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.

Experts react: European leaders reach decisive coronavirus recovery agreement

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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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

Jul 21, 2020

Experts react: European leaders reach decisive coronavirus recovery agreement

By Atlantic Council

"The agreement is a historic achievement leading to more solidarity in the European Union to respond the economic fallout of the coronavirus," Benjamin Haddad says.

Coronavirus European Union

New Atlanticist

Jul 21, 2020

To pave the way for a sustainable recovery, show the data

By Valerie Rouxel-Laxton

There is a disconnect between a continued focus on traditional metrics judging economic growth on the one hand and the absence of sustainability metrics being presented to policymakers

Coronavirus Inclusive Growth

New Atlanticist

Jul 20, 2020

Return of the transatlantic privacy war

By Kenneth Propp

In a sweeping judgment on July 16, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) summarily demolished the fragile legal peace that has prevailed for the last four years on the subject of transatlantic data transfers.

Digital Policy European Union

New Atlanticist

Jul 20, 2020

Nine cyberattacks that will remind you of your ex

By Safa Shahwan Edwards

Just as you should be wary of reconnecting with someone who should probably be left in the past, keep an eye out for an increase in cyber incidents. In preparation for the very real possibility of exes coming out of the woodwork and cyber incidents making the news, we’ve identified nine cyberattacks that will remind you of your ex.

Cybersecurity

New Atlanticist

Jul 20, 2020

Earnings season highlights pandemic challenges for banks

By Bart Oosterveld

Earnings reports from the week of July 13 by major US banks featured record losses related to non-performing loans and insights into how the banks plan to manage the upcoming year in terms of additional reserves.

Coronavirus Macroeconomics

New Atlanticist

Jul 17, 2020

India’s hijras find themselves further marginalized amid the pandemic

By Phillip Baumgart and Shariq Farooqi

While India’s hijras have made considerable strides in civil and political rights in recent years, the pandemic has underscored the fact that their communities remain woefully neglected. Only with equitable legal recognition and government support will the hijra community cease to be disenfranchised.

Coronavirus Human Rights

New Atlanticist

Jul 16, 2020

US tech wins a round in Apple case at the European Court of Justice

By Kenneth Propp

Apple’s victory in the Irish tax question stands in sharp contrast to a series of defeats that US technology companies including Facebook and Google have suffered at the European Court of Justice in recent years in privacy-related cases.

Digital Policy European Union

New Atlanticist

Jul 16, 2020

Trump administration’s national security process is failing

By Harlan Ullman

That President Donald Trump is on his fourth national security adviser is an ominous sign. That the interagency NSC process seems incapable of producing a coordinated and integrated policy on most anything, given the president's reliance on Twitter to post his decisions, likewise is not good.

National Security United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Jul 15, 2020

US opens door to Nord Stream II sanctions and transatlantic tensions

By Brian O'Toole and Daniel Fried

While nominally targeting Nord Stream II, Pompeo's sanctions announcement may pit the United States against its NATO ally Germany in a stand-off over the long-disputed project.

Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion Germany

New Atlanticist

Jul 15, 2020

The G20 needs to do more to address the human toll of COVID-19

By Jeremy Mark

If the wealthy countries cannot support measures to stave off a humanitarian crisis, the damage will run deeper than the resurgence of hunger and disease. The political repercussions will take the shape of civil strife, extremism, and mass migration. The G20 will do irreparable damage to social cohesion and international cooperation if it fails to act decisively.

Coronavirus G20

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