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
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 3, 2018

Halting the ‘Caravans’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Addressing push factors is key to stemming flow of unauthorized migrants, says Atlantic Council’s Jason Marczak US President Donald J. Trump on April 3 announced that he would deploy US troops to the border with Mexico to stop the flow of unauthorized migrants into the United States. The comment followed a series of tweets in […]

Central America Mexico

New Atlanticist

Apr 2, 2018

Pork with a Side of Tariffs

By Ashish Kumar Sen

China’s decision to impose tariffs on about $3 billion worth of US imports sent stocks tumbling on April 2 and fueled fears that a trade war—or at the very least a trade skirmish—is imminent. The Chinese tariffs, which went into effect on April 2, target 128 US products, including pork, fruit and nuts, and steel […]

China Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Mar 30, 2018

Angola Needs a New Strategy for Globalization

By Aubrey Hruby

Angola has long had a reputation of being a closed and secretive frontier market. Despite Africa’s emergence as an attractive investment destination over the past fifteen years, opportunities in Angola remained hidden by the isolationist tendencies of its former regime. However, the new president, João Lourenço, is in the process of reintroducing his country to […]

New Atlanticist

Mar 30, 2018

Women Activists from the Western Balkans Fighting for Peace and Gender Equality

By Sabine Freizer

Women have taken on greater roles in peace and security sectors In the Western Balkans since the end of the Yugoslav wars, thanks to government sponsored national action plans. However, a conservative backlash against gender equality now risks undermining these gains. The dynamic in the Western Balkans presents the European Union (EU) and NATO with […]

The Balkans

New Atlanticist

Mar 29, 2018

Sisi’s Second Term Could Be Spent Securing a Third

By Rachel Ansley

To no one’s surprise, Egyptians re-elected President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on March 29 by an overwhelming majority. However, according to an Atlantic Council analyst, one of Sisi’s priorities in his second term may be securing a third. “He has one major issue that I think he will go after in the first couple of years,” […]

North Africa

New Atlanticist

Mar 29, 2018

Is US Policy on Russia Changing?

By Louis Golino

The coordinated move by the United States and two dozen other countries on March 26 to expel more than one hundred Russian diplomats, if followed with additional actions targeted at Russian influence and money, could mark a significant turning point in Washington’s approach towards Russia and help improve relations with its European allies. The expulsion […]

Russia United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Mar 28, 2018

Coordinated Russian Expulsions a Great Start. What Next?

By Brian O'Toole

The announcement of the coordinated expulsion of more than 150 Russian diplomats and intelligence officers from the US, Europe, and other global partners showed what the deft hand of diplomacy can accomplish in countering Russian aggression. The expulsions, declared by allies around on the world on March 25, constituted a direct response to the attempted […]

Russia

New Atlanticist

Mar 28, 2018

In Egypt, Voter Turnout Falls Short

By Elissa Miller

Evidenced by low voter turnout in the presidential election, Egypt’s optimism after the 2011 revolution that ousted strongman Hosni Mubarak has been replaced by apathy amid the rule of a new strongman, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. In Egypt’s third presidential election since the revolution, Sisi ran for his second term as president in the voting […]

North Africa

New Atlanticist

Mar 28, 2018

Here’s What Happened During the Saudi Crown Prince’s International Debut

By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the United States, following on the heels of his trips to the United Kingdom and Egypt, marks his debut on the international stage as the king-in-waiting of a country he could rule for decades. In the United Kingdom and now in the United States, the crown prince, […]

Saudi Arabia

New Atlanticist

Mar 28, 2018

North Korea’s Claims to Denuclearize ‘Almost Certainly’ Empty Promises

By Rachel Ansley

Though North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged his country’s commitment to denuclearization in a secret meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, it is unlikely that his sentiments are sincere. According to Jamie Metzl, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, North Korea will “almost certainly,” ultimately refuse to give […]

Korea

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