Dispatches editor and AC Intel anchor @AtlanticCouncil | “I'm an optimist who worries a lot.” - Madeleine Albright
Washington, DC
Joined June 2009
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John Richard Cookson retweeted
MORE: Russian forces suffered their highest monthly losses of the war thus far in October 2026, paying a growing price for their territorial losses. Russian casualty rates and territorial losses match the battlefield reality that Russian forces have lost the initiative and their offensive capabilities in much of the theater. Russian forces retain the initiative in the immediate area of Dobropillya, Donetsk Oblast, where they have concentrated the bulk of their offensive operations. But Ukrainian forces have seized the initiative in the Kupyansk, Lyman, and Oleksandrivka directions and are contesting it in western Zaporizhia Oblast.
NEW: Russian forces lost ground on the battlefield in October 2026 for the second month in a row. Russian forces continue to sustain significant personnel losses while losing ground, and Russia’s current force generation system continues to recruit fewer soldiers than needed to replace these losses. These factors likely explain Putin’s turn to a new theory of victory that relies on using long-range ballistic missiles and jet-powered drone strikes to hammer Ukraine into surrender over the winter.
Full assessment below⬇️
John Richard Cookson retweeted
Gulf countries are being forced to find their own solutions with Iran. There is a way to translate this into a ceasefire that reduces the consequences of the war for everyone, while allowing Tehran and Washington to save face. Nate Swanson and I describe what this could look like in our latest for Foreign Affairs
Read @AllisonMinor_ and Nate Swanson on how the Gulf Arab states can help secure a cease-fire in Iran:
foreignaffairs.com/united-st…
John Richard Cookson retweeted
"Spent a night in the Kyiv Metro. I get to do it one night & tell the tale but for thousands of Ukrainians it's a necessity to be safe during the shelling."
Our Goodwill Ambassador @nikolajcw is in Ukraine experiencing first hand what life is for millions of people.
Stay tuned.
John Richard Cookson retweeted
ECB President Christine Lagarde just announced her intention to resign early next year.
In a recent conversation with @ACGeoEcon’s @joshualipsky, she discussed the future of the digital euro and why payment sovereignty matters.
John Richard Cookson retweeted
“One of the muscles which is always worth developing in a leadership role is to recognize what are the big decisions which last,” says former UK Deputy Prime Minister @nickclegg.
“I’m always surprised how often big decisions are almost taken casually,” he tells @FredKempe.
John Richard Cookson retweeted
Christine Lagarde to step down as ECB president in February ft.trib.al/Kpk29TV
To paraphrase Victor Hugo, is this a collapse? Or is this a genesis?
📆 Oct. 29
🕥 10:30 a.m. ET
Unrest in France has captured the attention of the transatlantic community, raising questions about France's political future and its leadership in Europe.
Join us for a discussion on the stakes of 🇫🇷's political crisis:
atlanticcouncil.org/event/th…
John Richard Cookson retweeted
My @ACGeoEcon colleagues @clichfield1 & Lize de Kruijf unpack US economic offers & sanctions relief to Russia. Bottom line: legal uncertainty may inhibit these offers. And a good thing, because they advance neither peace nor US national interests.
atlanticcouncil.org/dispatch…
John Richard Cookson retweeted
The U.S. has told several Gulf Arab countries to be prepared for a short, intense military campaign after the U.S. midterm elections, people briefed on the conversations said. on.wsj.com/4yHXmSL
John Richard Cookson retweeted
FAST THINKING: Atlantic Council experts @valentinasader, @jmarczak, and @keziamckeague unpack what Lula’s victory means for 🇧🇷 Brazil’s ties with Washington and how it could reshape a region trending right:
atlanticcouncil.org/content-…
John Richard Cookson retweeted
Interest on the national debt topped $1 trillion this fiscal year.
That’s $87 billion more than we spent on defense.
Israel’s elections are complicated. 🇮🇱🗳️🤔
@AtlanticCouncil’s @DanielBShapiro and @ClearyWaldo explain how they work here: ⤵️
atlanticcouncil.org/dispatch…
John Richard Cookson retweeted
Lessons on leadership from Napoleon, or why his marshal system was a prototype for modern management, until in the end it failed him
Andrew Roberts’s magisterial new book, in @TheEconomist
economist.com/culture/2026/1…
John Richard Cookson retweeted
Saddened by the passing of Mat Burrows, a remarkable thinker and valued former colleague at the @AtlanticCouncil.
Mat was an intellectual force in the US government before helping us build the Council’s strategic foresight practice. He understood that sound long-term American strategy required anticipating alternative futures, not simply reacting to events.
He helped pioneer the field and mentor a new generation of strategic thinkers. We did not always agree on policy, but I always valued his insights, intellectual rigor, and thoughtful analysis.
Rest in peace, Mat. My condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.
stimson.org/2026/stimson-cen…
John Richard Cookson retweeted
From my @ACEurasia colleague @JohnEdHerbst, a solid appraisal of the dizzying set of US policy lurches against Ukraine since the “diesel deal” announced on 12/9.
atlanticcouncil.org/dispatch…
When I want to know what’s happening in Brazil, I ask @valentinasader:
🇧🇷 WATCH | Brazil’s presidential runoff is just days away, and the race remains tight.
AALAC’s @ValentinaSader breaks down the latest polling, what to watch as President Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro head into Sunday’s vote, and why turnout will be a key factor.
Tune in Monday at 1:30 p.m. ET for our post-election event.
bit.ly/3UAgGU9
#ACLatAm @AtlanticCouncil