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.

Five takeaways from the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

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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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

Oct 28, 2019

Five takeaways from the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

By William F. Wechsler

This is a serious but not fatal blow to the Islamic State, and the generational conflict against Salafi jihadist organizations is far from over. The Islamic State's center of gravity will increasingly be its narrative pull rather than its claim to represent a governing caliphate.

Conflict Extremism

New Atlanticist

Oct 25, 2019

Transport infrastructure in southern Mexico and Guatemala: A step toward development

By María Fernanda Pérez Arguello & Pablo Reynoso Brito

Transport infrastructure development in Southern Mexico and Guatemala can boost local economic development and reduce migration by creating local economic opportunities for citizens.

Mexico Migration

New Atlanticist

Oct 24, 2019

The 10 percent margin: Understanding Bolivia’s contested presidential election

By Sarah Hennessey

With tensions running high on the streets of Bolivia and the inside the Palacio Quemado, the next few days will be critical for the democratic institutions of Bolivia.

Democratic Transitions Elections

New Atlanticist

Oct 23, 2019

Combating everyday falsehoods

By David A. Wemer

From false headlines about veteran benefit cuts to broad campaigns discrediting climate science, the spread of fake or misleading information online has disrupted democratic societies around the world.

Disinformation

New Atlanticist

Oct 23, 2019

EDA soon to launch new financing mechanism for boosting multination defense projects

By Brooks Tigner

Despite its bland name the CFM will operate on a radical premise, one that has never been tried before at national or EU level (or among NATO allies for that matter), namely: to function as a platform where Europe’s defense ministries can systematically borrow either from the EU’s official bank or lend their own defense monies to each another for multinational capability efforts.

Defense Policy European Union

New Atlanticist

Oct 23, 2019

Can Beijing export its manipulation of information?

By David A. Wemer

While censorship and propaganda have long been features of Chinese domestic politics, Beijing is ramping up its information operations abroad.

China Disinformation

New Atlanticist

Oct 23, 2019

Tsars and pharaohs: Leadership in the next era of great power competition

By Will O'Brien

The first Russia-Africa Summit will be cohosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi; a strategic choice by Putin that should concern advocates for democratic values around the world. Putin’s gesture to Sisi is his attempt to reinstate this alignment and show support for Sisi’s style of leadership.

Democratic Transitions Middle East

New Atlanticist

Oct 23, 2019

October 23, 1983: Then and now

By Frederic C. Hof

The needless deaths of 241 Americans in October 1983 and the ill-considered expectation of a “cake walk” in Iraq nearly twenty years later would combine, in the minds of many Americans, to create the belief that the United States can do nothing right in the Middle East; that it is a place of “sand and death” best left to its inhabitants and their neighbors.

Iran Middle East

New Atlanticist

Oct 22, 2019

Brexit hits another snag as Parliament blocks Johnson’s fast track

By John M. Roberts

It is hard to escape the conclusion that the bill was not only being rushed because Boris Johnson wanted to deliver on his promise that Britain will quit the European Union on October 31 but in very large part because the Government did not want the bill to undergo any detailed examination.

European Union United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Oct 22, 2019

With nuclear stakes, the world cannot afford Russian obfuscation

By Doug Klain

Purposeful misinformation and obfuscation of the truth puts the world at risk of dangerous miscalculation from policy makers, and the Russian government’s response to its most recent nuclear accident does not inspire confidence.

Crisis Management International Norms

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