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
Mar 6, 2025

How European leaders are responding to Trump’s approach to Ukraine and Europe

From London and Berlin to Paris and Brussels, European leaders have taken several notable steps this week on security. This follows the blow-up between the Ukrainian and US presidents on February 28.

New Atlanticist
Feb 26, 2025

Why the US should not lift sanctions against Russia

By
Charles Lichfield

Sanctions are having an unmistakable effect, albeit below the inflated expectations of many in the West in early 2022. Lifting them now would be a mistake.

Conflict
Economic Sanctions

New Atlanticist
Mar 5, 2025

The Egyptian plan for postwar Gaza is a good starting point—but it needs changes

By
Thomas S. Warrick

While many obstacles remain, the Egyptian proposal could form the starting point for negotiations over a workable plan for postwar Gaza.

Conflict
Crisis Management

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New Atlanticist

Mar 8, 2018

Trump’s Tough Approach to Ethiopia

By Rachel Ansley

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson traveled to Ethiopia this week to underscore US support for a crucial partner that finds itself in a crisis. Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigned unexpectedly on February 15 in the wake of violent anti-government protests. The government then imposed a nationwide state of emergency that lawmakers endorsed earlier […]

Ethiopia

New Atlanticist

Mar 8, 2018

The Electoral Crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina

By Majda Ruge

Last week, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Zeljana Zovko appealed through the Atlantic Council’s New Atlanticist blog to the US administration for greater engagement on the politically contentious issue of electoral reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), as closed-door negotiations between political parties continue. As a former BiH diplomat and an elected MEP from […]

The Balkans

New Atlanticist

Mar 8, 2018

A Tale of Two Transitions

By Ellen Scholl

Germany may have gained a grand coalition this week, but it lost one of the champions of its clean energy transition—the Energiewende—with the resignation of former State Secretary for Energy Rainer Baake. The Grand Coalition between Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD) was approved by the SPD voters by a margin […]

Germany

New Atlanticist

Mar 8, 2018

Angela Merkel: Time for a Legacy

By Frances G. Burwell

Now that the new German government has been approved by the political parties and can finally begin work, it is time for Angela Merkel to think about her own agenda for the next few years. At the start of her fourth—and presumably last—term as chancellor, she is politically weaker than she has been before, and […]

European Union Germany

New Atlanticist

Mar 7, 2018

Here’s How the United States and Europe Should Counter Disinformation

By Rachel Ansley

Any US or European response to the ongoing issue of disinformation must not exploit the openness of a democratic society, but work within its boundaries to ensure transparency of information, according to the Atlantic Council’s Daniel Fried. “We have to fight disinformation within the norms of our government,” said Fried, a distinguished fellow in the […]

Russia

New Atlanticist

Mar 7, 2018

Italian Election Puts Europe in Uncharted Waters

By Louis Golino

Italy’s March 5 parliamentary election, in which anti-establishment parties won half of the vote, has caused a political earthquake with the potential to reshape Italy, Europe’s future, and even how populism impacts democracy. Traditional political forces on the left and center are foundering. What will take their place remains to be seen both within Italy […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Mar 7, 2018

Shots Fired: EU Takes Aim at Peanut Butter as Trump Targets Steel

By Ashish Kumar Sen

What do bourbon, Levi’s jeans, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, peanut butter, cranberries, and orange juice have in common? The European Union (EU) has threatened to impose retaliatory duties on all of these US products if US President Donald J. Trump goes ahead with his controversial plan to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

Economy & Business European Union

New Atlanticist

Mar 6, 2018

Are Trump’s Tariffs Aimed at the WTO?

By Rachel Ansley

Does US President Donald J. Trump’s startling and widely panned declaration to impose new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports set the stage for the United States’ exit from the World Trade Organization (WTO)? Jennifer Hillman, a fellow at the Institute of International Economic Law, seems to think so. Trump’s maneuvering indicates that he “would […]

Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Mar 6, 2018

Can The West Be Saved?

By Stanley Sloan

An unholy alliance of Russia, the Islamic State, and far-right Western politicians and political movements is threatening democracies in the West. The Western populists—playing off fears created by the Islamic State and cooperating both formally and less openly with Russia—seek to move democracies in the West away from a political system that is based on […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Mar 6, 2018

It’s Time for Trump to Test North Korea

By Ashish Kumar Sen

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has, in a surprise move, reportedly agreed to suspend nuclear and missile tests and start talks with the United States on dismantling his nuclear weapons. Both were prerequisites set by US President Donald J. Trump’s administration before it would agree to an initial, exploratory meeting. US President Donald J. Trump […]

Korea

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