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.

A Brief History of Chemical Weapons in Syria

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 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

New Atlanticist

Apr 8, 2018

Assad May Have Just Tested Trump’s Chemical Weapons Red Line

By Frederic C. Hof

If the reported Assad regime attack on civilians in a suburb of Damascus is as it appears to be—a chemical assault with something much stronger than chlorine—then it is more than the mass murder business-as-usual of a rogue government: it is a signal of utter contempt for the United States and a real challenge to […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

Apr 6, 2018

US Sanctions on Oligarchs Send a Warning to Russia

By Daniel Fried

The Trump administration’s latest Russia sanctions package is solid and strong. It hits oligarchs tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin and their associated companies, two “golden children” (corrupt and privileged children of the Putin elite), Rosoboroneksport (the Russian arms firm), and selected officials. While leaving plenty of room for escalation, the new package also avoids […]

Russia

New Atlanticist

Apr 6, 2018

With New Sanctions the US Treasury Goes after Putin’s Inner Circle

By Anders Åslund

Sanctions imposed by the US Treasury on thirty-eight Russian individuals and entities on April 6 essentially correspond to Section 241 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Officially, the designations hit seven Russian oligarchs and twelve companies belonging to them, seventeen senior Russian government officials, and a state-owned Russian weapons trading company together […]

Russia

New Atlanticist

Apr 6, 2018

Trump Administration Targets Russian Oligarchs

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US President Donald J. Trump’s administration on April 6 slapped sanctions on seven oligarchs with close ties to Vladimir Putin, including the Russian president’s son-in-law and a businessman with ties to Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort. The sanctions are “in response to the totality of the Russian government’s ongoing and increasingly brazen pattern of […]

Russia

New Atlanticist

Apr 5, 2018

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Even If Viktor Orbán Loses Sunday, Hungarian Democracy Is Still In Trouble

By Jeffrey Gedmin

Six weeks ago, the ruling conservative-nationalist Fidesz party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was delivered a stunning defeat. The southern city of Hódmezővásárhely—population, roughly 45,000—had been governed by Fidesz mayors since 1990. The party’s candidate this time was projected to win handily, by about twenty points. Yet, that was approximately the margin of victory […]

Hungary

New Atlanticist

Apr 5, 2018

Shrinking the Pie: The US-China Tariff War Could Get a Whole Lot Worse

By Marie Kasperek

You think that China’s decision to impose tariffs on $3 billion worth of US exports in response to US tariffs is bad? Things are about to get a whole lot worse—potentially. If US President Donald J. Trump’s administration imposes additional tariffs on Chinese products worth about $50 billion—as it has pledged to do—China is poised […]

China Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Apr 4, 2018

A Blueprint for US Strategy in the Baltics

By Damon Wilson

Since regaining independence, the Baltic states have transformed themselves into some of Europe’s most dynamic economies with some of the fastest growth rates in Europe. Baltic societies are highly digitized and connected to the outside world. They are also committed to democratic values of openness, human rights, and rule of law. Today, these accomplishments face […]

NATO Northern Europe

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