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.

The rebirth of the State Department’s Office of Sanctions Coordination: Guidelines for success

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

Feb 12, 2021

The rebirth of the State Department’s Office of Sanctions Coordination: Guidelines for success

By Daniel Fried, Edward Fishman

While sanctions are increasingly a tool of first resort in US foreign policy, the State Department has lacked a disciplined process for coordinating sanctions policy. But the new Office of Sanctions Coordination is an opportunity to fix this problem.

Economy & Business
Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion

New Atlanticist

Feb 12, 2021

Reboot or repeat? US-Pakistan relations after the Daniel Pearl ruling

By Safiya Ghori-Ahmad

Pakistan was likely hoping for a reset with the new Biden administration, one that could refocus relations on the country’s most pressing issues. But those hopes have been dashed by The Supreme Court of Pakistan's recent decision on the Daniel Pearl case.

International Norms
Media

New Atlanticist

Feb 11, 2021

The 5×5—Looking ahead for the Biden administration after a busy year in cybersecurity

By Simon Handler

It’s been a wild twelve months in the world of cybersecurity since the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative launched the 5×5 series. In celebration of the series' one-year anniversary, experts plotted the year ahead.

Cybersecurity
Technology & Innovation

New Atlanticist

Feb 10, 2021

Charles Michel on renewing EU-US ties: ‘For global challenges, we need global solutions’

By Larry Luxner

“With the new Biden administration, there is [in] Europe a feeling of hope and the expectation that it will be possible… to rebuild a very strong alliance—what I have called a ‘new founding pact’ between the United States and Europe,” said European Council President Charles Michel.

China
Coronavirus

New Atlanticist

Feb 10, 2021

Biden needs a new Pakistan policy. This is what it should look like.

By Shamila N. Chaudhary, Vali Nasr

The United States has an opportunity to move on from the sordid history of US-Pakistan relations. Strategic imperatives in both Islamabad and Washington have provided a rare opening, one that if explored effectively could serve US regional interests positively and also provide impetus for change in Pakistan.

China
Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Feb 9, 2021

The world reacts to ‘The Longer Telegram’

By Atlantic Council

In the days since its publication, the paper has sparked debate everywhere from India and Pakistan to Britain, Singapore, and China itself, where it has elicited sharp criticism from the Foreign Ministry and a slew of pieces in the state-run Global Times.

China
Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Feb 8, 2021

The ‘blocking statute’: China’s new attempt to subvert US sanctions

By David Mortlock

China’s new blocking statute appears to be an attempt to blunt the impact of the threat of sanctions on additional Chinese companies for conducting business with sanctioned countries. If effectively implemented, the statute could force international companies to choose between potentially running afoul of US sanctions or risking retaliation from Beijing.

China
Economy & Business

Global Energy Forum

Feb 8, 2021

How to design an energy transition that includes everyone—including the most vulnerable

By Katherine Golden

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed an “interdependent” world with “huge issues of inequity,” said Sunita Narain, director general of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Without addressing these realities, “we cannot deal with the virus, and it’s the same with climate change.”

Climate Change & Climate Action
Energy & Environment

New Atlanticist

Feb 5, 2021

Emmanuel Macron’s plan to rebuild US-Europe relations

By Katherine Golden

For French President Emmanuel Macron, "the number-one priority in relations with the new US administration” is clear: to boost “results-oriented multilateralism.”

China
European Union

New Atlanticist

Feb 5, 2021

Developing countries are sinking in a world awash in cash. Here’s what the US can do.

By Jeremy Mark and Vasuki Shastry

Economic policy built on hope is bound to disappoint. What is needed is grant aid that does not increase debt burdens—and leadership based on a clear understanding of the problems facing countries rich and poor. That is where the Biden administration is positioned to make a difference.

Africa
Coronavirus

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