign. The center engaged senior opposition and government figures (including twice hosting opposition presidential candidate Moïse Katumbi), and launched two publications to expose public corruption and underscore Congo’s strategic relevance.

Seasonal fog enshrouds buildings in the city center of Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by REUTERS/Mike Hutchings.) LEFT:

50

51


AFRICA CENTER

REGIONAL CENTERS

The Africa Center connects African states to US and European capitals, helping to build political and economic partnerships for a growing, changing, and challenging continent.

2 016 – 2 01 7 AN NUA L R E P O R T 52

J. Peter Pham, Atlantic Council vice president and Africa Center director, relentlessly took to task South Sudan’s leaders for their role in the country’s civil war. Through a series of off-the-record roundtables— including one with former First Vice President Riek Machar and current First Vice President Taban Deng Gai—the center engaged actors on all sides of the conflict to draw attention to the crisis and the urgent need for US leadership to end the fighting. The Africa Center worked closely with the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security to focus US policy on long-term Africa strategy. Together, they published the seventh Atlantic Council Strategy Paper, A Measured US Strategy for the New Africa, which argued for a whole-of-society approach that transcends government-to-government relations and leverages the contributions of civil society and business. Some of the paper’s recommendations have already been adopted by the new administration.

Deputy Director Bronwyn Bruton challenged conventional wisdom on US policy toward Eritrea, arguing that bilateral engagement would produce better outcomes than isolation in two publications, a June 2016 New York Times op-ed, and September testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The center not only brings African voices to Washington, but also sends US policy makers and thinkers to the continent: It organized trips to seven African countries—from Egypt to Mali, and from Morocco to Nigeria—over the course of 2016 and 2017. This includes last year’s high-level delegation to Sudan, led by Atlantic Council Board Director Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates. Pham also led a fact-finding tour of the Boko Haram battle theater in Nigeria with senior military officers from Operation Lafiya Dole, alongside Yates, Ambassador John Yates, and General Carter Ham.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame (center) calls for US partnership with Africa. “African aspirations are rising,” said Kagame. “For decades, the United States has adopted a monolithic approach to Africa. It’s time for fresh thinking.” Kagame is joined by former National Security Advisor James L. Jones (left) and Africa Center Director J. Peter Pham (right). ABOVE:

As a new administration took office, Africa Center expertise was in high demand. In March 2017, Pham testified before the House Homeland Security Committee on the terrorism threat from North Africa. The next month, longtime Senior Fellow Lt. Col. Rudolph Atallah was tapped to be the National Security Council’s senior director for Africa. The center’s focus on Africa’s security challenges did not, however, blunt its exploration of the continent’s

many economic strengths and opportunities. Senior Fellow Aubrey Hruby and Pham authored Embracing Impact, a report charting paths for African countries to weather emerging-market downturns, spotlighting Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire for their successes. In September, a high-level Moroccan delegation convened at the Council to preview the country’s innovative, sustainable, and profitable renewable energy technologies prior to its hosting of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change.

“The Africa Center takes on the tough issues. Pastor Evan Mawarire wipes away tears with the Zimbabwean flag and symbol of the #ThisFlag citizens’ movement. Said Pastor Evan, “If we cannot cause the politician to change, then we must inspire the citizen to be bold.” ABOVE RIGHT: In her last public remarks as assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield draws upon her thirty-five-year diplomatic career to size up Africa’s future. Said Thomas-Greenfield, “Looking ahead, where Africa ends up on the world stage in the next century will depend on how well the continent tackles its own challenges this century.” ABOVE LEFT:

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

Their reputation for fairness, balance, and for incisive analysis has been critical in establishing trust...” GEN CARTER HAM, USA (RET.), FORMER COMMANDER, US AFRICA COMMAND

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

53


GLOBAL CONVENINGS

56

Distinguished Lea der ship Award s

CHAPTER III

58

Globa l Citizen Awa rd s

GLOB A L

60

Ista nbul Sum m it

CON V E N IN G S

62

Wrocław Globa l For um

64

Globa l Energy Forum

54

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

55


GLOBAL CONVENINGS

THE DISTINGUISHED LEADERSHIP AWARDS The Distinguished Leadership Awards, among Washington’s premier celebrations of global affairs leadership, convenes some eight hundred government and business decision makers from fifty countries to honor individuals who personify the sort of strong purpose, personal commitment, and character that today’s historic times require. Awardees are chosen to represent the pillars of the transatlantic relationship—political, military, business, and artistic leadership.

