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.

Georgia’s European Choice ‘Irreversible,’ says Georgian Prime Minister

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

Sep 14, 2016

Georgia’s European Choice ‘Irreversible,’ says Georgian Prime Minister

By Ashish Kumar Sen

In an election season in which Georgia’s NATO aspirations have been hotly debated, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili insists that his country’s European choice is “irreversible.” “An overwhelming majority of the people of Georgia consider the goal of joining EU and NATO to be a necessity that will lead to a higher standard of democracy, […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Sep 14, 2016

Culture Under Threat: Odesa Philharmonic Orchestra as Case Study

By Vladislav Davidzon

In the last two years, it has become routine to acknowledge that the Maidan revolution unleashed torrents of creative energy in Ukraine. Myriad articles have been written about the ferment of cultural activity taking place across every discipline. Yet classic cultural institutions and performing arts groups continue to face many of the same problems they […]

Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Sep 13, 2016

White House Hopeful India Will Ratify Paris Climate Deal This Year

By Rachel Ansley

The White House is optimistic that India, a major polluter, will this year ratify the Paris climate agreement, increasing the likelihood that the deal that is intended to cut greenhouse gas emissions will come into effect before US President Barack Obama leaves office in January of 2017. “We are very, very committed to seeing this […]

Climate Change & Climate Action Energy & Environment

New Atlanticist

Sep 13, 2016

Moldova’s Prime Minister Committed to a Pro-Europe Path

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip said his government is committed to European integration and expressed the hope that the country’s next president will share that same commitment. Moldova will hold its first direct presidential elections on October 30. Like in past elections, this one has split voters between pro-Europe and pro-Russia candidates. “I hope that […]

Moldova Russia

New Atlanticist

Sep 13, 2016

President Rahmon Takes Tajikistan Down a Dangerous Path

By Jeanne Fréchède

Faced with a weak economy and a resurgent Taliban across the border in Afghanistan, Tajikistan’s president, Emomali Rahmon, has employed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s counterterrorism rhetoric to justify repressive political and religious policies that he is using to silence his opponents. Frequently portrayed by commentators and analysts as being at risk of imminent collapse, Rahmon’s […]

New Atlanticist

Sep 9, 2016

Iran Seen Abiding by Terms of Nuclear Deal

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Iran is living up to the commitments it made as part of a nuclear agreement reached with six world powers in 2015, a senior State Department official said on September 9. “On the nuclear side, so far, Iran has lived up to its commitments, and that’s a good thing,” said Chris Backemeyer, deputy assistant secretary […]

Iran

New Atlanticist

Sep 6, 2016

It’s Too Soon to Write Off Angela Merkel

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Angela Merkel has acknowledged that the setback her party suffered in elections in an eastern state this past weekend was a repudiation of her welcome to Syrian migrants, but the Atlantic Council’s Fran Burwell said backing away from this controversial policy will only hurt the German chancellor further. “The voters would be more skeptical of […]

European Union Germany

New Atlanticist

Sep 2, 2016

Obama Makes Final Asia Trip Amid Questions About US Reliability

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US President Barack Obama’s final official trip to Asia comes amid uncertainty over the future of a signature trade pact aimed at preventing China from setting the rules of global trade and at a time when Beijing has shown an increasing willingness to challenge US power. Obama, who has described himself as the first Pacific […]

China

New Atlanticist

Sep 1, 2016

What Does Dilma Rousseff’s Impeachment Mean for Brazil?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Brazil’s Senate on August 31 impeached President Dilma Rousseff, the country’s first female president, on the grounds that she had manipulated the budget to conceal growing economic problems. Jason Marczak, director of the Latin America Economic Growth Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, discussed the implications of the impeachment for Brazil’s […]

Brazil

New Atlanticist

Sep 1, 2016

The UN Goes to South Sudan. Here’s What to Expect.

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Divided Security Council diplomats will likely deliver mixed messages on a rare visit to Juba, said Atlantic Council’s J. Peter Pham A sharply divided United Nations Security Council will likely end up delivering mixed messages this week on a rare visit to South Sudan—a nation that is once more on the brink of full-blown civil […]

East Africa International Organizations

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