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.

A crisis of commitment in the Middle East. But whose?

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

Stay updated

Explore our unique analysis

Fast Thinking

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

Nov 15, 2019

A crisis of commitment in the Middle East. But whose?

By Kirsten Fontenrose

While US actions are causing confusion about Washington's commitment, regional actions are also calling into question the region’s commitment to its relationship with the United States and to its own stability.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Nov 14, 2019

NATO leaders set ambitious agenda for London summit

By David A. Wemer

Edward Ferguson, minister counsellor for defense at the Embassy of the United Kingdom in the United States, said that the Alliance is setting an ambitious agenda for the summit “to show that NATO as a septuagenarian is as fit and virile as ever and to highlight the progress we have made in adapting NATO’s deterrence and defense since the 2014 Wales Summit.”

NATO

New Atlanticist

Nov 14, 2019

Bolivia reflects the deep polarization crisis in Latin America

By David A. Wemer

The departure of former Bolivian President Evo Morales amid allegations of electoral fraud, coupled with political instability in several Latin American countries and the long-standing crisis in Venezuela, means that “the one constant in the region is uncertainty," Jason Marczak says

Democratic Transitions Elections

New Atlanticist

Nov 12, 2019

“Brain-dead” or not “brain-dead”? That is not the question.

By Olivier-Rémy Bel

Macron's interview is not about NATO or the United States, but rather about Europe. His interview reflects deep worries that Europe is gradually being on the menu of global power politics and about the means to ensure that it is at the table instead.

Defense Policy France

New Atlanticist

Nov 7, 2019

We must never stop tearing down walls

By Jakub Wiśniewski

If there is one thing to learn from history it is that no accomplishment is complete or forever. There is always some wall, in literal or figurative sense, being built or rebuilt somewhere.

Central Europe Democratic Transitions

New Atlanticist

Nov 7, 2019

The United States cannot repeat its Syria withdrawal mistake in Afghanistan

By Fatima Salman

President Trump’s sudden withdrawal has opened opportunities for rival powers to exert greater influence in the Middle East and in Afghanistan. Russia and China are swooping in with strategic poise, while Trump’s approach amounts to letting others “fight a little bit.” This is not US leadership, nor will it make the United States safer in an increasingly complex world.

Afghanistan Conflict

New Atlanticist

Nov 6, 2019

What the US learned from the fall of the Wall

By Jasper Gilardi

After forty years of the Iron Curtain and a divided Germany, it was clear that the US president was in no hurry to dance atop the wall and claim victory if it came at the cost of the US vision for a Europe whole and free.

Germany United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Nov 5, 2019

Trump abandons US climate leadership with pact withdrawal

By David A. Wemer

While a disappointment, the United States’ notification of intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement was already largely ‘priced in’ to political discourse and expectations. What matters most now is continued bold leadership—and hard, prosaic work—by the entities that have at least as much control over the future US emissions trajectory as the federal government.

Climate Change & Climate Action United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Nov 4, 2019

Sanctions are effective—if used correctly

By Brian O’Toole

Ilhan Omar is spot on that sanctions are not a one-size fits all solution to the United States’ problems. But her critique of sanctions as a failed tool in the foreign policy playbook misses the mark.

Economic Sanctions

New Atlanticist

Nov 1, 2019

Argentina’s election: The international implications of a Fernández government

By Frederico Fróes

Supporters of President Mauricio Macri hope that the new Fernández government will follow a moderate and pragmatic agenda, yet there is no doubt that it will be a departure from the current course, with regional and international repercussions

Elections International Financial Institutions

Share

Issue briefs and reports