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.

Credit rating agencies could resolve African debt impasse

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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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

Sep 8, 2020

Credit rating agencies could resolve African debt impasse

By Vasuki Shastry and Jeremy Mark

Credit rating agencies should offer a nuanced understanding of the unique needs of African nations. The G20 and global regulators have the power to persuade international investors that a little forbearance could save lives and livelihoods

Africa Financial Regulation

New Atlanticist

Sep 3, 2020

Navalny, Novichok, and Nord Stream II

By John M. Roberts

The attempted assassination of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny could prove to be the final nail in the coffin of one of Russia’s biggest energy projects: the €9.5 billion ($10.5 billion) Nord Stream II gas pipeline to Germany.

Geopolitics & Energy Security Germany

New Atlanticist

Sep 3, 2020

The ‘Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act’ may harm US tech leadership

By Tianjiu Zuo

There is certainly a case to be made for increased financial transparency from Chinese companies for the safety of US investors. But this may come at greater cost to US interests, with the United States becoming more discriminatory towards business, less competitive in emerging markets, and more susceptible to harmful economic retaliation.

China Financial Regulation

New Atlanticist

Sep 3, 2020

Can the US and Germany finally see eye to eye on China?

By Roderick Kefferpütz

After much too long a time, the political climate towards China and Russia is finally starting to change in Berlin. This is an opportunity for the United States and Germany to re-engage and turn Germany from a weak link in the transatlantic alliance to a reliable partner.

China Germany

New Atlanticist

Sep 1, 2020

Lifting the arms ban on the Republic of Cyprus is good policy, despite the timing

By Damon Wilson

A Republic of Cyprus that has more accurate radar, search-and-rescue capabilities, and maritime-surveillance equipment can be a better partner of the United States and other nations in the Eastern Mediterranean where we share common interests.

Crisis Management European Union

New Atlanticist

Aug 31, 2020

How to improve Afghanistan’s devastated maternal healthcare system amid COVID-19 and the peace process

By Shariq Farooqi

Developing a sustainable maternal healthcare system is an integral step to achieving transformative justice for Afghan women and for the development of Afghanistan’s social institutions amid the ongoing peace process.

Afghanistan Conflict

New Atlanticist

Aug 28, 2020

Experts react: The road ahead for Japan after Abe resigns

By Atlantic Council

"New Japanese leadership, combined with the outcome of the US presidential election, could be a game changer for geopolitics in Northeast Asia," Miyeon Oh says.

International Markets Japan

New Atlanticist

Aug 28, 2020

National Security Advisor says US must ‘confront the Chinese across all spectrums’

By David A. Wemer

US National Security Advisor Robert C. O’Brien said the United States must be prepared to push back against Chinese aggression militarily, diplomatically, and economically, asserting that China continues to threaten its neighbors and attack US interests.

China Indo-Pacific

New Atlanticist

Aug 27, 2020

Russia and Turkey may fill in the diplomatic vacuum on Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict

By Matthew Bryza

In the absence of US or EU leadership, it may be up to Turkey and Russia to redirect Azerbaijan and Armenia away from the battlefield and toward the negotiating table.

Conflict The Caucasus

Elections 2020

Aug 26, 2020

US needs to change the way it invests in defense if it wants to compete with rising rivals

By David A. Wemer

Successive years of stagnant defense spending levels and the prospect of lasting economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic could threaten to leave the United States handicapped in its growing military competition with rising powers China and Russia

Defense Industry Defense Policy

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