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.

Russia, Iran Eyed for Solution to Syria War

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

Apr 12, 2018

Russia, Iran Eyed for Solution to Syria War

By Ashish Kumar Sen

As missile strikes are contemplated, France’s ambassador to the United States says political transition in Damascus must be explored The United States and its European allies should explore with Russia and Iran the possibility of a credible political transition in Syria that can end the seven-year war in that country, France’s ambassador to the United […]

France Russia

New Atlanticist

Apr 11, 2018

Missile Strikes on Syria, But Then What?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Atlantic Council’s Frederic C. Hof says Assad will not be deterred by a one-off strike With missile strikes imminent in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria, the looming question is: what next, said Frederic C. Hof, a nonresident senior fellow in the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. “The […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

Apr 10, 2018

Syria: All Eyes on Trump (and His Tweets)

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US President Donald J. Trump is weighing his options as he decides how to respond to an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria. He has not ruled out military strikes. In a tweet on April 11, Trump warned Russia that missiles targeting its ally, Syria, “will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!'”

France Germany

New Atlanticist

Apr 10, 2018

A new era for Uzbekistan

By Aziz Egamov and Rafael Sattarov

Shavkat Mirziyoyev has charted a fiercely independent foreign policy that aims to mend ties with Uzbekistan’s neighbors and boost its economy.

Central Asia

New Atlanticist

Apr 10, 2018

Populists-1, Globalists-0

By Vriddhi Sujan

Fourteen years after Hungary joined the European Union—a celebrated and significant milestone for the post-Communist nation—the country’s deviation from the EU’s shared principles of democracy and freedom is both a source for concern and a warning sign for others following suit.

Hungary

New Atlanticist

Apr 10, 2018

With Democracy in Retreat and Authoritarians Rising, H.R. McMaster Delivered a Historic Call to Action

By Fred Kempe

Atlantic Council President and CEO Fred Kempe reflects on H.R. McMaster’s last public speech as National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster’s last public speech as President Trump’s national security advisor was more of a warning than a valedictory. It was delivered with elegance, passion and power at the Atlantic Council, closing a dinner we […]

Russia

New Atlanticist

Apr 10, 2018

Trump’s Decision to Skip the Summit of the Americas Sends the ‘Wrong Message’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US President Donald J. Trump’s decision not to attend the Summit of the Americas in Peru this week sends the “wrong message” to many of the United States’ friends in Latin America, according to Jason Marczak, director of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. Trump will skip the summit, scheduled for April 13 […]

Latin America Mexico

New Atlanticist

Apr 10, 2018

A Brief History of Chemical Weapons in Syria

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US President Donald J. Trump said on April 9 that he will respond within forty-eight hours to an alleged chemical weapons attack on a Damascus suburb. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has denied responsibility for the attack. Assad was supposed to have given up his chemical weapons under a deal reached in 2013. Here is […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

Apr 9, 2018

Five Questions for Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg

By Klara Jordan and Shaun Ee

In the coming week, Congress will turn its attention to someone who has until now managed to fly under its radar—Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive officer of Facebook. On April 10, Zuckerberg will appear as the sole witness before a joint hearing of two Senate committees—the Judiciary Committee and the Commerce, Science, and Transportation […]

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Apr 9, 2018

Syria: John Bolton’s First Crisis

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Syria presents newly minted US National Security Advisor John Bolton with his first foreign policy crisis. On April 9, hours after US President Donald J. Trump vowed Bashar al-Assad’s regime will pay a “big price” for an alleged chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held Damascus suburb, unidentified jets were reported flying over Lebanon and the […]

Israel Russia

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