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

Jul 21, 2016

India and the NSG: Unfinished Business

By Rakesh Sood

This article is part of a series. The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) plenary meeting in Seoul ended on June 24 without resolving India’s request to join the group. The final statement issued at the conclusion of the meeting lacked an explicit reference to India’s application to join or an outline for a future course of […]

China India

New Atlanticist

Jul 20, 2016

India’s Nuclear Suppliers Group Conundrum

By T.P. Sreenivasan

This article is part of a series. For India, nuclear disarmament has always been an article of faith, arising from the country’s vision of a world without nuclear weapons and free of violence. Nonproliferation and arms control measures were the initial phase of disarmament, at best, and instruments of perpetual discrimination, at worst. The saga […]

India Nuclear Nonproliferation

New Atlanticist

Jul 19, 2016

Terror in Nice: Another Challenge to Transatlantic Leadership

By Jan M. Lodal

The deadly attack in Nice on the evening of July 14 made clear the difficulty of preventing such lone-wolf acts of terrorism. But that doesn’t mean that nothing can or should be done. I was with my wife, Elizabeth, in the middle of the attack in Nice on the night when eighty-four people were killed […]

France

New Atlanticist

Jul 19, 2016

Three Questions About the African Union Mission in South Sudan

By Kelsey Lilley

The African Union (AU) announced on July 19 that it will deploy a peacekeeping force to South Sudan, which recently descended into a new round of bloodletting, shortly after celebrating its fifth independence anniversary. Violence began two weeks ago, as government and opposition forces clashed in the country’s capital, Juba. At least two hundred people, […]

East Africa

New Atlanticist

Jul 19, 2016

European Commission to the United Kingdom: Begin Exit Negotiations Swiftly

By Mitch Hulse

The new British government must quickly begin the process of negotiating the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union in order to alleviate market uncertainty, according to a top European Commission official. “From the European Commission’s viewpoint, we are calling on the British government to come up with a proposal to begin exit negotiations without […]

Elections Europe & Eurasia

New Atlanticist

Jul 18, 2016

Wanted: A Measured Response to Turkey’s Post-Coup Attempt Crackdown

By Ashish Kumar Sen

The United States and Europe must have a measured response to developments in Turkey where a failed coup has been followed by a swift and widespread crackdown by the Turkish government, according to former US and UK officials. “We need to be careful about too much language that could be perceived to be threatening,” said […]

Turkey

New Atlanticist

Jul 17, 2016

The Perils of a Failed Coup in Turkey

By Sabine Freizer

The condemnations came swiftly on the night of the attempted coup. From critics of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s human rights record to Selahattin Demirtaş, the head of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), to Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the consensus was clear: military coups bring misery. The history of […]

Turkey

New Atlanticist

Jul 16, 2016

Energy Implications of Turkey’s Attempted Coup

By John M. Roberts

The Turkish government may have survived an attempted coup on the night of July 15-16, but it is still a country at war—and it is still a country through which around 10.5 percent of the world’s internationally traded oil passes. Nothing can, therefore, be taken for granted when it comes to considering a crucial issue […]

Turkey

New Atlanticist

Jul 15, 2016

From Scandal to Silver Lining: Petrobras’ Offering Opportunity for Brazil’s Energy Sector

By Meghan Rowley

The Lavo Jato corruption investigations, also known as Operation Car Wash, into Petrobras, Brazil’s oil giant, shocked the energy sector and helped fuel one of the country’s worst recessions. Nonetheless, some analysts are optimistic that the industry can open itself up to foreign investors and domestic competition to once again generate prosperity. “The energy industry […]

Brazil Energy & Environment

New Atlanticist

Jul 15, 2016

In France, More Security, But Not at the Expense of Inclusivity

By Ashish Kumar Sen

France must strike a delicate balance between securing its homeland while integrating all communities into French society, and one cannot come at the expense of the other, according to the Atlantic Council’s Damon Wilson. “If France gets this right, it can offer a path forward for all of Europe and much of the West,” said […]

France

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