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

Jun 9, 2016

Keep Door Open to Russia: Breedlove

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander for Europe advocates establishing a line of communications with Moscow It is important not to close the door to Russia, which is led by a man whose number one goal is to create rifts within NATO and the European Union, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, Gen. Philip M. […]

NATO Poland

New Atlanticist

Jun 8, 2016

NATO Enlargement Seen About Filling Gaps

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Montenegro’s defense minister, Milica Pejanović-Đurišić, has some advice for countries aspiring to join NATO: explain to partners and friends the importance of alliance membership from a political standpoint. Pejanović-Đurišić is well positioned to give such advice. In December 2015, NATO extended an invitation to Montenegro to begin accession talks and become the twenty-ninth member of […]

NATO Russia

New Atlanticist

Jun 8, 2016

Eritrea and the Commission of Inquiry: What Happens Next?

By Bronwyn Bruton

As expected, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea (the COIE) has recommended to the Human Rights Council that Eritrea be referred to the International Criminal Court and that the human rights situation in Eritrea constitutes a threat to international peace and security.

New Atlanticist

Jun 7, 2016

What the UN Gets Wrong About Rights in Eritrea

By Ashish Kumar Sen

A finding of crimes against humanity would be indefensible, said the Atlantic Council’s Bronwyn Bruton A UN panel’s expected conclusion that crimes against humanity are being committed in Eritrea would be legally indefensible because of the flawed methodology in the compilation of the report and would further erode the credibility of the International Criminal Court […]

Eritrea

New Atlanticist

Jun 7, 2016

Tunisia Seen Key to Regional Prosperity

By Mitch Hulse

Tunisia’s democratic transition and economic growth can lead to security and stability in a volatile neighborhood, according to a US government official. “A successful Tunisia benefits not only the Tunisian people but enhances security, prosperity, and influence in the region as well,” Paige Alexander, assistant administrator for the Bureau for the Middle East at the […]

North Africa

New Atlanticist

Jun 7, 2016

The Foreign Policy of New Energy

By Thomas Cunningham

The geopolitics of oil and gas are on one hand; climate change negotiations are on the other. The next set of energy-foreign policy challenges will be somewhere in the middle. The global energy landscape is characterized by constant change, and every energy issue has foreign policy implications. Therefore, the speed and effectiveness with which an […]

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

New Atlanticist

Jun 3, 2016

Atlantic Council Honors Champions of Freedom

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Recipients of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom Awards on June 3 delivered impassioned pleas to safeguard the freedoms they have dedicated their lives to protect. “By criminalizing forms of expression, unintentionally or otherwise, we risk pushing people into the welcoming arms of extremists,” said Nighat Dad, a Pakistani Internet activist and founder of Digital Rights Foundation. “Covering our […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

Jun 3, 2016

NATO’s Warsaw Summit: ‘Failure is Not an Option’

By Mitch Hulse

NATO’s Warsaw summit in July is shaping up to be one of the most consequential in the alliance’s history, NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said on June 3 while noting the growing challenges on Europe’s southern and eastern flanks. “We face one of the most challenging security environments in decades,” Vershbow said. “We have […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Jun 2, 2016

Polish Foreign Minister Seeks ‘Substantial’ NATO Buildup on Europe’s Eastern Flank

By Ashish Kumar Sen

NATO should undertake a “substantial” military buildup in Poland and the Baltic States to address the challenge posed by an “aggressive” and “revisionist” Russia, Poland’s Foreign Minister, Witold Waszczykowski, said on June 2. “NATO’s keyword should be deterrence…not as an offensive measure, but rather as the most effective and, in fact, only instrument of peacebuilding,” […]

Eastern Europe NATO

New Atlanticist

May 31, 2016

The Politics of Israel: Hold on for a Bumpy Ride

By Richard LeBaron

While Americans observed the Memorial Day holiday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conceded to demands by his education minister (and former chief of staff) Naftali Bennett that cleared the way for the approval of Avigdor Lieberman as defense minister. Bennett has long wanted better access to information reserved for Israel’s security cabinet, but his willingness […]

Israel

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