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.

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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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

Mar 26, 2020

Winning the peace in Afghanistan

By Shuja Nawaz

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s abortive mission to craft a stable coalition government in Kabul capable of holding peace talks with the Taliban raises fresh concerns about the absence of a clear US strategy for exiting its endless war in Afghanistan

Afghanistan
Conflict

New Atlanticist

Mar 26, 2020

EU greenlights North Macedonia and Albania membership talks: Breakthrough or symbolic gesture?

By Jörn Fleck

"The decision by the EU foreign ministers to open accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania comes at a time when Europe is battling a major public health crisis and is bracing for its economic aftershocks," Dimitar Bechev says. "Keeping enlargement alive speaks volumes about the union’s ability to muddle through."

Democratic Transitions
European Union

New Atlanticist

Mar 25, 2020

What Mexico’s response to H1N1 can teach us about coronavirus and future pandemics

By Pablo Reynoso Brito

While the A(H1N1) and novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crises are different in magnitude and were caused by viruses with different levels of lethality, Mexico’s experience with the A(H1N1) can offer valuable lessons for current disruptions.

Coronavirus
Mexico

New Atlanticist

Mar 25, 2020

Is China winning the coronavirus response narrative in the EU?

By Atlantic Council

With European countries still in the midst of the crisis or anxiously waiting to be hit, it is too soon to tell which narrative will win out in Europe—that of a generous China, whose systems managed to combat the virus, or that of an authoritarian regime, whose initial efforts to cover up the extent of the crisis cost the world valuable preparation time.

China
Coronavirus

New Atlanticist

Mar 25, 2020

Peace Corps faces new challenge with coronavirus

By Clintandra Thompson

But despite the positive momentum of US support for the organization, Peace Corps was hit with a new challenge. On March 15, Peace Corps Director Dr. Jody Olsen made the unsurprising announcement to evacuate all 7,334 Peace Corps Volunteers worldwide due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Coronavirus

New Atlanticist

Mar 24, 2020

The implications of the coronavirus crisis on the global energy sector and the environment

By Jennifer T. Gordon

The current drop in oil demand—caused, in large part, by severe reductions in travel due to the coronavirus—combined with the Saudi-Russia oil price war has simultaneously, if temporarily, lowered greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). However, the drop in GHG emissions is likely to be unsustainable in the long term, and the currently low cost of oil has raised questions about the future of clean energy deployment and climate action.

Coronavirus
Energy & Environment

New Atlanticist

Mar 24, 2020

Ideas for US-India cooperation on trade in the health sector in the time of COVID-19

By Mark Linscott

The coronavirus crisis is precisely the kind of situation that can test the potential for building out the US-India relationship and contributing to a larger global response. Let a new initiative in the US-India partnership begin—one that can contribute to a global response to COVID-19.

Coronavirus
India

New Atlanticist

Mar 24, 2020

Amid coronavirus, a dog eat dog world is back

By Jakub Wiśniewski

The civic anger over this crisis will be directed at political elites. The EU could still get its act together by coordinating national health policies, providing humanitarian relief to most stricken areas, by stopping governments from acting unilaterally to close their borders, and by streamlining fiscal policies aimed at restarting the economies of member states.

Coronavirus
European Union

New Atlanticist

Mar 24, 2020

The Fed ramps up its coronavirus response

By Bart Oosterveld

On March 23, the Fed announced meaningful additional measures to support the US economy, following dire predictions from some senior policymakers over the weekend. In its statements, the Fed restated its commitment to deploy “its full range of tools to support the US economy,” and its next steps do not by any measure exhaust those tools. The Fed, in other words, has multiple “kitchen sinks” to throw at problems.

Coronavirus
Macroeconomics

New Atlanticist

Mar 24, 2020

The 5×5—Minding the cyber talent gap

By Simon Handler

Defending against threats in cyberspace is hard enough, but severe cybersecurity talent deficiencies have consistently made the challenge harder for both public and private sector organizations. Our Cyber Statecraft Initiative experts go 5×5 to dig into the people problem of cybersecurity, its implications, and possible solutions.

Cybersecurity

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