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.

NATO allies have stepped up to help each other during coronavirus emergency

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.

New Atlanticist

Apr 16, 2020

NATO allies have stepped up to help each other during coronavirus emergency

By David A. Wemer

Although the coronavirus pandemic has strained the medical infrastructure and economies of countries across Europe and North America, NATO allies “are coming to the rescue of those in need,” NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană said on April 16. Despite initial focuses on the dire situation within each country’s own borders, Geoană reported that he has seen “this almost natural reaction to come to the assistance of our neighbors.”

Coronavirus
NATO

New Atlanticist

Apr 15, 2020

“Disaster Diplomacy” and the US response to COVID-19

By C. Anthony Pfaff

Global efforts to engage in "disaster diplomacy" during the COVID-19 virus have not met with much success. This failure has as much to do with the nature of the virus as it does with the nature of the response. Getting disaster diplomacy right requires alignment of ends, means, and interests. Otherwise, it risks being perceived as exploitive or ineffective.

Coronavirus
Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Apr 15, 2020

NATO in the fight against coronavirus: Coordinating, contributing, controlling, and communicating

By Conor Rodihan and Connor McPartland

NATO’s proven capabilities to respond to the call of its Allies and support them in times of greatest need ensures that the Alliance will be able to emerge from this crisis strong and ready to take on the next challenge.

Coronavirus
NATO

New Atlanticist

Apr 15, 2020

Sanitizing supply chains can jumpstart coronavirus-ridden transatlantic economy

By Barbara C. Matthews

Transatlantic policymakers must urgently find new ways to address this deepening crisis at the core of the interdependent economy that delivers economic growth and jobs. This requires finding ways right now to reactivate supply chains and increase confidence in supply chain control processes throughout this crisis.

European Union
International Markets

New Atlanticist

Apr 14, 2020

President Duque outlines how Colombia is handling dual coronavirus challenges

By David A. Wemer

For most countries around the world, the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has strained resources and demanded singular attention from policymakers. For Colombia, this new crisis must also be juggled with the ongoing collapse of neighboring Venezuela, which has already seen 2 million Venezuelans seek refuge in Colombia. “We have had to manage two crises at the same time,” President Iván Duque explained on April 14, which forced Colombia to take drastic measures to contain coronavirus earlier than many of its neighbors.

Colombia
Coronavirus

New Atlanticist

Apr 14, 2020

A more coordinated global coronavirus response is needed, Turkish foreign minister argues

By David A. Wemer

Çavuşoğlu cautioned that it is very possible that the pandemic ushers in a “world that is less open, less prosperous, and less free,” but he hoped that effective global leadership would allow the international community to grow stronger. The need for solidarity might even “force us into more multilateralism,” as governments pursue common solutions to the crisis. While many leaders continue to be singularly focused on the situations within their own borders, “we can only eradicate this threat through collective effort,” Çavuşoğlu said. “We must work together.”

Coronavirus
Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Apr 14, 2020

Oil price war ends, but coronavirus demand crisis remains

By Reed Blakemore

The result of the OPEC+ marathon negotiations should help restore some positive market sentiment and possibly firm up something of a price floor over the short term. However, the impact of a month-long price war, amidst deteriorating oil demand, risks eventually drawing the deal into sharp relief over the next few weeks.

Coronavirus
Energy Markets & Governance

New Atlanticist

Apr 14, 2020

Putin concedes defeat in the oil price war

By Anders Åslund

Russia's price war with Saudi Arabia backfired, and Putin's backtracking may signal that he is starting to sour on one of his key officials.

Coronavirus
Oil and Gas

New Atlanticist

Apr 13, 2020

War in peacetime: The state comes roaring back

By Ajay Chhibber

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has brought the state roaring back. As the virus has spread around the world, state control over all aspects of life is now well accepted—just as in a wartime economy—except this time the enemy is an invisible, silent killer disease.

Coronavirus
G20

New Atlanticist

Apr 13, 2020

The IMF and World Bank need to protect smaller countries during the Spring Meetings

By Hung Tran

While many larger economies have passed significant coronavirus relief packages, many middle- and low-income countries are in dire straits—suffering the full impact of the pandemic and global economic crises. World leaders in their meetings need to make decisions to significantly increase the lending capacity of the IMF to meet the urgent needs of these countries.

Coronavirus
International Financial Institutions

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