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 Report Shows Global Fiscal Transparency Lagging Behind US Standards

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

Aug 2, 2016

New Report Shows Global Fiscal Transparency Lagging Behind US Standards

By Nathaniel Rome

Developing countries are failing to meet fiscal transparency standards as established by the United States, according to a report released on July 28. The US State Department’s Fiscal Transparency Report—released annually since 2012—details which countries meet the State Department’s minimum fiscal transparency requirements, which countries are making progress towards it, and which countries are making […]

Economy & Business United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Aug 1, 2016

US Airstrikes in Libya Seen as First Step Along Long Path to Defeat ISIS

By Mitch Hulse

The Libyan government must ensure that it can secure, stabilize, and unify the country, even if ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is defeated with the help of US and Europe-backed airstrikes in the North African country, according to the Atlantic Council’s Karim Mezran. “If they succeed in defeating ISIS, but the government […]

International Organizations Libya

New Atlanticist

Jul 29, 2016

NATO’s Trump Card

By Fabrice Pothier

As strange as it seems, both US President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump seem to agree on one thing: European allies don’t spend enough on defense and they need to seriously step up. How they both frame this message is where Obama the statesman and Trump the salesman differ. Since Russia’s annexation […]

Elections European Union

New Atlanticist

Jul 29, 2016

Investment Compact Brings Hope to Niger

By Mitch Hulse

A nearly $450 million investment package from the Millennium Challenge Corporation—an independent US foreign aid agency—for Niger will empower farmers and bolster transit infrastructure in the West African state, improving the livelihoods of more than 3.9 million Nigeriens, according to Niger’s prime minister, Brigi Rafini. The Nigerien government and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) on […]

Economy & Business North & West Africa

New Atlanticist

Jul 28, 2016

France Facing its Biggest Threat Since 1945

By Ashish Kumar Sen

French ambassador to the United States, Gérard Araud, sees ‘a very dark moment’ for his country France, a victim of terrorist attacks for the past nineteen months, is facing its greatest security challenge since World War II, according to Gérard Araud, France’s ambassador to the United States. “It is a very, very dark moment for […]

European Union France

New Atlanticist

Jul 27, 2016

Upcoming Elections Spotlight South Africa’s Worsening Economic Crisis

By Chloë McGrath

South Africa’s upcoming municipal elections on August 3 have brought the country’s economic crisis to the forefront of public discussion. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) party will be striving to maintain its political foothold against the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party as the country continues to deal with a protracted […]

Economy & Business Elections

New Atlanticist

Jul 27, 2016

Europe’s (In)security Challenge

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Cooperation among European law enforcement agencies is a ‘big challenge,’ says Atlantic Council’s Fran Burwell A spate of terrorist attacks across Europe over the past nineteen months has shaken confidence in European security, but has had divergent impacts on the popularity of the leaders of France and Germany, according to the Atlantic Council’s Fran Burwell. […]

France Germany

New Atlanticist

Jul 26, 2016

Will Erdoğan’s Crackdown After Failed Coup Chill Turkey’s EU Dream?

By Mitch Hulse

In the wake of an attempt by factions of the Turkish military to oust Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan from power on the night of July 15, foreign policy experts point to increasing instability and a tightening authoritarian grip as core barriers to the resumption of Turkey’s European Union accession negotiations. “There will be no […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Jul 22, 2016

Brexit Highlights Growth Obstacles in the Eurozone

By Meghan Rowley

The United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union will have a negative impact on the European economy because it creates uncertainty and decreases business confidence for the foreseeable future, according to the International Monetary Fund’s recently updated World Economic Outlook. Beyond uncertainty, experts contend that the outcome of the June 23 vote on a […]

New Atlanticist

Jul 21, 2016

Putting Turkey’s Crackdown in Context

By Ashish Kumar Sen

The Turkish government’s crackdown on its opponents must be seen in the context of the trauma inflicted on the country as a result of the failed coup, but it must not come at the cost of the viability of democratic institutions, according to the Atlantic Council’s Aaron Stein. “In the West, there is this tendency […]

European Union International Organizations

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