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.

Syria Just Backed Russia’s Illegal Occupation of Georgian Regions

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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New Atlanticist

Jun 7, 2018

Syria Just Backed Russia’s Illegal Occupation of Georgian Regions

By Mikheil Janelidze

Last week, Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria illegally recognized Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (so-called South Ossetia), two historic regions of Georgia, as independent states. This was done undoubtedly at the behest of Assad’s main patron—Russia. With this act, the Assad regime declared its support for Russia’s military aggression against Georgia, the illegal occupation of Abkhazia and […]

Russia Syria

New Atlanticist

Jun 7, 2018

How Russia Exploits Japan’s Soft Approach

By Maria Shagina

Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 tested Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ability to strike a balance between the G7 and Moscow. On one hand, Japan, as a G7 member, is expected to join the international community in its condemnation of Russia’s meddling in Ukraine. On the other, Japan values its relationship with Russia, which […]

Japan Russia

New Atlanticist

Jun 6, 2018

The G7 Summit in the Age of Trump

By Joshua Kadish

As the world awaits the much-anticipated summit between US President Donald J. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12, the president must first prepare for another important meeting: the G7.

France Germany

New Atlanticist

Jun 6, 2018

NATO Allies Poised to Sign Off on US Plan to Deter Russian Aggression

By Brooks Tigner

BRUSSELS – The expected nod by allied defense ministers on June 7 for a new “readiness initiative” to deter aggression against NATO’s home territory will set in motion a reactive capability that the Alliance has not seen since the end of the Cold War, according to allied officials. “This is big stuff, it involves no […]

NATO Russia

New Atlanticist

Jun 6, 2018

Iran: What Next?

By Peter Westmacott

There were few surprises when US President Donald J. Trump announced on May 8 that the United States was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. The United States and the other four permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, plus Germany, and the European Union negotiated the agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive […]

European Union International Organizations

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Jun 5, 2018

Slovenians First!

By Jeffrey Gedmin

Getting to the bottom of European populism In the early 1990s, Cologne hotelier Werner Peters would stuff his car full of donated clothes and toys and head south to Slovenia. The ten-hour drive would bring him and his supplies to refugees fleeing war in nearby Bosnia, a conflict engineered by strong man Slobodan Milošević, whose vision […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Jun 5, 2018

The United States Needs its Friends

By Daniel Fried

Sometimes, even the United States needs friends. On September 10, 2001, the National Security Council staff where I then worked had in mind a whole other week from the one we got. Early on September 12, I was in Condoleezza Rice’s office as she worked to get our allies to invoke NATO’s Article 5 defense […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Jun 4, 2018

The United States Remains a Beacon for Moldova

By Cristina Balan

Ronald Reagan was fond of comparing the United States to “a shining ‘city on a hill.’” Today, some American friends tell me that phrase strikes them as shopworn or cliché. But for many in Eastern Europe who remain under Russian domination, it still rings true. The United States’ example of security through strength, democracy, free […]

Moldova Russia

New Atlanticist

Jun 4, 2018

Fighting the Wrong War? Reaching the Right Peace? Trump’s Foreign Policy Unleashed

By Frederick Kempe

So, this is how the world looks when President Trump follows his gut. This is what you get when the president has top advisers who do more to channel his energies (doing deals, righting trade wrongs, unraveling the Obama years) than to challenge his worst instincts (punish ungrateful allies, obsess on trade deficits, mistake tactics […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Jun 1, 2018

Making China Great Again

By Marie Kasperek

US tariffs on the EU, Mexico, and Canada are a gift to Beijing As US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross arrives in Beijing on June 2 for talks on the future of the Sino-American trade relationship, he comes bearing a gift: freshly issued tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the European Union (EU), Canada, and […]

Economy & Business European Union

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