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

Dec 6, 2019

Détente in the Gulf?

By Kirsten Fontenrose

The National Security Council’s policy process aimed at designating the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization may accidentally contribute to a resolution of the Gulf rift.

Politics & Diplomacy Terrorism

New Atlanticist

Dec 6, 2019

Afghanistan at a crossroads

By James B. Cunningham

After decades of conflict, today there is at least a prospect that a path to peace in Afghanistan might be opened. At the same time, it seems that once again the country is at a crossroads, with its future to be determined by decisions that will be taken in the coming weeks by Afghans, their partners, and their adversaries. Those decisions can set the stage for further success in the hard struggle of the Afghan people and their elected leaders for the better future they are striving for.

Afghanistan Conflict

New Atlanticist

Dec 6, 2019

Prime minister promises “Sudan will never be the same again”

By David A. Wemer

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok became the first Sudanese leader to travel to Washington, DC in more than thirty years, seeking to win more international support for his transitional government as it tries to guide Sudan towards democracy. “There is a success story that is emerging” in Sudan, Hamdok told an audience at the Atlantic Council on December 5. In a “region full of crises and riddled with conflicts, Sudan provides hope,” Hamdok declared.

Democratic Transitions Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

New Atlanticist

Dec 4, 2019

US legislators: Washington’s support for Ukraine is still strong

By David A. Wemer

While Ukraine remains a primary feature of intense domestic political struggles, several US lawmakers assured on December 4 that support for Ukraine remains ironclad in Washington.

Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Dec 4, 2019

NATO leaders disperse the storm clouds in London

By David A. Wemer

Despite a litany of high-profile disagreements between allies over the last few weeks, the NATO Leaders’ Meeting in London on December 4 “ended on a very positive note,” with a “pretty substantial declaration and agenda for the future,” according to Alexander Vershbow. The meeting, Vershbow observed, “went in like a lion and out like a lamb.”

NATO

New Atlanticist

Dec 3, 2019

Brazil and Argentina surprised by tariff announcement: What comes next?

By Jasper Gilardi

On December 2, US President Donald J. Trump announced that he would impose new tariffs on Brazilian and Argentinian steel and aluminum coming into the United States, a retaliation for alleged currency manipulation, which he claimed was hurting US farmers.

Argentina Brazil

New Atlanticist

Dec 3, 2019

Don’t be fooled: Russia is still NATO’s greatest challenge

By David A. Wemer

“Russia has shown with its actions that it is a serious security threat,” Estonian defense minister Jüri Luik said during a panel discussion on Baltic and Black sea security during the NATO engages event in London on December 3. “For Lithuania, [Russia] is the only external existential threat we have,” added Lithuanian defense minister Raimundas Karoblis.

NATO Northern Europe

New Atlanticist

Dec 3, 2019

Norwegian PM explains how NATO can help combat climate change

By Om Arvind

Solberg admitted that she doesn’t think “we will solve this by our defense part of NATO,” but stressed that NATO leaders can help spur greater action. “What we really have to do,” she said, “is [to] stop climate change [and] make sure that we invest now instead of having to invest a lot in the future to work on the damages. It is much less costly to prevent climate change than it will be to adapt to it – on all levels of our society.”

Climate Change & Climate Action NATO

New Atlanticist

Dec 3, 2019

Trudeau and Rutte say NATO’s future is “bright,” not “brain-dead”

By John Burton

Trudeau said that “NATO has survived for seventy years because we’ve always had frank, real conversations. There have been disagreements that we’ve worked through. There have been differences and prospective differences in priorities that have ended up with a more resilient, more flexible, more agile organization that has adapted to the times we’ve had.”

NATO United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Dec 3, 2019

NATO secretary general: The Alliance is delivering

By Max J. Rosenthal

When French President Emmanuel Macron warned of “the brain death of NATO” last month, it was widely seen as yet another damaging public rift for the Alliance. But NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had a clear message on December 3, one day before NATO leaders meet in London: actions speak louder than words.

NATO

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