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.

Questions and certainties in the killing of Qasem Soleimani

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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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

Jan 3, 2020

Questions and certainties in the killing of Qasem Soleimani

By Borzou Daragahi

Just as certainly, the United States’ failing Iran policy has not made Iran militarily weaker or reined in its actions. But it has alienated and frightened US friends in Europe and Asia, who gaped with the same shock at the assassination of Soleimani as the crowd watching King Joffrey order the beheading of Eddard Stark on Game of Thrones.

Conflict Iran

New Atlanticist

Jan 3, 2020

Iraq’s parliament may be about to do President Trump a big fat favor

By Kirsten Fontenrose

The biggest favor the Iraqi Parliament can do for US President Donald J. Trump right now is to vote to evict the United States from Iraq. The US president has been clear on his preference for drawing down the US presence in the region rather than beefing it up. Right now, he is asking his advisers why the United States should stay in Iraq, where the two stated missions are to train the Iraqi Security Forces and conduct counterterrorism operations.

Conflict Iran

New Atlanticist

Jan 3, 2020

Soleimani killing threatens to break open US-Iranian conflict

By David A. Wemer

The assassination of a top Iranian military official in Iraq on January 2 is the most dramatic step yet in the ongoing escalation between the United States and Iran in the Middle East.

Conflict Iran

New Atlanticist

Jan 1, 2020

New low in US-Iraq relations: What’s next for 2020

By Abbas Kadhim

The attention on Iraq will shift away from the protesters and the reforms they are calling for to the “more newsworthy” events in the Green Zone and the aftermath of the attack on the US Embassy.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

New Atlanticist

Dec 31, 2019

US strikes in Iraq and Syria: Managing the escalation

By C. Anthony Pfaff

It is a very bad idea to turn Iraq into a battlefield (again). However, it is a worse idea to let Tehran use certain militias to continue to derail Iraq’s recovery, reconciliation, and reconstruction. It is certainly the case that the United States will have to accept a role for Iran in Iraq; however, the Iranians will likewise have to accept a role for the United States. If they do not, then the fault for turning Iraq into a battlefield lies with them.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

New Atlanticist

Dec 29, 2019

Experts react: United States retaliates against Iran-backed forces in Iraq and Syria

By Atlantic Council

The United States launched a series of airstrikes against the Iranian-backed group Kata'ib Hezbollah in Iraq and Syria on December 29, 2019.

Conflict Iraq

New Atlanticist

Dec 24, 2019

Saudi failure to convict Saud al-Qahtani is glaring

By Kirsten Fontenrose

For a purported lack of sufficient evidence, Saud al-Qahtani was not even brought to trial. This tells us one of three things: One, Saudi Arabia no longer values its relationship with the United States; two, the US intelligence community sees greater value in monitoring al-Qahtani’s activities than in seeing him imprisoned; or three, the Saudi court system is, impressively, more evidence-based than we knew.

Saudi Arabia

New Atlanticist

Dec 23, 2019

2019: A year in the world

By Om Arvind and David A. Wemer

2019 was a year full of diplomatic breakthroughs, dramatic elections, and daunting new challenges on the global stage. Here is a look back at the biggest moments of 2019 and what our Atlantic Council experts had to say about them:

Africa Americas

New Atlanticist

Dec 23, 2019

The Korea conundrum

By Robert A. Manning, Patrick O’Reilly

Imminent missile, and possibly nuclear, tests will heighten tensions and war fears on the Korean Peninsula. To keep Pyongyang’s capabilities in perspective, this graphic, updated as developments warrant, shows that North Korea still has additional work to do before it has a reliable, operational ICBM that can reach the United States.

Korea Nuclear Nonproliferation

New Atlanticist

Dec 20, 2019

Russia’s strategic interests and tools of influence in the Western Balkans

By Dimitar Bechev

The Western Balkans are part and parcel of Russia’s strategy to establish itself as a first-rate player in European security affairs, along with other major states such as Germany, France, and the UK. Since the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, the region has been at the forefront of debates on critical issues such as transatlantic relations, the EU’s security and defense policy, and NATO/EU enlargement. Having a foothold in the Balkans means having a say on those strategic matters, which are of direct consequence to Russia.

Russia The Balkans

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