This year’s edition of The Atlantic Dialogues will focus on seven main themes:
Domains of Strategic Competition
Cyber, undersea infrastructure, energy, resources and outer space are rapidly emerging as strategic frontiers where technological competition, geopolitical influence, and norm-setting increasingly intersect. These domains are no longer peripheral—they are central to global power dynamics. The accelerating race for tech dominance, particularly in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and dual-use technologies, is reshaping security and governance frameworks. This theme explores how these interconnected arenas are redefining the terms of global competition and cooperation
Rethinking Defence and Global Power Shifts
The global defense landscape is undergoing profound transformation. From Europe’s growing calls for military autonomy to renewed South–South defense cooperation and the strategic repositioning of regional powers, traditional alliances are being re-evaluated. The weakening of transatlantic guarantees, technological dependencies in arms manufacturing, and the weaponization of interdependence have raised urgent questions about sovereignty, security, and trust. How are actors in the North and South Atlantic adapting to this moment. What does autonomy mean in practice, and for whom? Are new security partnerships emerging outside NATO and US-led frameworks? How can middle and regional powers assert strategic agency without becoming entangled in great power rivalries?
Digital Sovereignty and Cyberspace
In today’s fragmented and increasingly contested global order, cyberspace has become a new theater of geopolitical confrontation. From surveillance technologies and cross-border data flows to the infrastructure of the internet itself, digital control now shapes the exercise of sovereignty and the projection of power. Countries across the Atlantic space are grappling with a key dilemma: how to ensure the security and integrity of their digital ecosystems while navigating dependencies on foreign technologies, platforms, and regulatory standards. The rise of techno-nationalism, the push for “sovereign internets,” and escalating cyberwarfare raise urgent questions about governance, rights, and resilience.
Conflict, Peacebuilding, and Reconstruction
As conflicts endure and the nature of warfare evolves, so too must the frameworks for peacebuilding and reconstruction. How to shift from reactive crisis management to proactive strategies, that promote inclusive governance, economic recovery, and societal resilience? The role of international actors, regional organizations, and local communities will be central in moving beyond the stalemate of current sustainable peace frameworks.
Technology and Education
Digital technologies, including AI, offer opportunities to bridge educational gaps through personalized learning and real-time feedback. Yet they also raise concerns around equity, bias, and ethical use. Education systems must equip learners not only with digital skills but also with critical understanding of technology’s limitations. Ensuring inclusive access will depend on scalable and affordable models tailored to low-resource environments.
Climate and Mobility
As climate impacts intensify, human mobility becomes a strategic and legitimate form of adaptation. Yet current migration and asylum systems often exclude those displaced by slow-onset climate events. Climate migrants frequently funnel people into already stressed urban areas contributing to resource competition. Climate responses must center equity, enabling those least responsible for emissions to move with dignity and agency.
Trade Wars and Tariffs
Rising protectionism, strategic decoupling, and paralysis at the WTO are reshaping global trade dynamics. Smaller economies are particularly vulnerable to these shifts, facing disproportionate economic shocks. To build resilience, they must diversify export bases and engage more actively in regional trade frameworks that offer collective strength against external volatility