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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Congressional Relations

Apr 26, 2016

US-India Relationship: Playing Defense

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Deeper defense cooperation seen as key to boosting a trade relationship that has ‘plateaued’ As the United States and India set out to realize their goal of elevating annual bilateral trade to $500 billion over the next decade, deeper defense cooperation will be key to energizing a trade relationship that has “plateaued,” two senior US […]

India Pakistan

Bremain vs Brexit

Apr 25, 2016

Putting TTIP on Hold Would be a ‘Mistake’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Atlantic Council’s Andrea Montanino and Earl Anthony Wayne on the prospects of a US-EU trade agreement A transatlantic trade deal, currently being negotiated by the United States and the European Union, is critical to improving existing standards on issues such as public health, environmental regulations, and labor and safety issues, according to a new Atlantic […]

Economy & Business European Union

Bremain vs Brexit

Apr 22, 2016

To B or Not to B? Obama Steps into Brexit Debate

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US President Barack Obama’s forceful, and unusual, call for the United Kingdom not to leave the European Union reflects a combination of Washington’s unease over the possibility of a Brexit and its big stake in the outcome of the vote, according to the Atlantic Council’s Fran Burwell. It is “natural for friends to want to […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Apr 22, 2016

US-GCC Ties Need to Expand Beyond Oil

By Jean-François Seznec

As the perceived notion of oil-for-security diminishes with the United States’ declining demand for oil from the Middle East, the Gulf Cooperation Council states must develop their militaries, fight threatening ideologies, and decrease their economies’ dependence on oil without waiting for the United States to lead the way. However, even as the United States and […]

International Organizations Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Apr 21, 2016

Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq Offers a Prescription for Success

By Mitch Hulse

The “integration of civil-military forces” and “sustainable economic development” are critical to the success of state-building efforts, Zalmay Khalilzad, a former US Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the United Nations, said at the Atlantic Council on April 20. “There was a clear road map for political transition [in Afghanistan], but we never knew what the […]

Afghanistan Iraq

New Atlanticist

Apr 21, 2016

Is the Taliban Winning?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Deadly suicide bombing in Kabul points to need for Pakistan to end support for terrorists, says Atlantic Council’s James B. Cunningham A deadly suicide bombing in Kabul shows that the Taliban are determined to drag out the conflict, but it also adds a sense of urgency for Pakistan to end its support for the militants, […]

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Apr 20, 2016

Countering Iran’s malign influence in the Gulf

By Matthew Kroenig

At the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Riyadh on April 21, US President Barack Obama will be looking to provide reassurances that the United States remains committed to the security of the region, even as his administration upholds the Iran nuclear agreement, which many of the United States’ Gulf partners see as undermining their interests […]

International Organizations Iran

New Atlanticist

Apr 20, 2016

Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot?

By Mat Burrows

The hallowed US-Gulf bargain of “oil for security” is past its sell-by date; the future of the US-Gulf relationship is up for grabs. It has always been a fraught relationship. Right from the outset, the United States never kept its promise to consult with the Saudis before recognizing Israel. Since 9/11, the relationship has grown […]

International Organizations Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Apr 20, 2016

South Sudan: Paging Dr. Riek

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Vice President’s absence from Juba speaks to a lack of trust in President Salva Kiir, says Atlantic Council’s J. Peter Pham Riek Machar’s failure to return to Juba this week to take up his duties as Vice President of South Sudan has been met with statements of dismay from the international community, but his no-show […]

Africa East Africa

New Atlanticist

Apr 20, 2016

US Disengagement from Middle East ‘Raises a Question About American Values’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

On the eve of the US-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Riyadh on April 21, Ebtesam Al-Ketbi, President of the Emirates Policy Center in Abu Dhabi, discusses key challenges in the United States’ relationship with its Arab Gulf partners, the cost of US disengagement, and the Iranian threat. Ebtesam Al-Ketbi shared her views in an […]

International Organizations Iran

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