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.

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

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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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

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

Digital currencies

Aug 25, 2020

Advanced economies under pressure in the central bank digital currency race

By Barbara C. Matthews, Hung Tran

Advanced economy central banks are also actively engaged in CBDC research and development efforts. But as guardians of global reserve currencies, their approaches will necessarily be more deliberate and cautious than Beijing’s aggressiveness.

Digital Currencies Digital Policy

New Atlanticist

Aug 24, 2020

China’s Digital Currency Electronic Payment Project reveals the good and the bad of central bank digital currencies

By Hung Tran, Barbara C. Matthews

The development of the DCEP has revealed the significant advantages and potential drawbacks for both China’s digital currency project and the potential for widespread central bank digital currencies around the world.

China Digital Currencies

New Atlanticist

Aug 24, 2020

Mental health care in the military: An opportunity for progress

By Andrew Farnsworth

Now more than ever, military service members need exceptional mental health care—and the national security community is uniquely positioned to develop the actionable recommendations that are prerequisites for progress.

Defense Policy United States and Canada

Elections 2020

Aug 21, 2020

US trade policy after November: A must-do agenda

By Marc L. Busch

Regardless of the political balance of power after November, there are two things that need to get done, and fast: the unblocking of the WTO Appellate Body and a new trade deal with Europe to match Canada's and Mexico's.

Trade and tariffs United States and Canada

Elections 2020

Aug 21, 2020

Adviser on Biden’s foreign policy: Start at home and repair alliances

By David A. Wemer

One of his chief foreign policy advisers said that a future Biden White House would focus its foreign policy on revitalizing the United States at home, rehabilitating frayed alliances, and building a team of democracies to solve the world’s biggest challenges.

China Climate Change & Climate Action

New Atlanticist

Aug 21, 2020

Unconventional monetary policy is not a free lunch in Europe or the United States

By Andrzej Rzońca and Grzegorz Parosa

The European Central Bank and the US Federal Reserve responded to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic with a similar prescription to the one they used during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), but this time they multiplied the dose.

Coronavirus European Union

New Atlanticist

Aug 20, 2020

Rebounding Asian exports could signal problems for China’s supply chains

By Jeremy Mark

While China is currently providing its neighbors with critical economic lifelines, many in the Asia-Pacific are still looking for alternatives. China’s continued economic power means that any decoupling will carry a cost, as Taiwan is beginning to experience in the Huawei dispute.

China Macroeconomics

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