THE 2016 DISTINGUISHED LEADERSHIP AWARD RECIPIENTS Robert Gates, Distinguished International Leadership Joseph Votel, Distinguished Military Leadership Henry Kravis, Distinguished Business Leadership Vittorio Grigolo, Distinguished Artistic Leadership

Vittorio Grigolo, celebrated Italian tenor and the 2016 Distinguished Artistic Leadership Award honoree, closes the awards celebration with a powerful rendition of Nessun Dorma. Grigolo warned the audience, “This is a song that will keep you awake tonight.” ABOVE:

56

Former NATO Secretary General Lord George Robertson of Port Ellen (left) exchanges business cards with MNG Group of Companies Founder and Chairman Mehmet Nazif Günal; from left, Southwest Energy CEO Tewodros Ashenafi jokes with Distinguished Leadership Award recipients Vittorio Grigolo and Henry Kravis; Distinguished Military Leadership Honoree Joseph Votel (left) shares dinner conversation with Airbus CEO Tom Enders and Airbus Senior Vice President Jana Rosenmann; from left, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Brent Scowcroft, and David Petraeus greet Atlantic Council Chairman Jon M. Huntsman, Jr.; Atlantic Council Board Directors Ellen Tauscher and Mary L. Howell talk with Scott Campbell, managing director of Baker Donelson’s Washington, DC, office. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

57


GLOBAL CONVENINGS

Jazz legend and Global Citizen Award recipient Wynton Marsalis (left) closes the night with stirring improvisational jazz; Eurasia Group President and Founder Ian Bremmer (left) meets Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe; Atlantic Council Executive Vice Chair Adrienne Arsht introduces Wynton Marsalis with a demonstration of their shared baton malfunction years before; Tsuyoshi Sunohara (left), managing executive officer, global business at Nikkei, greets Atlantic Council International Advisory Board Member Victor Chu (right) and ANA’s former board chairman, Yoji Ohashi (center); Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi (left) laughs with (from center left) Wynton Marsalis, Adrienne Arsht, and Jon M. Huntsman, Jr.; Atlantic Council CEO Frederick Kempe (center) introduces Mehmet Nazif Günal (left) and US Secretary of State John Kerry. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

THE GLO BAL CITIZEN AWARDS The Global Citizen Awards in New York during the United Nations General Assembly week celebrates the rare individuals who capture the essence of “global citizenship” through their unique professional accomplishments and personal contributions to improving the state of the world.

THE 2016 GLOBAL CITIZEN AWARD RECIPIENTS Shinzō Abe, Prime Minister of Japan Matteo Renzi, Prime Minister of Italy Wynton Marsalis, American musician, composer, educator, and Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center US Secretary of State John Kerry presents a Global Citizen Award to Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Accepting his award, Renzi said, “Global citizenship is not an award but a responsibility. We must not lose the value of dignity of a human being.” ABOVE:

58

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

59


GLOBAL CONVENINGS

ISTANBUL SUMMIT The eighth annual Atlantic Council Istanbul Summit gathered more than 570 corporate, government, and civil society leaders from fifty-four countries, including government ministers and more than seventy global CEOs. Special guests included the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Qatari Minister of Energy and Industry Mohammed Saleh Al Sada, Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Nechervan Barzani, and former US National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley. This year, given regional developments, the summit’s scope broadened to include conversations on securing peace and prosperity, fostering regional energy partnerships, and financing growth through economic integration. As always, energy was at the heart of the summit, and this year’s pressing topics explored Eastern Mediterranean natural gas, renewable energy, and global energy governance. The 2017 summit was covered by more than 130 journalists and featured in more than 1,600 news stories.

Istanbul, one of the world’s most striking cities with a beautiful setting astride Asia and Europe, is at many cultural, geographic, and business crossroads, making it an ideal location to convene a diverse set of business and government leaders from the regions around Turkey—the Black Sea, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Caucuses. The Istanbul Summit helps galvanize that special community into action around not only emerging threats but also around unappreciated opportunities. (Photo by REUTERS/Marius Bosch.) ABOVE:

60

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speaks on topics ranging from counterterrorism to the president’s expectations ahead of his upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump; Mary Warlick, acting special envoy for the Bureau of Energy Resources for the Trump administration, speaks on the task of diversifying European and global energy supplies; Israel’s Special Envoy for Energy Ron Adam participates in a panel discussion amid the growing prospect of Turkish-Israeli energy cooperation; Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Şimşek (left) greets Murat Gigin, chairman of the board of directors for Tekfen; Helima Croft (left), managing director and global head of commodity strategy and global research at RBC Capital Markets, and Mohammed Saleh Al Sada, minister of energy and industry of Qatar, appear on the opening panel session to discuss the global and regional energy outlook; Turkish Transportation Minister Ahmet Arslan (center) speaks to Turkish and regional press as he arrives to participate in the Summit sessions. ABOVE CENTER IMAGE: Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, delivers remarks at the summit’s opening session. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

61


GLOBAL CONVENINGS

WROCŁAW GLOBAL FORUM The seventh annual Wrocław Global Forum opened on June 2, 2016, bringing together some four hundred government, corporate, and civil society leaders for discussions on core transatlantic values and priorities framed within Central Europe’s growing importance as a global partner. The forum is also home to the Atlantic Council’s Freedom Awards, a celebration of extraordinary individuals and organizations committed to the advancement of democracy.

