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
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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New Atlanticist

Sep 11, 2015

Next on the US-Cuba Horizon

By Jason Marczak

Since December 17, 2014, seismic changes in US-Cuba relations have reshaped the landscape of each country’s interactions with Latin America and the global community. Despite much optimism, there is still a long road ahead for Cuba’s languishing economy, which needs to grow its nascent private sector and attract greater foreign investment. As much of the […]

Cuba

New Atlanticist

Sep 10, 2015

Energizing Democracy in Benin

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Benin’s President sees hope in new Millennium Challenge Corporation power sector compact A new five-year, $375-million deal to develop the power sector in Benin will be the engine that will “jumpstart” democracy by contributing to stability in the West African nation, Benin’s President, Thomas Boni Yayi, said September 10. Noting that the “winds of democracy […]

Africa North & West Africa

New Atlanticist

Sep 10, 2015

Taiwan Readies For Its First Madame President

By Matthew Lynch

Taiwan is poised to beat the United States by electing its first female President in 2016. Former teacher and Nationalist (KMT) candidate Hung Hsiu-chu is battling her Western-educated Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) challenger Tsai Ing-wen for the presidency. Several prominent Taiwanese polls predict a Tsai victory, said Bonnie Glaser, a Senior Advisor for Asia in […]

China

New Atlanticist

Sep 4, 2015

Europe’s Migrant Crisis: Going After Traffickers, Not Taking in More Refugees, is the Answer, Says British Official

By Alejandro Alvarez

The best way to deal with the migrant crisis facing Europe is to shut down illegal human trafficking networks, not take in more refugees, Penny Mordaunt, the United Kingdom’s Minister of State for the Armed Forces, said at the Atlantic Council September 3. “The notion that if we just increase the number of people we’re […]

United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Sep 3, 2015

Instability in Guatemala Has National Security Implications for the United States

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Atlantic Council analysts predict period of uncertainty after President’s surprise resignation Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina’s surprise resignation on September 3 in the face of corruption allegations will likely plunge the Central American nation into a period of further political as well as economic uncertainty with direct implications for US national security, said the Atlantic […]

Northern Triangle

New Atlanticist

Sep 3, 2015

Europe Grapples with the Migrant Question

By Ashish Kumar Sen

As war and poverty fuel surge in migration, Europe debates immigration, integration, and identity As the world faces its biggest migrant crisis since World War II, governments across Europe are struggling to find a solution to a situation that is as much about integration and identity as it is about immigration. The European Union (EU) […]

Africa European Union

New Atlanticist

Sep 1, 2015

‘Why is Pakistan Playing this Game?’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Afghan lawmaker, Shinkai Karokhail, says Pakistan has been ‘selective’ about dealing with terrorists Shinkai Karokhail, a member of the budget and finance committee of the lower house (Wolesi Jirga) of the Afghan National Assembly and a longtime activist for women’s rights, education, and conflict prevention, sat down with the New Atlanticist’s Ashish Kumar Sen for […]

Afghanistan Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Sep 1, 2015

A View from Tbilisi: Are the Euro-Atlantic Partners Ready to Accept Russia’s Notion of a ‘Near Abroad’?

By Tedo Japaridze

NATO summits are filled with Georgian expectations. The Warsaw Summit in July of 2016 is no exception. Since the Bucharest Summit (2008), Georgia’s engagement with NATO has seemed to gravitate around the theme of a Membership Action Plan (MAP) as a prelude to NATO membership. The discussion itself is perhaps too focused on Georgia, when […]

NATO Russia

New Atlanticist

Aug 28, 2015

In Uzbekistan, Authoritarianism Will Keep ISIS at Bay

By Renee Slawsky

The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has a long reach, but can it reach across the wide expanse of Central Asia? The thought of Central Asians fighting for the caliphate— particularly in Uzbekistan, the most populous of Central Asian countries—makes US policymakers and Eurasia watchers uneasy, but the complex relationship between Islam and […]

New Atlanticist

Aug 28, 2015

NATO, EU Need Political Will from Europe to Tackle Challenges

By Bogdan Klich

In recent years we have witnessed significant changes in Europe’s eastern and southern neighborhood that have had a profoundly negative impact on our security. The threat from the East, whose nature could be described as traditional or conventional, stems from Russia’s aggressive posture. The illegal annexation of Crimea and the armed intervention in the eastern […]

European Union International Organizations

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