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.

Sanctions are effective—if used correctly

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

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.

Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion

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

Argentina Elections

New Atlanticist

Nov 1, 2019

Iraq’s government cannot reform itself

By Samir Sumaidaie

The Iraqi government, as it is constituted now and despite all past and present promises and claims to the contrary, does not have the political will or the capacity to deliver good governance. That is why the first demand of the protesters is for the government to step aside and be replaced—hopefully peacefully by constitutional steps—by an emergency administration.

Democratic Transitions Iraq

New Atlanticist

Oct 30, 2019

Transforming the international order: US leadership or bust

By Jasper Gilardi

While many nations throughout the globe have seen new levels of peace and prosperity under the rules-based order that the United States and its allies built in the wake of the Second World War, “not everybody accepts those principles and values that have been the foundation of that system,” according to former US National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley.

China International Financial Institutions

New Atlanticist

Oct 30, 2019

Building support for US global engagement

By Stephen B. Heintz

It is in our own best interest—and the interest of a peaceful and prosperous future for the world—that our diplomacy and the example of our democracy once again become our greatest strengths. That is the message we need to convey to the American people.

Politics & Diplomacy United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Oct 30, 2019

By blocking enlargement decision, Macron undercuts France’s Balkan goals

By Loic Tregoures

By strongly supporting the government of North Macedonia from the start and granting it the opening of negotiations, it would have been possible to create a virtuous circle in the region and kill four birds with one stone. President Macron chose to do exactly the opposite.

European Union France

New Atlanticist

Oct 29, 2019

A most peculiar general election

By John M. Roberts

Perhaps the most important question of all, as current polling suggests, is whether voter support for Brexit or determination to see the UK remaining within the European Union proves more important than traditional party allegiance.

Elections European Union

Conflict, Risk, and Tech

Oct 28, 2019

The zero-day war? How cyber is reshaping the future of the most combustible conflicts

By Simon Handler

Conventional wisdom would suggest that scaled-up capabilities, growing competition, and the proliferation of malware across cyberspace presents a legitimate risk of escalation in state conflict, transcending the cyber domain toward the kinetic. However, recent history has shown that states have more often availed themselves of their offensive cyber arsenals to achieve surprisingly de-escalatory effects.

Cybersecurity Iran

New Atlanticist

Oct 28, 2019

Five takeaways from the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

By William F. Wechsler

This is a serious but not fatal blow to the Islamic State, and the generational conflict against Salafi jihadist organizations is far from over. The Islamic State's center of gravity will increasingly be its narrative pull rather than its claim to represent a governing caliphate.

Conflict Extremism

New Atlanticist

Oct 25, 2019

Transport infrastructure in southern Mexico and Guatemala: A step toward development

By María Fernanda Pérez Arguello & Pablo Reynoso Brito

Transport infrastructure development in Southern Mexico and Guatemala can boost local economic development and reduce migration by creating local economic opportunities for citizens.

Central America Mexico

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