THE 2016 FREEDOM AWARD RECIPIENTS Maciej Zięba, Polish philosopher, writer, and theologian Horst Teltschik, former national security adviser, Federal Republic of Germany Nighat Dad, executive director, Digital Rights Foundation, Pakistan Syrian Civil Defense, “The White Helmets”

Atlantic Council Distinguished Fellow Frances Burwell (left) talks with US Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV); former Prime Minister of Pakistan Shaukat Aziz (left) presents a Freedom Award to Pakistani Internet activist Nighat Dad; former Polish Prime Minister Jan Krzysztof Bielecki takes reporters’ questions between forum sessions; two-time Prime Minister of Lithuania Andrius Kubilius (left) presents a Freedom Award to Horst Teltschik, former German national security adviser; former Egyptian Minister of Family and Population Moushira Khattab speaks about the Middle East’s increasingly fragile security environment, and the implications for Europe; US Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL 9) speaks on a panel during the forum; Maciej Zięba accepts his 2016 Freedom Award. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski answers press questions following his opening keynote address at the Wrocław Global Forum. “NATO’s keyword should be deterrence…not as an offensive measure, but rather as the most effective and, in fact, only instrument of peacebuilding,” he said, addressing Russia’s increasingly aggressive posture. “We do not want to wage a war against anyone; but to avoid a war scenario, we must show that we are very well prepared and determined to defend our territory and values we share.” ABOVE:

62

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

63


GLOBAL CONVENINGS

Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, takes questions during the forum; Atlantic Council Board Director and Chairman of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security Gen. James L. Jones speaks on a panel; Suhail Al Mazrouei (left), the minister of energy of the United Arab Emirates, speaks with Group Chief Executive of Petrofac Limited Ayman Asfari and Atlantic Council Executive Vice Chair Stephen J. Hadley; Atlantic Council Board Director Paula Dobriansky comments on the future of US climate and energy policies following the election of Donald Trump. BELOW, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT:

ATLANTIC COUNCIL GLOBAL ENERGY FORUM The Atlantic Council, in partnership with the Ministry of Energy of the United Arab Emirates, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Mubadala, and the International Petroleum Investment Company, convened the inaugural Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi. The forum helped kick off Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week aimed at encouraging dialogue and action to address some of the globe’s most pressing sustainable development challenges. More than five hundred global business and public policy leaders gathered to consider the evolving geopolitics and geo-economics of energy transformation. Attendees included energy ministers from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s OPEC member states; Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency; Adnan Amin, the directorgeneral of the International Renewable Energy Agency; and some fifty chief executives. From the role of oil, gas, nuclear, and renewables in supplying the world’s growing energy needs to the future of related political and security challenges, participants tackled options for strengthening the resilience of energy markets, creating and promoting new technologies, and fostering climate action.

ABOVE: Atlantic Council Board Directors Rafik Bizri and Daniel Poneman test drive one of many

hybrid and electric vehicles during the Forum’s Gala Reception at the Yas Marina Circuit, home of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

64

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

65


COMMUNITIES OF INFLUENCE

68

B oa rd of Directors

CHAPTER IV

69

COMMU N IT IE S

70

OF INFLU EN C E

72

Internationa l Adviso r y B oard

Honor Roll of Contr ib utor s

Fina ncia l Sum m a ry

74

By the N um bers

66

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

67


COMMUNITIES OF INFLUENCE

B OA R D

INTERNATIONAL

O F D I R E C TO RS

ADVISORY B OARD

CHAIRMAN

Jon M. Huntsman, Jr.*

CHAIRMAN EMERITUS, INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD Brent Scowcroft

PRESIDENT AND CEO Frederick Kempe*

EXECUTIVE VICE CHAIRS Adrienne Arsht* Stephen J. Hadley*

VICE CHAIRS

Robert J. Abernethy* Richard W. Edelman* C. Boyden Gray* George Lund* Virginia A. Mulberger* W. DeVier Pierson* John J. Studzinski*

TREASURER

Brian C. McK. Henderson*

SECRETARY

Walter B. Slocombe*

GENERAL COUNSEL Karl V. Hopkins*

DIRECTORS

Stéphane Abrial Odeh Aburdene Peter Ackerman* Timothy D. Adams Bertrand-Marc Allen John R. Allen Michael Andersson* Michael S. Ansari Richard L. Armitage

68

David D. Aufhauser Elizabeth F. Bagley Rafic A. Bizri* Dennis C. Blair Thomas L. Blair* Philip M. Breedlove Reuben E. Brigety II Myron Brilliant Esther Brimmer* R. Nicholas Burns Richard R. Burt* Michael Calvey James E. Cartwright John E. Chapoton Ahmed Charai Sandra Charles Melanie Chen George Chopivsky Wesley K. Clark David W. Craig Ralph D. Crosby, Jr.* Nelson W. Cunningham Ivo H. Daalder Ankit N. Desai Paula J. Dobriansky* Christopher J. Dodd Conrado Dornier Thomas J. Egan, Jr. Stuart E. Eizenstat* Thomas R. Eldridge Julie Finley Lawrence P. Fisher, II Alan H. Fleischmann* Ronald M. Freeman* Laurie S. Fulton Courtney Geduldig Robert S. Gelbard* Thomas H. Glocer Sherri W. Goodman Mikael Hagström Ian Hague Amir A. Handjani John D. Harris, II Frank Haun Michael V. Hayden Annette Heuser Ed Holland Robert D. Hormats Miroslav Hornak Mary L. Howell* Wolfgang F. Ischinger Reuben Jeffery, III Joia M. Johnson

