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.

FAST THINKING: Trump’s plan to bring US troops home by Inauguration Day

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.

Fast Thinking

Nov 17, 2020

FAST THINKING: Trump’s plan to bring US troops home by Inauguration Day

By Atlantic Council

First he shook up the leadership at the Pentagon. Now, as his new acting defense secretary announced on Tuesday, Donald Trump is planning to withdraw significant numbers of US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq. How should we weigh the noble cause of ending wars against the president’s rush to do so as his term comes to an end? And how will these moves affect the Biden administration’s options when it takes office in January?

Afghanistan Defense Industry

Elections 2020

Nov 16, 2020

We must face up to what is happening in the United States of America

By Mathew Burrows

Despite Joe Biden’s victory, the fallout from the 2020 election is posing a mortal threat to American democracy from within. We must not sugarcoat what is happening in our country. Instead, we should face up to it and the responsibility we all bear—whether we are Republicans, Democrats, or Independents—for our present predicament.

Elections Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Nov 16, 2020

New Asian free trade agreement secures economic space for China

By Hung Tran

The RCEP’s main winner will be China, who has secured a dominant position in one of the world’s most dynamic economic regions, giving Beijing the opportunity to establish its preferred rules and standards, and providing a major advantage for its companies to exploit these valuable markets.

China East Asia

New Atlanticist

Nov 13, 2020

Rushing for the exits in Afghanistan would leave a lasting stain on America

By James Cunningham, John Negroponte, Ronald Neumann, Hugo Llorens, Richard Olson, and Earl Anthony Wayne

Withdrawing quickly would end any hope for a decent and responsible peace agreement in Afghanistan, and would also put to rest any prospect that Trump’s legacy might include taking credit for the Afghan peace process that he and his Afghanistan team took the lead in creating.

Afghanistan Conflict

New Atlanticist

Nov 13, 2020

How a Biden presidency could change US relations with the rest of the world

By Atlantic Council

We asked experts from around the Atlantic Council to preview what the election of Joe Biden as US president will mean for countries, big and small, all across the world. Here’s a quick spin around the globe as we preview what lies ahead for US foreign policy under Joe Biden:

Africa East Asia

New Atlanticist

Nov 13, 2020

Peace at last? Assessing the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh

By Andrew D’Anieri

After six weeks of warfare, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia agreed to a peace deal on November 10 that seems to be more durable than prior agreements. The war leaves Armenia and Azerbaijan with dramatically different domestic situations and a new regional security order, with Russia and Turkey as major players and the United States and Europe on the periphery.

Conflict Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

New Atlanticist

Nov 12, 2020

How President-elect Biden can reshape US relations in Greater South Asia

By Shuja Nawaz

With the Taliban feeling increasingly emboldened, President-elect Biden must adopt a new and more practicable strategy for the region that is not based solely on military and security compulsions but includes future-oriented economic and political plans, working with international organizations and partners to achieve common goals.

Afghanistan Conflict

New Atlanticist

Nov 12, 2020

Colossal ambition: How the Biden administration can revitalize the global economy

By Josh Lipsky

It would understandable, given the realities of a divided Congress, for a Biden administration to think small. But it would be a mistake. On both the international and domestic front the times call for colossal ambition.

Coronavirus Inclusive Growth

New Atlanticist

Nov 12, 2020

Where is the US still leading on democracy? Look beyond the government.

By Borzou Daragahi

More important than US government pronouncements are the scores of American organizations doing on-the-ground work to build up transparency and good governance around the world—entities and initiatives that a new US administration could champion and make central to America’s retooled role in the world.

Democratic Transitions Elections

New Atlanticist

Nov 12, 2020

Complex identities: Kamala Harris and US foreign policy towards the Caribbean

By Vicki Assevero

Due to both her experience and her story, Kamala Devi Harris, alongside President-elect Joe Biden, provides an important new symbol of what the United States stands for in the world and could usher in a new era for US-Caribbean relations.

Caribbean Climate Change & Climate Action

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