New Atlanticist

Sharp insights and bold ideas from across the Council

From climate change to the China challenge and the contest between democracy and dictatorship, the New Atlanticist is where top experts and policymakers at the Atlantic Council and beyond offer exclusive insight on the most pressing global challenges—and the US role in addressing them alongside allies and partners.

The Council’s flagship section features big ideas, groundbreaking research, lightning-fast expert reactions, in-depth analyses, and thought-provoking commentary to shape public policy.

Stifling the press is stifling progress. Here’s how policymakers can intervene.

New Atlanticist Sep 4, 2025

Dispatches from Damascus: The state of Syria’s postwar transition nine months after Assad’s fall

On a recent trip to the Syrian capital, Atlantic Council experts took note of how far the country has come since the Assad regime’s fall and what still needs to happen to secure peace and prosperity.

New Atlanticist Aug 29, 2025

Twenty questions (and expert answers) about the negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine

By Atlantic Council experts

August saw a flurry of diplomatic activity to end Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As September nears, Atlantic Council experts share their insights on what to expect next.

Conflict Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

New Atlanticist Aug 28, 2025

Germany wants to double its defense spending. Where should the money go?

By Atlantic Council experts

After decades of Berlin underinvesting in its defense, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has plans to transform the Bundeswehr into Europe’s strongest military.

Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia

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Fast Thinking

When major global news breaks, the Atlantic Council’s experts have you covered—delivering their sharpest rapid insight and forward-looking analysis direct to your inbox.

Experts React

Dive deep into developing stories, guided by continually updated expert analysis that leaves you better informed about the most pressing global issues behind the headlines.

Markup

Our experts decipher and annotate major speeches and policy documents to break down big ideas and lay them out in plain language.

New Atlanticist

Oct 17, 2022

Stifling the press is stifling progress. Here’s how policymakers can intervene.

By Joseph Lemoine and James Storen

Today's decline in press freedom is nothing short of dangerous because of its concerning impact on other freedoms—and prosperity—in countries around the world.

Freedom and Prosperity Media

Fast Thinking

Oct 16, 2022

Reading between the lines of Xi’s party congress speech

By Atlantic Council

How should the world interpret his rhetoric about Taiwan? What was conspicuously absent from the speech? Our experts weigh in.

China Crisis Management

Ukrainian first responders attempt to quash a fire ignited by a Russian missile attack in Zaporizhzhia, October, 11, 2022. (Source: State Emergency Service of Ukraine via Reuters Connect

New Atlanticist

Oct 14, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia escalates war by targeting cities across Ukraine

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Russia escalated its war against Ukraine this week with missile attacks and airstrikes on cities across the country, including the first serious attack in the capital Kyiv in months.

Conflict Digital Policy

New Atlanticist

Oct 12, 2022

Experts react: The hits and misses in Biden’s new National Security Strategy

By Atlantic Council experts

We put the call out to our experts from across the Atlantic Council: Does this document deliver? What does it get right and what’s missing?

Middle East National Security

New Atlanticist

Oct 12, 2022

The key to national progress is no longer GDP growth. It’s prosperity.

By Joseph Lemoine

Singular focus on GDP, and its role in shaping economic and political decisions, is outdated. It is time for developed countries to undergo a massive narrative change.

Economy & Business Freedom and Prosperity

New Atlanticist

Oct 11, 2022

Your expert guide to China’s 20th Party Congress

By Atlantic Council experts

The once-in-five-years event is slated not only to further cement Xi Jinping's rule but also to have impact on a number of policy areas, from China's economy to its relationship with the Global South.

China Climate Change & Climate Action

New Atlanticist

Oct 11, 2022

Taiwan shows how winning the semiconductor race takes more than money

By Chun-Chao Lin

To match East Asian leaders in chip manufacturing, the US will have to improve its education system and learn from processes down to the factory floor.

China Economy & Business

Experts react

Oct 7, 2022

The data privacy deal driving the future of the US-EU commercial relationship

By Atlantic Council experts

Biden's executive order is the next step toward establishing a new EU-US Data Privacy Framework; but will the new agreement be viable? Our experts break down the details.

Digital Policy Economy & Business

Footage shows the aftermath of the morning shelling in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Thursday Oct 6, 2022. 7 missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia! Destroyed residential buildings, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Rescue workers are now combing through the shattered remains of one elegant five-storey apartment building. Zaporizhzhia regional head Oleksandr Starukh said one woman was killed. Another seven people, including a three-year-old child, were injured. The Ukrainian-held city is the capital of the eponymous Zaporizhzhia region, which Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week declared annexed, along with three other Ukrainian regions - Donetsk and Luhansk in the east, and Kherson in the south. Ukraine and its Western allies condemned the move. Moscow does not fully control any of the four regions, and in recent weeks Ukrainian troops have made significant advances in the the country's north-east and south. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine via EYEPRESS)

New Atlanticist

Oct 7, 2022

Russian War Report: Ukraine recaptures territory as Russia uses Iranian drone near Kyiv

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Russia has began its use of Iranian-made drones to try and slow the Ukrainian counter-offensive, a mass grave found near Lyman, and Russian Telegram praises the "pro-Russia" coup in Burkina Faso.

Conflict Disinformation

Experts react

Oct 6, 2022

Experts react: How the OPEC+ oil-production cuts will shake up geopolitics and energy security

By Atlantic Council experts

We went to our experts to get their takes on what to watch next from the United States and beyond after oil-producing nations vowed to slash production.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

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