James L. Jones, Jr.* Lawrence S. Kanarek Stephen R. Kappes Maria Pica Karp* Zalmay M. Khalilzad* Robert M. Kimmitt Henry A. Kissinger Franklin D. Kramer Richard L. Lawson Jan M. Lodal* Jane Holl Lute* William J. Lynn Izzat Majeed Wendy W. Makins Zaza Mamulaishvili Mian M. Mansha Gerardo Mato William E. Mayer T. Allan McArtor John M. McHugh Eric D.K. Melby Franklin C. Miller James N. Miller Judith A. Miller Alexander V. Mirtchev* Susan Molinari Michael J. Morell Richard Morningstar Georgette Mosbacher Thomas R. Nides Franco Nuschese Joseph S. Nye Hilda OchoaBrillembourg Sean C. O’Keefe Ahmet M. Oren Sally A. Painter Ana I. Palacio* Carlos Pascual Alan Pellegrini David H. Petraeus Thomas R. Pickering Daniel B. Poneman Daniel M. Price Arnold L. Punaro Robert Rangel Thomas J. Ridge Charles O. Rossotti Robert O. Rowland Harry Sachinis Brent Scowcroft Rajiv Shah Stephen Shapiro

Kris Singh James G. Stavridis Richard J.A. Steele Paula Stern Robert J. Stevens Robert K. Stout, Jr. John S. Tanner Ellen O. Tauscher* Nathan D. Tibbits Frances M. Townsend Clyde C. Tuggle Paul Twomey Melanne Verveer Enzo Viscusi Charles F. Wald Michael F. Walsh Maciej Witucki Neal S. Wolin Mary C. Yates Dov S. Zakheim

HONORARY DIRECTORS David C. Acheson Madeleine K. Albright James A. Baker, III Harold Brown Frank C. Carlucci, III Ashton B. Carter Robert M. Gates Michael G. Mullen Leon E. Panetta William J. Perry Colin L. Powell Condoleezza Rice Edward L. Rowny George P. Shultz Horst Teltschik John W. Warner William H. Webster

*Executive Committee Members List as of April 27, 2017

LEADERSHIP

Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, USAF (Ret.)

Chairman Emeritus International Advisory Board

Mr. Victor L.L. Chu

Governor Jon. M. Huntsman, Jr.

Chairman and CEO First Eastern Investment Group

Mr. Frederick Kempe

CEO Eni

Chairman Atlantic Council

President and CEO Atlantic Council

Mr. Anil D. Ambani

Chairman Reliance Group

Mr. Philippe Amon

Chairman and CEO SICPA Holding SA

Mr. Tewodros Ashenafi

Founder, Chairman, and CEO SouthWest Holdings

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz

Mr. Claudio Descalzi

Mr. Markus Dohle

CEO Penguin Random House

Mr. Richard W. Edelman

President and CEO Edelman

Dr. Thomas Enders

CEO Airbus Group

Mr. Thomas A. Fanning

Chairman, President, and CEO Southern Company

Ms. Orit Gadiesh

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan

Chairman Bain & Company Inc.

Prime Minister José María Aznar

Dr. James H. Goodnight

Former Prime Minister of Spain

Prime Minister Carl Bildt

Former Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden

Dr. Fatih Birol

Executive Director International Energy Agency

Dr. Zbigniew K. Brzezinski

Former National Security Advisor to US President Jimmy Carter

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

Mr. Håkan Buskhe

President and CEO SAAB AB

Co-Founder and CEO SAS

Mr. Evan G. Greenberg

Chairman and CEO Chubb Limited/Chubb Group

Mr. Mario Greco

Mr. Bahaa R. Hariri Ms. Marillyn A. Hewson

Chairman, President, and CEO Lockheed Martin Corporation

Mr. Majid H. Jafar

CEO Crescent Petroleum

Mr. Muhtar Kent

Chairman and CEO The Coca-Cola Company

President Aleksander Kwaśniewski

Former President of Poland

H.E. Jean-David Levitte

Senior Diplomatic Adviser and Sherpa to Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy

Secretary Ernest Moniz

Former United States Secretary of Energy

Mr. Paul Polman

CEO Unilever

The Rt. Hon. Lord Robertson of Port Ellen

Former Secretary General of NATO

Prime Minister Kevin M. Rudd

Former Prime Minister of Australia

Mr. Stephen A. Schwarzman

Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder The Blackstone Group

Mr. James C. Smith

President and CEO Thomson Reuters

Sir Martin S. Sorrell

Group Chief Executive WPP Group PLC

Secretary Lawrence H. Summers

Mr. Alexey A. Mordashov

Former US Secretary of the Treasury

Mr. Robert E. Moritz

Chairman Investor AB

Chairman and CEO Severstal

Chairman and Senior Partner Pricewaterhouse Coopers International Limited

Mr. Rupert Murdoch

Mr. Jacob Wallenberg

Mr. John S. Watson

Chairman of the Board and CEO Chevron Corporation

Mr. John D. Wren

CEO Zurich Insurance Group Ltd.

Executive Chairman 21st Century Fox

President and CEO Omnicom Group

Mr. Mehmet N. Günal

Chairman of the Board and CEO Frontera Resources Corporation

Mr. Steve C. Nicandros

Ambassador Robert B. Zoellick

Founder, Chairman of the Board, and President MNG Holding A.S.

