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.

Mr. Xi Comes to Washington: High Stakes, Low Expectations

New Atlanticist
Mar 6, 2025

How European leaders are responding to Trump’s approach to Ukraine and Europe

From London and Berlin to Paris and Brussels, European leaders have taken several notable steps this week on security. This follows the blow-up between the Ukrainian and US presidents on February 28.

New Atlanticist
Feb 26, 2025

Why the US should not lift sanctions against Russia

By
Charles Lichfield

Sanctions are having an unmistakable effect, albeit below the inflated expectations of many in the West in early 2022. Lifting them now would be a mistake.

Conflict
Economic Sanctions

New Atlanticist
Mar 5, 2025

The Egyptian plan for postwar Gaza is a good starting point—but it needs changes

By
Thomas S. Warrick

While many obstacles remain, the Egyptian proposal could form the starting point for negotiations over a workable plan for postwar Gaza.

Conflict
Crisis Management

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Markup

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 22, 2015

Mr. Xi Comes to Washington: High Stakes, Low Expectations

By Romain Warnault

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington on September 25 will take place in a much tenser atmosphere than that which prevailed a little under a year ago when US President Barack Obama visited China. Indeed, the US-China relationship has become much more volatile over the past year. Recent cyber espionage scandals, the devaluation […]

China

Europe After The Vote

Sep 21, 2015

In Greece, Alexis Tsipras’ Gamble Pays Off. Now What?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Alexis Tsipras has won his third election this year. It’s a remarkable achievement for a man who won his first election on an anti-austerity platform, his second after urging voters to support that position, and his third after doing a U-turn and accepting tough bailout conditions demanded by Greece’s creditors.

European Union Greece

Middle East Strategy Task Force

Sep 19, 2015

David Miliband: Europe’s Feeble Response to Migrant Crisis Threatens EU

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Former British Foreign Secretary says United States, too, must ‘up its game’ and take in more refugees Europe’s “feeble” response to the migrant crisis—the largest displacement of people since World War II—is threatening the European Union, and European countries as well as the United States need to step up to do more to help these […]

European Union Germany

New Atlanticist

Sep 17, 2015

Iran Debates Its Regional Role

By Bilal Y. Saab

University of Tehran Professor Nasser Hadian’s article Iran Debates Its Regional Role is a must-read for two main reasons: First, even though we know a bit more about Iran today because of a long negotiation with the P5+1 over the nuclear issue and extensive interaction among Iranian and Western diplomats, we still know very little […]

New Atlanticist

Sep 17, 2015

Wanted: All—Transatlantic—Hands on Deck for Implementation of Iran Deal

By Peter Wittig

Two factors made it possible to reach the nuclear agreement with Iran. First, unity was key. The agreement is also a transatlantic success. During the negotiations, the P5+1—that is, the United States, France, Great Britain, Germany, Russia, and China—and the European Union remained united in the goal of preventing the nuclear armament of Iran. Second, […]

Germany Iran

New Atlanticist

Sep 16, 2015

Is a US-Russia Confrontation Over Syria in the Cards?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

The Obama administration will have to confront Russia and Iran—supporters of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad—if it wants to win the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), Frederic C. Hof, a Resident Senior Fellow in the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center, said September 16. Russia’s recently ramped up military presence in […]

Iran Russia

New Atlanticist

Sep 16, 2015

Snapback: An Innovative Feature of the Iran Nuclear Deal

By Gérard Araud

Over the past two months, much has been said and written about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreed with Iran on July 14. We are now drawing to the end of this phase, with the review of the agreement by the US Congress expected to come to its conclusion by September 17. During […]

France Iran

New Atlanticist

Sep 15, 2015

Russia’s Gazprom Unable to Do Without Europe

By John M. Roberts

Russia has confirmed the primacy of Nord Stream—a natural gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea—in its efforts to replace Ukrainian transit routes for gas exports to Europe, diminishing the likely role to be played by its southern counterpart, Turkish Stream. The agreement, signed September 4 in Vladivostok, sets out the shareholding arrangements for the project […]

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

New Atlanticist

Sep 15, 2015

What Europe Needs to Do to Solve its Energy Security Problem

By Ilona Dózsa

Over the past few years, the European Union (EU) has sought to enhance its energy security by implementing the Third Energy Package, proposing an Energy Union, holding Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom to competition rules, and actively pursuing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

Central Europe Eastern Europe

New Atlanticist

Sep 11, 2015

ICT Drives Global Growth, But it Doesn’t Come for Free

By Alejandro Alvarez

Data insecurity and the buildup of offensive cyber capabilities are among the gravest threats to global economic prosperity in the modern era, according to a report by the Atlantic Council, in collaboration with Zurich Insurance Group and the University of Denver’s Frederick S. Pardee Center for International Futures. The key message is that ICT drives […]

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

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