The embassy, at least in its traditional form, is facing an existential crisis. The global transformations of the twenty-first century have dramatically changed the way nations practice diplomacy. The rise of digital communications, diminishing resources, and growing security threats all raise the question of whether the traditional embassy is still relevant.

The Art Of Future Warfare (AOFW) is a project sponsored by the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security. It’s based on the idea that writers, artists and game designers have a lot to offer policy wonks. So it’s launched a year-long effort to engagecreatives with a series of challenges about the future of conflict. August Cole, director of AOFW, believes the creative arts are essential to military and policy thinking.