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.

Albania still committed to EU membership, PM says

New Atlanticist Mar 6, 2025

How European leaders are responding to Trump’s approach to Ukraine and Europe

From London and Berlin to Paris and Brussels, European leaders have taken several notable steps this week on security. This follows the blow-up between the Ukrainian and US presidents on February 28.

New Atlanticist Feb 26, 2025

Why the US should not lift sanctions against Russia

By Charles Lichfield

Sanctions are having an unmistakable effect, albeit below the inflated expectations of many in the West in early 2022. Lifting them now would be a mistake.

Conflict Economic Sanctions

New Atlanticist Mar 5, 2025

The Egyptian plan for postwar Gaza is a good starting point—but it needs changes

By Thomas S. Warrick

While many obstacles remain, the Egyptian proposal could form the starting point for negotiations over a workable plan for postwar Gaza.

Conflict Crisis Management

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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

Feb 5, 2020

Albania still committed to EU membership, PM says

By David A. Wemer

Despite continued delays in the opening of accession negotiations with the European Union, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said that his country remains committed to pursuing EU membership because “there is no alternative.” Speaking at the Atlantic Council on February 5, Rama reported that Albania is continuing with its planned reforms as European leaders debate the proper time to begin the membership process for Albania and its neighbor North Macedonia. “We are not sitting and crying,” Rama said. Albania is “not waiting for some miracle to happen.”

Democratic Transitions European Union

New Atlanticist

Feb 5, 2020

Kenyan president says global leaders must see Africa as “the world’s biggest opportunity”

By David A. Wemer

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta implored an Atlantic Council audience on February 5 to see Africa as “more than just a continent producing security threats or unregulated migration that must be contained,” but rather as a region that has “immense strategic importance to the security and prosperity of the transatlantic alliance.”

Africa Democratic Transitions

Event Recap

Feb 5, 2020

Prime minister promises “Sudan will never be the same again”

By David A. Wemer

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok became the first Sudanese leader to travel to Washington, DC in more than thirty years, seeking to win more international support for his transitional government as it tries to guide Sudan towards democracy. “There is a success story that is emerging” in Sudan, Hamdok told an audience at the Atlantic Council on December 5. In a “region full of crises and riddled with conflicts, Sudan provides hope,” Hamdok declared.

New Atlanticist

Feb 5, 2020

The case for extending New START

By Alexander Vershbow

US and global security would be greatly enhanced by extending New START for another five years. Extension would preserve the last effective and verifiable agreement that limits the strategic arms competition between the United States and Russia and make it easier to maintain deterrence and strategic stability by allowing both sides an assured second-strike capability.

Arms Control Nuclear Deterrence

New Atlanticist

Feb 4, 2020

What Trump’s State of the Union means for US foreign policy

By David A. Wemer

US President Donald J. Trump used his third State of the Union address to argue that his administration has “launched the great American comeback” through its economic policies and tough international stances. In a speech that focused heavily on domestic issues, his discussion of foreign policy mainly highlighted what he believed to be his major foreign policy successes, rather than announcements of new plans.

China Energy & Environment

New Atlanticist

Feb 3, 2020

After Brexit: The road ahead

By David A. Wemer

With Brexit now technically achieved, the remaining questions about the future UK-EU relationship will continue to dominate both sides in the years to come. Atlantic Council experts offered their response to the formal exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union and what lies ahead for both the UK and Europe.

European Union Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Feb 3, 2020

Can Iraq’s new prime minister nominee navigate Baghdad’s political chaos?

By Atlantic Council

The next task for Allawi is to win the consent from two mutually exclusive spheres of influence inside Iraq: the protesters who forced the resignation of the current government at a high cost with nearly a thousand lives lost and more than twenty thousand wounded and the entrenched political actors who are still unwilling to give up all or part of their extraordinary privileges and take steps to curb corruption.

Iraq Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Feb 3, 2020

What will Brexit mean for energy markets?

By Global Energy Center

“Initial indications are that post-Brexit Britain will pay less attention to issues concerning climate change despite the fact that it is to hold COP 26 in Glasgow in November," John Roberts says.

Climate Change & Climate Action Energy Markets & Governance

New Atlanticist

Feb 3, 2020

US targets al-Qaeda leader: What it means for Yemen and the US counterterrorism mission

By Masoud Mostajabi

"When the United States is able to identify a terrorist abroad who threatens Americans, in the vast majority of cases the solution is relatively simple," William Wechsler says. "Simply reach out through law enforcement or intelligence channels and ask the local government to arrest them. Unfortunately, there remain a few places in the world in which the host governments have no practical ability to do so—indeed, in some of these places legitimate government authorities face a high risk of being killed if they tried. Yemen is one of these places."

Conflict Terrorism

New Atlanticist

Jan 31, 2020

The Russian threat is scaring Sweden

By Anders Åslund

After Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in February 2014, the Swedish thinking about its defense has changed remarkably. Like most of Europe, Sweden had steadily disarmed for a quarter of a century after the end of the Cold War, and its military expenditure had sunk to 1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Russia’s actions against Ukraine woke Sweden up. Swedes got upset, while the Finns were worried. Together with Poland and the three Baltic states, Sweden has been among the European Union countries most committed to sanctions against Russia over Ukraine.

Defense Policy Northern Europe

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