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.

Reading between the lines of the US intelligence community’s latest reports

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

Apr 16, 2021

Reading between the lines of the US intelligence community’s latest reports

By Mathew Burrows

What does it say about our system of government that hard truths are not absorbed? This year’s Annual Threat Assessment and Global Trends 2040 are blunt about the challenges facing the United States. But the warnings about China should have been heeded a decade or more ago.

China Intelligence

Fast Thinking

Apr 15, 2021

FAST THINKING: What the Russia-China moon deal means for the commercialization of space

By Atlantic Council

On this episode of Fast Thinking, Atlantic Council experts Divya Chander and David Bray explore what this announcement will mean for geopolitics and the commercialization of space—touching on space mining, the Artemis Accords, the Outer Space Treaty, and what we can learn from native cultures about the rights of our planet and others.

China Russia

Fast Thinking

Apr 15, 2021

FAST THINKING: Biden hits back at Putin

By Atlantic Council

Today the Biden administration hit thirty-two Russian government officials and entities, plus six companies, with economic sanctions in retaliation for the SolarWinds hack, 2020 election interference, and other Russian malfeasance. What measures matter most?

Economic Sanctions Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Apr 14, 2021

How much support does the Chinese Communist Party really have?

By Dexter Tiff Roberts

The precarious balancing act that China’s leaders have struck—one that mixes strident nationalism and policies that push overheated economic growth with overwrought propaganda—will continue to present them with daunting challenges.

China Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Apr 14, 2021

Do continued EU data flows to the United Kingdom offer hope for the United States?

By Kenneth Propp

As the Biden administration and the European Commission “intensify” negotiations to re-establish a stable transatlantic data-transfer framework, Brussels separately is moving ahead to enable unrestricted data flows with two other major trading partners: the United Kingdom and the Republic of Korea.

Digital Policy European Union

Fast Thinking

Apr 13, 2021

FAST THINKING: Leaving Afghanistan, twenty years later

By Atlantic Council

America’s longest war is set to finally come to an end, with President Joe Biden expected to announce on Wednesday that all American troops will withdraw from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. What’s the state of the nation that the US military will leave behind?

Afghanistan Defense Policy

Fast Thinking

Apr 13, 2021

FAST THINKING: Why economic development is key to addressing the migration crisis at the US border

By Atlantic Council

On this episode of Fast Thinking, Atlantic Council experts Rebecca Scheurer and Jason Marczak dive into the root causes of mass emigration from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, and offer recommendations for long-term solutions to the underlying push factors that drive people from their homes—including crime, gang violence, corruption, and climate change.

Central America Migration

Fast Thinking

Apr 12, 2021

FAST THINKING: Did the Iran nuclear talks just blow up?

By Atlantic Council

Iran’s ability to enrich uranium for potential use in nuclear weapons may have suffered a severe blow on Sunday after an explosion knocked out power at its Natanz nuclear site, while indirect talks continue in Vienna around reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Will the explosion blow up those negotiations? And what will its impact be on Iran itself and the country’s nuclear program?

Crisis Management Iran

New Atlanticist

Apr 7, 2021

The case for a global minimum corporate tax

By Jeff Goldstein

As policymakers around the world consider a global minimum corporate tax, it is important to understand the context behind the concept and how this tax might actually work.

Economy & Business Financial Regulation

New Atlanticist

Apr 7, 2021

The storm shaking US tech in digital India

By Anand Raghuraman

In India, contentious debates over US technology platforms and their influence have gained strength and considerable political attention. And globally, governments are determined to exert sovereign control over digital domains and online users. The real test is whether US tech companies can carefully adapt their platforms and values to local markets without stretching them beyond all recognition.

Digital Policy India

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