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.

Costa Rica’s new president has his work cut out

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 18, 2018

Costa Rica’s new president has his work cut out

By Alberto Matamoros

Carlos Alvarado Quesada’s election as president of Costa Rica on April 1, which defied every recent opinion poll, marks the rejection by Costa Ricans of fundamentalist populism. The thirty-eight-year-old ruling party candidate—a former labor minister, musician, journalist, and novelist—won 60 percent of the vote. Despite taking place amidst rampant corruption, rising crime and inequality, and […]

New Atlanticist

Apr 18, 2018

From Steel Tariffs to an Awesome Trade Deal

By Frances G. Burwell

US President Donald J. Trump’s imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports into the United States has been a significant blow to the US-European Union (EU) economic partnership, but this episode also offers a real opportunity. Though the EU has been exempted from penalties until May 1, the mere prospect of future tariffs has […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Apr 17, 2018

Beyond Syria: Moscow’s Objectives in the Middle East

By Stephen Blank

Syria’s civil war has come close to provoking direct kinetic clashes between the United States and Russia. Yet, despite the urgency to understand both sides’ goals, hardly anyone is assessing Russia’s overall objectives in the Middle East. Syria might be the most urgent issue of what the late Zbigniew Brzezinski called the Eurasian Balkans, but […]

Middle East Russia

New Atlanticist

Apr 16, 2018

Five Questions That Mark Zuckerberg Answered—And One That He Did Not

By Shaun Ee

After testifying to lawmakers in the US House of Representatives and the Senate for more than ten hours on April 10 and 11, Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg appears to have weathered the worst of storm over news that consulting firm Cambridge Analytica harvested data of 87 million Facebook users. Here are some issues […]

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Apr 16, 2018

Updating Government: Estonia’s Mastery of Digital Statecraft

By Shaun Ee

When asked about her country’s establishment of overseas “data embassies” to back up its data, Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid replied: “There’s nothing about the technology that’s interesting.” In a country known for making policy leaps and bounds in the digital realm, progress can easily be mistaken for technical know-how. However, important as technological innovation is, […]

Northern Europe

New Atlanticist

Apr 16, 2018

Emmanuel Macron: The Trump Whisperer?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

French President Emmanuel Macron said in a television interview on April 15 that he convinced US President Donald J. Trump not to withdraw troops from Syria. “Ten days ago, President Trump was saying ‘the United States should withdraw from Syria.’ We convinced him it was necessary to stay for the long term,” Macron said in […]

European Union France

New Atlanticist

Apr 15, 2018

Strikes Will Not Change Assad’s Calculus

By Ashish Kumar Sen

There is no evidence that US President Donald J. Trump has any intention of changing Bashar al-Assad’s calculus in Syria, according to H.A. Hellyer, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. US, British, and French forces conducted airstrikes on chemical weapons facilities in Syria on April 14. […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

Apr 14, 2018

Syria: Mission Accomplished?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

The morning after US, French, and British jets targeted chemical weapons facilities in Syria, US President Donald J. Trump took to Twitter to declare “Mission Accomplished.” That declaration—the two words that former US President George W. Bush came to regret—has left many scratching their heads. “I found the comment itself puzzling because I don’t know […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

Apr 14, 2018

World Reaction to Strikes on Syria

By Ashish Kumar Sen

The United States, the United Kingdom, and France on April 13 launched strikes on Syria in retaliation for a suspected chemical weapons attack which they blamed on Bashar al-Assad’s regime. While US Defense Secretary James Mattis described the strikes as a “one-time” shot, the Western allies warned more strikes could come in the event of […]

France Germany

New Atlanticist

Apr 14, 2018

The United States, Britain, and France Launch Strikes on Syria

By Ashish Kumar Sen

The United States and its European allies have launched strikes against Syria in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack blamed on Bashar al-Assad’s regime. US President Donald J. Trump announced the strikes on April 13. In remarks at the White House, Trump said he had “ordered the United States Armed Forces to launch precision […]

Syria

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