Secretary Charles T. Hagel

Former US Secretary of Defense

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Chairman, International Goldman Sachs

Mr. Victor Pinchuk

Founder East One Ltd.

69


COMMUNITIES OF INFLUENCE

HO N O R R O LL O F CO N TR IBU TO RS $1,000,000+ DONATIONS Adrienne Arsht Bahaa Hariri United Arab Emirates

$250,000 – $999,999 DONATIONS Abu Dhabi National Oil Company ◊ Airbus Group SE Carnegie Corporation of New York Melanie Chen Cheniere Energy, Inc. Chevron Crescent Petroleum ◊ Dentons Foreign & Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom Frontera Resources Anis Haggar George Lund Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation MNG Group of Companies NATO OCP Foundation QUALCOMM Incorporated Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence Saab North America, Inc. SCM Holdings SICPA HOLDING SA Smith Richardson Foundation, Inc. Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs Zurich Insurance Group Ltd

$100,000 – $249,999 DONATIONS Anonymous Robert J. Abernethy Thomas L. Blair Asfari Foundation Baker McKenzie Bayat Group The Blackstone Group L.P. Chopivsky Family Foundation Google Inc. C. Boyden Gray Ahmed Hakki Halk Bankası § HSBC Holdings plc Inter-American Development Bank

International Petroleum Investment Corporation ◊ Lockheed Martin Corporation Marie-Josee and Henry R. Kravis Foundation, Inc. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Alexander V. Mirtchev Morganti Group, Inc. Mubadala Development Company ◊ Nevsun Resources Ltd. Ploughshares Fund Raytheon Company Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, Inc. Rockefeller Brothers Fund Southern Company Squire Patton Boggs Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States The Techint Group Ukrainian World Congress United States Department of State United Technologies Corporation ‡ Victor Pinchuk Foundation

$50,000 - $99,999 DONATIONS Anonymous African Rainbow Minerals Ltd Dafer Alazri All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. Allied Command Transformation AM General, LLC Avascent Group Beretta USA Corporation David Burgstahler Çalık Holding Chubb Limited DLA Piper ENGIE Eni S.p.A. Ernst & Young LLP ExxonMobil Corporation Fund II Foundation Robert S. Gelbard Hanesbrands Inc. İhlas Holding A.Ş. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Korea Foundation KraussMaffei Group GmbH Leonardo S.p.A. MCB Bank Ltd. Ministry of Defense of Latvia Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Montenegro Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus

‡ denotes support exclusively of 2016 Wrocław Global Forum ◊ denotes support exclusively of 2017 Global Energy Forum

70

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia Pfizer Inc. W. DeVier Pierson S&P Global Inc. SAFRAN SA Science Applications International Corporation Seattle International Foundation Severstal Group SGO Co Ltd Omar Shawaf Kris Singh Sony Corporation Textron Inc. Thales S.A. Transatlantic Policy Network Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı § Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. United Parcel Service, Inc

$25,000 - $49,999 DONATIONS Anonymous (3) Peter Ackerman African Energy Association The Ballard Group LLC Bank of America Corporation Bank Zachodni WBK S.A. ‡ BASF Corporation The Boeing Company BP America Inc. The Carlyle Group L.P. John E. Chapoton Ahmed Charai Patricia Cloherty The Coca-Cola Company John Paul de Joria Deloitte, LLP Ecologic Institute Edelman Ekkou VP § Elbit Systems of America, Inc. European Investment Bank First Data Corporation First Eastern (Holdings) Limited Brian Fitzgerald Ronald M. Freeman FTI Consulting, Inc. Thomas H. Glocer GPD Charitable Trust Groupe Banque Populaire Stephen J. Hadley Ian Hague Brian C. McK. Henderson Steve Herman The Howard Baker Forum Mary L. Howell Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. Leidos Holdings, Inc. LexisNexis Legal & Professional LisaBeth Foundation Jan M. Lodal Mannheim LLC William Mayer MBDA Incorporated McKinsey & Company McLarty Associates Mercuria Energy Group Ltd Meridiam SAS MetLife, Inc. Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Lithuania Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland Moroccan-American Cultural Center Inc Northrop Grumman Corporation Panasonic Corporation Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc. ◊ Parsons Corporation ◊ Penguin Random House PKN Orlen S.A. ‡ Renaissance Strategic Advisors Randolph Reynolds Royal Dutch Shell plc Rockwell Schnabel Sempra Energy Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP Statoil ASA Thomas F. Stephenson Ellen O. Tauscher Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited United States Chamber of Commerce United States Air Force United States Army United States Marine Corps United States Navy Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Xylem Inc

$10,000 – $24,999 DONATIONS 3M Poland Manufacturing Sp. z o.o. ul. ‡ Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP Allianz Foundation for North America Archicom S.A. ‡ Victor Ashe Farhad Azima Bank of New York Mellon, Inc. ‡ Bloomberg Philanthropies John D. Bowlin Byron Callan Caterpillar Inc.

