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.

What a Biden presidency means for US-Colombia relations

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

Nov 25, 2020

What a Biden presidency means for US-Colombia relations

By Camila Hernandez and Daniel Payares-Montoya

On repeated occasions, President-elect Biden has characterized Colombia as the “keystone” of US foreign policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean, maintaining that, if elected president, restoring the alliance between the United States and Colombia will be among his top foreign policy priorities.

Colombia Corruption

New Atlanticist

Nov 24, 2020

H.R. McMaster to Biden: Don’t let up on competition with China

By David A. Wemer

As Joe Biden develops his strategy toward China, he should be wary of the instinct to abandon competition with Beijing in favor of cooperation. That’s the advice Lt. General H.R. McMaster, former national security advisor to President Donald Trump, hopes the president-elect heeds.

China International Norms

New Atlanticist

Nov 24, 2020

IDB President Mauricio Claver-Carone: Latin America wants greater US involvement and consensus

By Larry Luxner

Mauricio Claver-Carone, the first US citizen to lead the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in its sixty-one-year history, highlighted the importance of additional IDB assistance for Latin America and the Caribbean as the region confronts the enormous challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting economic upheaval, with US support central to this cause.

Americas Economy & Business

Fast Thinking

Nov 24, 2020

Can Janet Yellen fix the COVID economy?

By Josh Lipsky and Julia Friedlander

If confirmed by the Senate, President-elect Biden’s nominee Janet Yellen will make history as the first female Treasury Secretary. That couldn’t come at a more opportune time, according to Josh Lipsky and Julia Friedlander. But Yellen faces an uphill battle at home and abroad as a sustained economic crisis looms large. Josh points out that […]

Fast Thinking

Nov 24, 2020

FAST THINKING: John Kerry, America’s first climate czar

By Atlantic Council

It’s one thing to say you take the threat of climate change seriously. It’s another to create a new cabinet-level post for a “climate envoy,” give it to John Kerry, and save him a seat on your National Security Council. That’s the plan Joe Biden laid out this week. What difference will it make?

Climate Change & Climate Action Elections

New Atlanticist

Nov 24, 2020

Why the G20 should do more for financial inclusion

By Emilie Bel

As our societies build back better after the pandemic, vulnerable populations cannot be left behind. Financial inclusion will be crucial to making the global recovery more sustainable and its benefits more widely shared.

Inclusive Growth International Financial Institutions

Fast Thinking

Nov 23, 2020

FAST THINKING: Meet the picks for Biden’s national security team

By Atlantic Council

Joe Biden’s selections for his incoming national security team are coming in fast. But what’s the bigger picture that’s coming into focus?

Elections Intelligence

Fast Thinking

Nov 23, 2020

FAST THINKING: It’s Yellen for Treasury

By Atlantic Council

Janet Yellen could face an economy devastated by the coronavirus and the haphazard response to it in Washington. Josh Lipsky provides insight into how she might manage a difficult recovery.

Elections Financial Regulation

New Atlanticist

Nov 23, 2020

Building bridges across the Three Seas

By Piotr Trabinski, Daniel Palotai, Liviu Voinea, Tsvetan Manchev, and Nils Vaikla

The CESEE countries would be justified by gradually moving away from indiscriminate policy support to better targeted strategic policy resource allocation and growth-enhancing infrastructure projects.

Central Europe Eastern Europe

Fast Thinking

Nov 23, 2020

FAST THINKING: How Tony Blinken sees America

By Atlantic Council

Joe Biden is reportedly about to make his first major foreign-policy move by announcing that he’ll nominate Tony Blinken, his longtime advisor and a veteran of the Clinton and Obama administrations, as secretary of state. To answer the big questions about who Blinken is and how he might serve in the role, we turned to Dan Fried, a former US ambassador who spent forty years in the foreign service and has known Blinken for decades.

Elections Politics & Diplomacy

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