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.

A ‘Steady March to Authoritarianism’ in Turkey

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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Dive deep into developing stories, guided by continually updated expert analysis that leaves you better informed about the most pressing global issues behind the headlines.

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Our experts decipher and annotate major speeches and policy documents to break down big ideas and lay them out in plain language.

New Atlanticist

May 5, 2016

A ‘Steady March to Authoritarianism’ in Turkey

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Atlantic Council’s Aaron Stein says prime minister’s resignation will heighten political polarization Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s decision to resign following disagreements with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will heighten political polarization inside Turkey, said the Atlantic Council’s Aaron Stein. “Half the country views this as, to use their language, a palace coup. There are real […]

Turkey

Bremain vs Brexit

May 4, 2016

Brexit Would Have a ‘Dramatic Effect’ on the West’s Stability

By Ashish Kumar Sen

George Robertson, former NATO Secretary General, says Europe’s role in the world is at stake The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union would have a “dramatic effect” on the stability of the West, warned Lord George Robertson, who has served as Secretary General of NATO as well as the United Kingdom’s Defence Minister. British […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

May 4, 2016

Greenpeace Leak Creates Confusion, Not Clarity, on TTIP

By Danielle Leopold

Atlantic Council’s Andrea Montanino warns against reading too much into leaked negotiation papers Greenpeace’s decision to leak 248 classified documents related to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations only creates more confusion rather than contributing to an understanding of the complex process, according to the Atlantic Council’s Andrea Montanino. By leaking the documents, […]

Economy & Business European Union

New Atlanticist

May 4, 2016

US Middle East Policy Must Include Allies and Adversaries

By Danielle Leopold

A sustainable US Middle East policy should include closer cooperation with longstanding allies—including the United Kingdom and France—but also a strategic dialogue with adversaries such as Russia and China, according to Bilal Y. Saab, a Senior Fellow for Middle East Security at the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security. In light of the […]

International Organizations Politics & Diplomacy

Art of Future Warfare

May 4, 2016

Antagonistic Political Climate Seen Endangering America’s Role on the World Stage

By Mitch Hulse

The political climate in the United States today is fueled by a voter base that feeds off of antagonistic behavior, misinformation, and isolation from global politics, panelists said in a discussion at the Atlantic Council on May 2. “This is the problem that we are facing today: The American voter has been so insulated and […]

New Atlanticist

May 3, 2016

Former Defense Secretary Gates to America: ‘Reject Isolationism’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

More than 750 guests from fifty countries, including former heads of state and government, legislators, Obama administration officials, nearly forty Ambassadors, business executives, media, and civil society leaders attended the awards ceremony.

New Atlanticist

Apr 29, 2016

US LNG Seen as Fuel for US-EU Energy Security Relationship

By Mitch Hulse and Mikaila Altenbern

The United States will be a reliable supplier of liquefied natural gas to global markets because it is “not only good for our energy security, it is good for the security of our energy partners and allies around the world,” said Robin Dunnigan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Diplomacy at the US State […]

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

New Atlanticist

Apr 29, 2016

Zimbabwe in ‘Grave Danger’ of Political Violence

By Kelsey Lilley

Former opposition Member of Parliament cites ‘serious political vacuum’ in the country Zimbabwe is in “grave danger” of political violence and its fractured opposition is “poisoned” because of an undemocratic culture, according to David Coltart, a founding member of the country’s main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). “There is a very serious […]

Africa

New Atlanticist

Apr 28, 2016

Donald Trump: A ‘Dangerous’ Man

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Former US diplomat, R. Nicholas Burns, discusses GOP frontrunner’s foreign policy speech R. Nicholas Burns, an Atlantic Council board director who served as the State Department’s number three official in the George W. Bush administration, offered a searing critique of Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump’s April 27 foreign policy speech in an interview with the […]

China European Union

Congressional Relations

Apr 28, 2016

US Lawmaker Urges ‘Path to EU Accession’ for Turkey

By Mitch Hulse

Turkey will be critical to any US or NATO effort to shape Russia’s behavior in the Middle East and it should be put on the path to joining the European Union, said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA). “If we want to stabilize a volatile region with a strategic ally we are going to have to put […]

European Union International Organizations

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