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.

The Fed ramps up its coronavirus response

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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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

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

The 5×5

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

New Atlanticist

Mar 23, 2020

What Latin American countries are doing to confront coronavirus

By David A. Wemer

As governments in North America, Europe, Asia, and around the world continue to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Latin American leaders are stepping up their efforts as cases are beginning to be documented in their countries. Although the number of cases across the region remains mostly lower than the epicenters in Europe and the United States, “we are not letting our guard down,” El Salvador’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexandra Hill Tinoco said on March 23. “No one can guarantee us that it is not going to hit us,” she explained, so every Latin American government is taking the threat seriously.

Central America Colombia

New Atlanticist

Mar 23, 2020

Russia is out of control: The dangerous Mr. Sechin

By Anders Åslund

Russia is out of control. All of a sudden, it has launched an oil price war, even though it is unrealistic that the Kremlin can defeat Saudi Arabia and the United States in such a contest. Saudi Arabia’s population is one-fifth of Russia’s, while holding equivalent international currency reserves. The United States is still a net oil importer, meaning that its economy benefits from low oil prices. Russia, by contrast, is a major oil exporter and is utterly dependent on high oil prices.

Corruption Oil and Gas

New Atlanticist

Mar 23, 2020

Coronavirus could bring the United States’ East Asian allies closer to Beijing

By Miyeon Oh

Amid the continued coronavirus crisis in the US and Europe, companies that were trying to reduce their heavy reliance on China cannot help but reverse their moves to keep their supply chains open and operating.

China Japan

New Atlanticist

Mar 23, 2020

Last time in the waiting room for North Macedonia?

By Teri Schultz

While there may still be a day or two before written EU conclusions seal the political deal, the government of North Macedonia looks forward to the end of this waiting period and the beginning of the rest of its story. With so much gloom in the world right now, it would be an extremely welcome two weeks in Skopje.

European Union The Balkans

New Atlanticist

Mar 23, 2020

The Afghan Peace Process: Where do we go from here?

By Harris Samad

If the last twenty years teach us anything, it is that we do not have the answers for how best to support a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic Afghanistan. Perhaps it’s because we’ve not been asking the right questions.

Afghanistan Conflict

New Atlanticist

Mar 22, 2020

What the G20 needs to do to combat the global coronavirus economic crisis

By Hung Tran

The stakes for the upcoming G20 virtual summit are quite high. Either it succeeds in presenting a plausible global approach to deal with the pandemic and its impact, thus stabilizing public confidence and financial markets, or it can leave the world rudderless in the storm.

Coronavirus G20

The future is here

Mar 20, 2020

California tells 40 million to stay home; coronavirus pace increases

By Atlantic Council

California’s governor ordered 40 million residents to stay at home in an attempt to contain the spread of coronavirus. The number of deaths in the United States has more than quadrupled in the past week, while the pace of infections has accelerated worldwide. Governments from India to the UK stepped up measures to contend with the crisis.

Coronavirus

New Atlanticist

Mar 20, 2020

Amid COVID-19, Iraq remains US-Iran battleground

By Atlantic Council

Americans have been killed once again during attacks on Iraqi bases, and a series of strikes have been made by US forces and Iranian proxies within Iraq, with no immediate sign that the hostilities will abate anytime soon. Iran is trying to force a US withdrawal, and the United States is trying to protect its interests and reinforce its red lines. Caught in the middle once again, Iraq is simultaneously confronting a security crisis, a health emergency, and an economic free fall—all without the benefit of a functioning government in Baghdad.

Conflict Coronavirus

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