Dr. Jonathan Ward

Dr. Jonathan Ward is a strategist and scholar who has dedicated his career to understanding the rise of the Indo-Pacific. He is the Founder and President of Atlas Organization, a Washington D.C.-based consultancy that advises Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, and government agencies on the risks and opportunities of the US-China rivalry. Ward is known for his "ground-up" research methodology, having spent over a decade living and traveling extensively through China, India, Russia, and the Middle East. His ability to read the world through both academic archives and firsthand geopolitical experience makes him a singular voice in the field of national strategy.

Ward’s academic foundation is exceptionally rigorous. He earned his PhD in China-India relations from the University of Oxford, where he conducted groundbreaking research using Chinese-language diplomatic archives that have since been sealed by the Chinese government. He also holds an MSt in Global and Imperial History from Oxford and a B.A. from Columbia University, where he studied Philosophy, Russian, and Chinese. His linguistic proficiency—speaking Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and Arabic—allows him to interpret the primary source materials and internal narratives of the world’s major powers directly.

He is the author of two highly influential books that have defined the modern "Cold War" discourse. His first, China’s Vision of Victory, was hailed as one of the first works to make an explicit argument for the containment of China based on the CCP’s own stated ambitions. His most recent work, The Decisive Decade: American Grand Strategy for Triumph Over China (2023), serves as a playbook for Western leaders. In it, he argues that the current decade is the most critical window for the U.S. to revitalize its industrial and technological base to prevent a global shift toward authoritarianism. He famously received a commendation at the White House for his work on Chinese global strategy during the signing of the US-China Phase One Trade Deal.

Ward is a frequent advisor to the U.S. Department of Defense and has briefed high-level audiences at US Indo-Pacific Command, US Strategic Command, and the Defense Intelligence Agency. He is also a graduate of the Oxford-Chicago Valuation Programme, which bridges the gap between geopolitical analysis and corporate finance. This enables him to help C-suite executives understand how geopolitical friction translates into balance sheet risk and why "business as usual" is no longer an option for companies operating in strategic sectors like technology, aerospace, and finance.

As of 2026, Dr. Ward continues to be a prominent commentator in global media, appearing regularly on Bloomberg, CNBC, and Fox Business. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute. His work remains focused on the "Great Re-mapping" of the global economy, advocating for a return to "peace through strength" and the creation of a new, resilient economic order led by the world’s democracies and emerging giants like India.