§ denotes support exclusively of 2017 Istanbul Summit

Charles Koch Institute ConocoPhillips James Cook The Dow Chemical Company Joseph D. Duffey Omer Er European Union Fire Eye Inc. Alan H. Fleischmann April Foley Global Voices Gökhan Gündoğdu Raven Harris Intel Corporation Reuben Jeffery Franklin D. Kramer Lane Mideast Contracting, LLC. ◊ John D. Macomber Microsoft Corporation Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Moody’s Corporation Virginia A. Mulberger Oliver Wyman Group Open Society Initiative for Europe ‡ Perkins Coie LLP David H. Petraeus Powszechny Zaklad Ubezpieczen na Zycie S.A. ‡ PricewaterhouseCoopers Robert Bosch Stiftung Rockefeller & Co., Inc. The Ronald & Jo Carole Lauder Foundation Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. ‡ Stephen Shapiro Shearman & Sterling LLP Alan Solomont Southwest Holdings Ltd Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP Symantec Corporation Tauron Group ‡ Harlan Ullman Unitas Risk Ltd US Water Partnership Sezen Uysal Rodolphe Vallee The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Jaime Zimmerman

$5,000 – $9,999 DONATIONS Odeh Aburdene Baring Vostok Capital Partners BGR Group Nancy Brinker Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Centrus Energy Corp. Michael E. Dailey Andrew Davis Thomas J. Edelman Stuart E. Eizenstat Lawrence P. Fisher, II Barbara Hackman Franklin Laurie S. Fulton Sherri W. Goodman Chris Griner Michael V. Hayden

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. Barbara Humpton Christopher Iannaccone Frederick Kempe and Pamela Meyer Robert M. Kimmitt Steven Klinsky Christian Lawless Radu G. Magdin Wendy W. Makins Prakash H. Mehta Judith Miller P. Stephen Minor Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. Movado Group, Inc. Hilda Ochoa-Brillembourg Daniel Poneman The Related Companies, L.P. Royal DSM N.V. Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association Security First Corp. Theodore Sedgwick James Seng T & R Chemicals Inc Toyota Motor North America, Inc. Clyde C. Tuggle Unilever US-Angola Chamber of Commerce Charles F. Wald Dov S. Zakheim

Linden Blue Jane Lute Lynx Investment Advisory, Llc Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. E Quiroga Advogados Eric D.K. Melby Franklin C. Miller James Miller Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea Fay Moghtader Michael J. Morell Joseph S. Nye Sean O’Keefe Norman Pearlstine Joshua Peterson J. Peter Pham Thomas R. Pickering Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty Thomas J. Ridge Walter B. Slocombe Paula Stern John Tanner ThyssenKrupp AG ‡ Frances M. Townsend Scott van Buskirk Melanne Verveer Renate von Boyens Damon Wilson Jeffrey Wright Mary C. Yates

$1,000 – $4,999 DONATIONS

UP TO $999 DONATIONS

Timothy D. Adams Beverly Allen Jawhar al-Sourchi American Israel Public Affairs Committee American University Devon Archer The Asan Institute for Policy Studies Elizabeth F. Bagley Esfandyar Batmanghelidj Peter Behr Margaret Bennett Dennis Blair Blue Star Strategies, LLC Harold Brown R. Nicholas Burns Kenneth Cooper Peter Cunniffe Ivo H. Daalder Carl de Stefanis Kirk Elliott Frank Finelli Andrew Frank Gabriel Galvan Global Media Partners Patrick Gross Richard Grove Carter Ham Steven Hefter Frederic Hof Robert D. Hormats William J. Hybl International Republican Institute Kosmos Energy Ltd John Kreider Geraldine Kunstadter Philip Lader Richard L. Lawson

Florence Akinyemi Nohemi Lira Albarran Nadia Alkam Michael Allen Michael A. Almond Anna Andersson Stuart Archer Robert Beecroft Jerald Belofsky Eric Bibby James Bindenagel Neil Brown David Buffaloe Andrew Buher Keith Bulter Lawrence Carew Irwin Chapman Jon Chicky Albert Cho Urrutia Christian Angela Cockerham Frances Cook Morgan David James De Francia Rob de Wijk Christopher J. Dodd Aaron Dowd Richard Downie Ana Dukic Arnold C. Dupuy Timothy Fairbank Virginia Campo Garcia Glenn Gerstell Steven Glickman Mark Goff Faruk Baturalp Günay Behrooz Hadavi Natasha Hadijski Tom Henteleff John Herbst Adam Hitchcock Jeffrey Hoffman

Robert Homans, Jr. Shieh Hsieh Thomas Huf Adwoa Jones Walter Juraszek Peter Kalotai Zalmay M. Khalilzad Jonathan Kirschner Carrie Kolasky Dávid Korányi Maxim Kryvoruchko-Eristavi Maciej Kuziemski Kamila Lepkowska Liis Lipre-Järma Gerhard Mally Jason Marczak Foad Mardukhi Daniel L. Martinez Margarita Mathiopoulos Samuel M. McDonald Jelena Milic Sean Misko Dan Morrison James Morrison Manuel Muniz Terence Murphy Eugene L. Nardelli Ann Nicocelli-Bailey Christian Paasch Walter Parchomenko Mira Patel Raul Perea-Henze Yannis Perlepes Charles Alan Peyser Simone Pflaum Philip Pilevsky Alan Platt Jelena Putre Christina Rocca Jason Rockett Bianca-Martina Rohner Sandia National Laboratories Mayecor Sar Lily Sarafan Peter Schechter Mark Schwendler Anand Shah Adam Louis Shrier Jonathan Silverthorne Mark Simakovsky Pamela Smith Daniel Speckhard Karen St. John Steven Steiner Andris Strazds Frank Tapparo Samuel Taylor William Theuer Alex Tiersky Julien Touati Marten van Heuven Julie Varghese Samantha Vinograd Don Wallace Krzysztof Walski Leigh Warner E. Allan Wendt J. Marc Wheat Neal Wolin John Woodworth Samuel Zega Jonathan Zittrain

