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.

How the US can help Colombia surmount dual crises

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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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

Mar 30, 2021

How the US can help Colombia surmount dual crises

By Larry Luxner

On the eve of the two-hundredth anniversary of diplomatic ties between the United States and Colombia, there is “good momentum to strengthen the bilateral relationship,” says Colombian President Iván Duque.

Colombia Coronavirus

New Atlanticist

Mar 26, 2021

Opportunity knocks for NATO and its partners in the Asia-Pacific

By Mirna Galic

Although NATO and its Asia-Pacific partners have developed their relations over the past two decades, various constraints have limited the ambition and potential of these relationships. But there may be a change of the status quo on the horizon.

East Asia Indo-Pacific

Fast Thinking

Mar 26, 2021

FAST THINKING: A glimpse into our digital future at the latest tech hearing on Capitol Hill

By Atlantic Council

This wasn’t just another tech hearing. It was the first since the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill. It was focused on extremism and misinformation. And our team at the Digital Forensic Research Lab, which is all over these issues, tells us that lawmakers came at their questioning in a new way that offers insight into what our digital future could look like.

Digital Policy Disinformation

New Atlanticist

Mar 25, 2021

COVID vaccines: India and China’s new diplomatic currency

By Nitya Biyani, Niels Graham

If the United States truly wants to return to the world stage, as the Biden administration has promised, its diplomatic outreach must extend beyond its core allies. Vaccine diplomacy may be the best way for the United States to do just that.

China Coronavirus

Fast Thinking

Mar 25, 2021

FAST THINKING: North Korean missiles are back

By Atlantic Council

North Korea never waits long to greet a new US president with a challenge, and Biden now has his in the form of projectiles landing off the coast of Japan. What does it all mean?

Defense Technologies Korea

New Atlanticist

Mar 24, 2021

How the US can deal with China from a position of strength, according to Dan Sullivan

By Larry Luxner

Reflecting on the dramatic encounter in his home state of Alaska, US Senator Dan Sullivan noted that the public exchange was “as chilly as the Alaska air outside.” But it represented “a realistic start to the relationship,” he added, “and that’s what we need.”

China Politics & Diplomacy

Feature

Mar 24, 2021

Forty years after: How Greece can help usher in tomorrow’s Europe

By Miltiadis Varvitsiotis

Today, as the European Union is reinvigorating its partnership with the United States and working toward enlargement in the Western Balkans, with the significant strategic support of Greece, the time is ripe for articulating our hopes and expectations for the emergence of a coherent, geopolitical European Union.

European Union Greece

Conflict, Risk, and Tech

Mar 24, 2021

How to reverse three decades of escalating cyber conflict

By Jason Healey and Robert Jervis

Cyber conflict has not yet escalated from a fight inside cyberspace to a more traditional armed attack because of cyberspace. In part, this is because countries understand there are some tacit upper limits to escalation above which the response from the offended country will be war. Unfortunately, this happy state may not last.

Cybersecurity Technology & Innovation

New Atlanticist

Mar 24, 2021

Why Europe’s future is on the line in the Taiwan Strait

By Philip Anstrén

Policymakers in Brussels should recognize that the EU has significant security interests in the Taiwan Strait, push for dialogue over the issues at stake there, and—if this fails—work with the United States to deter Chinese aggression against Taiwan.

China Crisis Management

New Atlanticist

Mar 23, 2021

How Russia, China, and climate change are shaking up the Arctic

By Larry Luxner

The Kremlin’s increasing military activities in the Arctic are worrying Norway—the only NATO member country that borders Russia north of the Arctic Circle. Frank Bakke-Jensen, Norway’s minister of defense, outlined his concerns.

Crisis Management Defense Technologies

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