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.

Smithsonian’s Lonnie Bunch: ‘We’re still in the midst of a fundamental debate over what America is’

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

Jan 28, 2021

Smithsonian’s Lonnie Bunch: ‘We’re still in the midst of a fundamental debate over what America is’

By Larry Luxner

“The role of a museum is not just to look back, but to collect today for tomorrow,” Lonnie G. Bunch said during an Atlantic Council Front Page virtual conversation with Dr. Richard Kurin, the Smithsonian’s distinguished scholar and ambassador-at-large.

Civil Society
Resilience

Fast Thinking

Jan 28, 2021

FAST THINKING: Breaking down Biden’s big climate moves

By Atlantic Council

President Joe Biden came into office promising to make big moves to address climate change. Yesterday he got to work with a bevy of executive orders designed to take some of the new administration’s first major steps. What do they mean?

Climate Change & Climate Action
Elections

Global Energy Forum

Jan 26, 2021

Why companies are getting more involved in the campaign against climate change

By Larry Luxner

BP, the world’s fourth-largest energy conglomerate, and Bank of America, the world’s ninth-largest bank are among the companies endorsing a charter likened to a recovery plan for the planet. Dubbed the Terra Carta, the charter commits them to working toward goals related to meeting global net-zero emissions targets by 2050.

Economy & Business
Energy & Environment

New Atlanticist

Jan 26, 2021

Xi Jinping at the virtual Davos: Multilateralism with Chinese characteristics

By Hung Tran

While international cooperation within multilateral frameworks is indeed crucial in addressing many of the serious challenges presently facing the world, it is important to recognize that not all calls for multilateralism are the same. And Xi’s vision of multilateralism differs in key respects from the conceptions of multilateralism espoused by much of the world.

China
Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Jan 26, 2021

Why funding America’s local governments could have a global impact

By Benjamin H. Bradlow

Now that Joe Biden has entered the White House with a razor-thin Democratic majority in Congress, the United States has an opening as narrow as the eye of a needle to contribute meaningfully to a global economic recovery. But they still face an uphill battle to secure resources for local governments.

Coronavirus
Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Jan 25, 2021

How climate change can become a bipartisan issue in the Biden era

By Larry Luxner

Fighting climate change should not become a partisan issue, said US Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware who co-chairs the fourteen-member Bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus.

Energy & Environment
Energy Markets & Governance

New Atlanticist

Jan 25, 2021

Navalny’s arrest is Biden’s first big test. Here’s how he can pass it.

By Daniel Fried, Anders Åslund

What happens next matters. The US response (or lack of response) will show how much Russian President Vladimir Putin’s internal repression—including assassinations—will factor into the Biden team’s overall Russia policy. The trick for the Biden administration will be to respond with sufficient firmness and cross-Atlantic coordination to puncture Putin’s apparent sense of impunity while leaving space for cooperation with Russia where that makes sense.

Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion
Russia

New Atlanticist

Jan 22, 2021

COP26: The key trends to watch ahead of the world’s next climate conference

By Larry Luxner

COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland—delayed until November 2021—is more likely to produce significant results now that US President Joe Biden occupies the White House, said a group of experts meeting virtually the day after Biden’s inauguration.

Energy & Environment
Energy Markets & Governance

Global Energy Forum

Jan 21, 2021

The many new ways energy and national security are intersecting

By Larry Luxner

Oil and gas will still play a crucial role in the world’s economy even as clean-energy “electrostates” rise in prominence, and Biden will prioritize the threat of climate change like no president has before him.

Energy & Environment
Energy Markets & Governance

Global Energy Forum

Jan 20, 2021

Why Iran could top Biden’s Middle East agenda

By Larry Luxner

Each crisis represents a major US foreign-policy challenge, but all may receive less attention from the new American administration than another pressing issue in the region: Iran’s recent nuclear advances.

Energy & Environment
Energy Markets & Governance

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