This list reflects cash contributions recorded January 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016. We regret any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions.

† deceased

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

71


COMMUNITIES OF INFLUENCE

FINANCIAL

Combined Statement of Activities and Change in Net Assets for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015*

S U M M A RY Unrestricted

Temporarily Restricted

FY 2016

FY 2015

REVENUE Individual Contributions

ASSETS

2016

Cash and Cash Equivalents

$

1,079,241

$ 5,280,757

2,669,500

7,888,774

10,558,274

10,633,650

(67,512)

4,164,174

4,096,662

2,716,344

Investments

-

3,693,487

3,693,487

2,764,345

TOTAL ASSETS

In-kind Contributed Services and Materials

684,177

-

684,177

578,563

Events and Other Revenue

101,845

-

101,845

12,596

Investment Return Designated for Operations

175,203

490,628

665,831

997,731

20,763,856

(20,763,856)

-

-

Corporate Support Foundations Grants and Contracts

Net Assets Released from Restrictions TOTAL REVENUE

$ 25,406,310

$

753,964

$

$

6,359,998

26,160,274

$

$

9,135,445

26,838,674

OPERATING EXPENSES $

1,898,908

$

-

$

1,898,908

$

1,573,458

237,172

-

237,172

-

Africa Center

1,053,640

-

1,053,640

870,017

Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security

6,776,188

-

6,776,188

6,076,896

Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center

1,449,168

-

1,449,168

3,525,129

Future Europe Initiative

2,142,154

-

2,142,154

1,498,305

Global Business & Economics Program

594,405

-

594,405

814,003

2,189,758

-

2,189,758

1,047,458

828,190

-

828,190

683,777

Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

3,514,912

-

3,514,912

3,463,025

South Asia Center

1,146,484

-

1,146,484

1,391,578

$ 21,830,979

-

$ 21,830,979

$ 20,943,646

-

$

$

Global Energy Center Millennium Leadership Program

Total Program/Center Service Expenses

Prepaid Expenses and Other Fixed Assets

Fundraising

2,248,530

$

1,846,465

Total Supporting Service Expenses

-

4,094,995

-

Total Operating Expenses

$ 25,925,974

$

-

CHANGE IN NET ASSETS BEFORE NON-OPERATING ACTIVITIES

$

$

753,964

(519,664)

2,248,530

1,156,872

4,094,995

3,601,503

Accounts Payable

234,300

$

$

33,506,565

$

896,433

$

747,800

542,936

421,709

Deferred Revenue

601,996

335,000

Other Long-Term Liabilities

207,468

74,923

5,467,992

5,507,520

114,625

Total Liabilities

$

7,831,450

82,823 $

7,169,775

Net Assets: Unrestricted

5,093,947

5,569,288

Temporarily Restricted

21,687,759

20,767,502

Total Net Assets

$

26,781,706

$

26,336,790

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

$

34,613,156

$

33,506,565

DIVERSITY OF SUPPORT, REVENUE BY SOURCE

SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE FUTURE, ASSETS BY TYPE 8%

2% 14%

24% 23% 16%

2,293,525

53% 1% 15%

40%

NON-OPERATING ACTIVITIES Investment Income

17,881,328

34,613,156

Accrued Vacation

$ 25,925,974 $ 24,545,149 $

265,368 5,679,827

Liabilities:

2,444,631

1,846,465

513,440 5,274,426 18,282,400

3%

$

3,384,173 6,295,869

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

Supporting Services: Management and General

$

$

Deferred Rent

Adrienne Arsht Center for Resilience

2,744,968 7,797,922

Capital Lease Obligation

Program/Center Services: Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

$

Contributions and Grants Receivable

2015

$

Investment Return Designated for Operations Change in Net Assets

219,526

$

656,921

$

876,447

$

(105,301)

(175,203)

(490,628)

(665,831)

(997,731)

(475,341)

920,257

444,916

1,190,493

Net Assets at Beginning of Year

$

5,569,288

$ 20,767,502

$ 26,336,790

$

25,146,297

NET ASSETS AT END OF YEAR

$

5,093,947

$21,687,759

$26,781,706 $26,336,790

Investment Return Designated for Operations

Cash and Cash Equivalents

In-kind Contributed Services and Materials

Contributions and Grants Receivable

Grants and Contracts

Prepaid Expenses and Other

Foundations

Fixed Assets

Corporate Support

Investments

Individual Contributions

*Financial data for 2016 is preliminary and unaudited. Percentages may not total to 100% due to rounding.

