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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Dive deep into developing stories, guided by continually updated expert analysis that leaves you better informed about the most pressing global issues behind the headlines.

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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

Jan 29, 2018

Bombardier Ruling: Advantage Trudeau

By James Wholley

US International Trade Commission’s ruling boosts Canadian prime minister The surprise ruling by the US International Trade Commission (USITC) in favor of Canadian aerospace manufacturer Bombardier over Boeing, a US firm, should come as a relief to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau whose government has been caught between domestic politics and US President Donald J. […]

United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Jan 29, 2018

Is China’s Plan to Cut Emissions for Real?

By Craig Hart

China’s new emissions trading scheme (ETS) may set the country on a path to achieving its goals outlined in the Paris Agreement, but concerns regarding effective emissions cuts have raised questions about the efficacy of the new policy. In December of 2017, China launched its national greenhouse gas emissions trading market, creating the world’s largest […]

China

New Atlanticist

Jan 29, 2018

How the Harmel Report Helped Build the Transatlantic Security Framework

By Jamie Shea

Last December, NATO commemorated the 50th anniversary of the “Report of the Council on the Future Tasks of the Alliance,” more commonly known as the Harmel Report. Initiated by Pierre Harmel, the former Belgian minister of foreign affairs, the report not only averted permanent damage to the Alliance that could have resulted from policy disagreements […]

NATO Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Jan 25, 2018

US Envoy for Ukraine Negotiations: West Must ‘Keep Increasing the Costs’ for Russia

By Teri Schultz

Even as Russia escalates military action in eastern Ukraine, diplomatic momentum to resolve the nearly four-year-old conflict has diminished, says Kurt Volker, the US special representative for Ukraine negotiations. Pointing to a significant increase in December in violations by Russia of what’s often referred to as the “ceasefire-in-name-only” Minsk agreement, Volker said: “There’s been no […]

Russia Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Jan 25, 2018

Why Trump’s Vow to Cut Off Cash to the Palestinians Could Be Dangerous

By Ashish Kumar Sen

At a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 25, US President Donald J. Trump suggested that he would withhold more aid from the Palestinians and that Israel “will pay” for his decision to agree upfront to recognize Jerusalem as its capital. […]

Israel

New Atlanticist

Jan 24, 2018

Deterring Russian Hacking

By Brian O'Toole and Daniel Fried

The apparent lack of US preparation and defense nearly eighteen months after Russia’s interference in the presidential elections, especially given numerous media reports that Russia aims to interfere in the 2018 US midterm elections, is deeply troubling. We are heartened that Congress has taken up leadership to defend the US electoral process. But notwithstanding its […]

Russia

New Atlanticist

Jan 24, 2018

Erdoğan’s war on the Kurds

By Rachel Ansley

Turkey’s ties with the United States could become casualty of latest offensive Turkey’s military offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria will eventually push the United States to choose between two clashing allies, and “Ankara may not like where US policy ends up,” according to the Atlantic Council’s Aaron Stein. The Turkish operation has deepened […]

Syria Turkey

New Atlanticist

Jan 24, 2018

Brazil’s Lula Suffers a Setback

By Ashish Kumar Sen

An appeals court in Brazil on January 24 upheld the conviction of the country’s former president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on charges of corruption and money laundering. The court’s ruling complicates Lula’s plans to run for a third term in office in the election on October 7. Lula was an early favorite, according to […]

Brazil

New Atlanticist

Jan 24, 2018

What Do the Protesters in Iran Want?

By Mohsen Sazegara

What is driving the protests that have recently rocked Iran and where is this movement headed? As an observer, rather than a political activist, I would formulate the profile of this movement—which the protesters have dubbed the “Iranian national revolution”—as follows.

Iran

New Atlanticist

Jan 23, 2018

The Odd Man Out at Davos?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US President Donald J. Trump to bring America First worldview to forum that espouses globalization On January 26, US President Donald J. Trump is expected to address the World Economic Forum in Davos—a summit that espouses globalization and multilateralism, practices that are diametrically opposed to the president’s America First worldview. Trump will be the first […]

Economy & Business

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