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.

Coordinated Russian Expulsions a Great Start. What Next?

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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Our experts decipher and annotate major speeches and policy documents to break down big ideas and lay them out in plain language.

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

New Atlanticist

Mar 28, 2018

Kissing the ring: Kim pledges denuclearization after meeting with China’s Xi

By Robert A. Manning

Overnight, China ended the mystery and intrigue of its secret visitor: Yes, it was North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, making his first foreign trip to Beijing. While there, Kim pledged a commitment to North Korean denuclearization. Kim said: “It is our consistent stand to be committed to denuclearization in accordance with the will of […]

China Korea

New Atlanticist

Mar 26, 2018

The President’s Scorecard

By Mirette F. Mabrouk

Egyptians are going to the polls to vote in a presidential election for the third time since the uprisings of 2011. The act of voting for a president who could, ostensibly, be voted out was a novelty. Hosni Mubarak served five six-year terms before stepping down in February of 2011, and Egyptians were keen on […]

North Africa

New Atlanticist

Mar 26, 2018

White House Joins European Allies, Expels Russians Over UK Poisoning

By Rachel Ansley

By expelling sixty Russians from the United States and closing the Russian consulate in Seattle, the administration of US President Donald J. Trump has made a decisive move against the Kremlin for its attack in the United Kingdom (UK). These actions were taken alongside announcements from fifteen European countries that they, too, would expel Russian […]

Russia

New Atlanticist

Mar 23, 2018

The Populist Challenge to the Liberal International Order

By Jeffrey A. Stacey

Right-wing populism constitutes a sustained challenge to the seventy-year-old so-called liberal international order, a postwar construction of a body of ideas, laws, and cross-border security arrangements that have allowed the Western world to prosper while promoting general values of democracy, openness, and the rule of law. A deep backlash to the liberal order has already […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Mar 23, 2018

On the Issues: Bolton vs. McMaster

By Ashish Kumar Sen and Rachel Ansley

US President Donald J. Trump announced on March 22 that John R. Bolton will take over as the next US national security advisor on April 9. Here’s a look at some of Bolton’s positions on key foreign policy issues over the years, contrasted with those of his predecessor, LTG H.R. Mcmaster.

New Atlanticist

Mar 22, 2018

McMaster Out. Bolton In.

By Ashish Kumar Sen

John R. Bolton, a former US ambassador to the United Nations known for his hawkish foreign policy views, will replace LTG H.R. McMaster as US President Donald J. Trump’s new National Security Advisor. Trump made the personnel announcement in a tweet on the evening of March 22. The decision to replace McMaster comes nine days […]

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