72

ATLANTIC COUNCIL

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

73


BY THE NUMBERS

COMMUNITIES OF INFLUENCE

24% 910

FOUR STAR CHARITY NAVIGATOR RATING MORE MENTIONS 48% OF THE ATLANTIC OF THE TOTAL WAS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

COUNCIL IN GLOBAL PRINT MEDIA

ARTICLES, OP-EDS, AND OTHER COMMENTARY IN EXTERNAL PUBLICATIONS

A DECADE OF GROWTH & INSTITUTION-BUILDING

938%

REVENUE INCREASE

705%

ASSET INCREASE

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA’S 2016 GLOBAL GO TO THINK TANK INDEX REPORT FEATURED IN 14 CATEGORIES

INCLUDING

New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Al Jazeera

IN 2016, AN AVERAGE OF 3 EVENTS EACH DAY AND A PUBLISHED REPORT OR BRIEFING EVERY 3 DAYS: 835 EVENTS bringing together more than 28,000 PEOPLE

31% MORE

EVENTS

207 WEBCASTS EVENTS with 20,000 VIEWS WORLDWIDE 25 FACEBOOK LIVE BROADCASTS viewed 300,000 TIMES

NAMED ONE OF 2016’S BEST POLICY REPORTS FOR GLOBAL SYSTEM ON THE BRINK: PATHWAYS TOWARD A NEW NORMAL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IMEMO

RANKED #17

BEST QUALITY ASSURANCE AND INTEGRITY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

RANKED #10

RANKED #4 THINK TANK TO WATCH IN 2017

BEST THINK TANK CONFERENCE

TOP INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

8% increase in web traffic 45% from outside the US Audience from 120 countries

38% 200+ 74

INCREASE IN TESTIMONY BEFORE CONGRESS

CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFINGS

United Kingdom Canada Ukraine India

Turkey Germany Russia South Africa

40% MORE PUBLICATIONS

INCLUDING 112 REPORTS AND ISSUE BRIEFS

TOP SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS:

#PutinAtWar #StrongerWithAllies #BeyondIslomphobia

37% +

50% + ATLANTIC COUNCIL

RANKED #2

BEST INSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATION INVOLVING TWO OR MORE THINK TANKS RANKED #13

RANKED #17

RANKED #14

RANKED #19

THINK TANKS WITH THE BEST EXTERNAL RELATIONS / PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM

TOP THINK TANKS IN THE UNITED STATES

2016 – 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

TOP FOREIGN POLICY AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS THINK TANKS

BEST MANAGED THINK TANKS

RANKED #11

BY AREA OF RESEARCH: TOP DEFENSE AND NATIONAL SECURITY

75


CREDITS & ATTRIBUTIONS Editorial Director: Drew Dickson Text Editing: Maureen McGrath, Susan J. Cavan

The Atlantic Council has become America’s fastest-growing global affairs organization and the University of Pennsylvania’s #4 “global think tank to watch” for one reason: We aren’t a think tank at all.

Image Editing: Romain Warnault, Rachel Ansley Concept and Design: Orange Element, LLC Printing: HBP Image Credits Front cover, left to right: AFP/Getty Images/ Jewel Samad; REUTERS/Denis Balibouse; REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke; Sputnik/ Kremlin/Mikhail Klimentyev via REUTERS Inside front cover: AFP/GETTY IMAGES/ Fadel Senna

We are a community committed to impact. Business and civil society leaders, cutting-edge experts, and policymakers united around a shared calling to solve global challenges: We don’t just write reports; we move the policy needle. We don’t just opine; we invent tools to collect evidence. We aren’t just Washington; we operate around the world. Passionate about our work, we are results-oriented, fast-acting, entrepreneurial, and resourceful because— although the world’s challenges are profound—our optimism commands we strive to make a difference by advancing smart strategies and actionable solutions. Our community believes that by working together we can, and must, secure a better global future. Succeeding in our mission requires the hard work of building consensus, including rather than excluding partners, while also broadening awareness of our mission’s importance and preparing a new generation to take up the mantle of leadership. Our thanks go to all those—from staff to board members and external partners—who made the last year one worth remembering. These pages tell some of our stories. If you share our commitment, please join us.

76

Pages 4-5, left to right: REUTERS/Christian Hartmann; REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin; GETTYIMAGES/AFP/Daniel Leal-Olivas; REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst; REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh Pages 6-7: REUTERS/Eric Thayer Pages 28-29: REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Back cover, left to right: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton; GETTYIMAGES/Jeff J Mitchell; REUTERS/Marco Bello; REUTERS/Mike Segar. All other images not credited are property of the Atlantic Council. The Atlantic Council is a nonpartisan organization that promotes constructive leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic community in meeting today’s global challenges. © 2017 The Atlantic Council of the United States. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the Atlantic Council, except in the case of brief quotations in news articles, critical articles, or reviews. Please direct inquiries to: Atlantic Council 1030 15th Street, NW, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 463-7226, www.AtlanticCouncil.org


1030 15TH STREET, NW 12TH FLOOR WASHINGTON, DC 20005 (202) 778-4952 AtlanticCouncil.org


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.