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.

Ahead of the 2020 US elections, the disinformation threat is more domestic than foreign

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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Our experts decipher and annotate major speeches and policy documents to break down big ideas and lay them out in plain language.

Elections 2020

Sep 23, 2020

Ahead of the 2020 US elections, the disinformation threat is more domestic than foreign

By Larry Luxner

Three top journalists and editors working at the intersection of national security, technology, and elections discussed the challenges they’re facing on a daily basis with the conspiracy theories, misinformation, and lies percolating online ahead of the US elections.

Civil Society Disinformation

New Atlanticist

Sep 22, 2020

Navalny is Merkel’s ‘red line’ crisis

By Jeremy Stern

How Merkel responds to the poisoning of Alexei Navalny and critiques of support for Nord Stream II will likely have cascading effects on international politics. Germany’s decisions, even on seemingly discrete events, can alter the global balance of power.

Europe & Eurasia European Union

Elections 2020

Sep 22, 2020

Five big questions as America votes: Disinformation

By DFRLab

Whether the mis- or disinformation is foreign or domestic in origin, an information environment rife with confusing, polarizing, and often false narratives can only serve to further divide an already tense nation.

China Disinformation

New Atlanticist

Sep 18, 2020

Johnson faces a COVID lockdown and trade lockout

By John M. Roberts

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has found himself in an extraordinary crisis, as a second wave of COVID-19 lockdowns is interacting with what would normally be considered a totally separate matter, the future of trade deals with the European Union and the United States and Britain’s reputation as a nation committed to upholding international law.

Coronavirus European Union

New Atlanticist

Sep 17, 2020

British foreign secretary: Post-Brexit Britain will pursue ‘distinct identity in the world’

By David A. Wemer

Amid continuing uncertainty about the exact economic and political relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab explained that the United Kingdom wants to “be masters of our own destiny, not just domestically, but [also] in terms of the approach we forge internationally.”

Human Rights Politics & Diplomacy

Elections 2020

Sep 17, 2020

Five big questions as America votes: Energy

By Global Energy Center

As the US presidential election looms, the oil and gas industry has suffered from demand shocks during the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change is increasingly in the list of top concerns of US citizens, and there is little overlap between the likely policies of the two presidential candidates.

Climate Change & Climate Action Coronavirus

New Atlanticist

Sep 16, 2020

Experts react: Von der Leyen outlines vision for Europe’s post-COVID future

By Atlantic Council

Von der Leyen used her first State of the European Union Address to push European leaders to “make change happen by design—not by disaster or by diktat from others in the world.” Atlantic Council experts react to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s speech and its implications for future EU policy.

Climate Change & Climate Action Coronavirus

New Atlanticist

Sep 16, 2020

US technological superiority will be wasted without a strengthened defense industrial base

By John Wharton and Tate Nurkin

The United States cannot let efforts to achieve technological superiority outpace the cultivation of an industrial base available to exploit this advantage.

Defense Industry Defense Policy

New Atlanticist

Sep 16, 2020

The international community must do more to support Afghan and Rohingya refugees amid the COVID-19 pandemic

By Rudabeh Shahid and Harris Samad

While the international community remains hyper-focused on addressing the virus and its associated economic slowdown, Afghan and Rohingya refugees continue to be forced into a life of complete uncertainty as they escape violence in their home countries. Concerted action by the international community and host countries towards mitigating the virus’ disproportionate effects on asylum seekers would immensely improve refugee welfare.

Afghanistan Bangladesh

New Atlanticist

Sep 15, 2020

Don’t believe the SWIFT China sanctions hype

By Brian O’Toole

A major Chinese state-owned bank, the Bank of China (BOC), in July urged its banks to switch away from SWIFT toward a domestic messaging system because of the threat of US sanctions. Don’t take the warning at face value however, as Beijing’s primary motivation is to promote its own domestic system, rather than any real fear of a SWIFT cut-off.

China Financial Regulation

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