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.

Wanted: Enduring US Leadership on Nuclear Security

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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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

Apr 6, 2016

Wanted: Enduring US Leadership on Nuclear Security

By Lori Esposito Murray

We stand at a historic crossroad with the end of US President Barack Obama’s fourth and final Nuclear Security Summit this past weekend. While it is clear that the progress to date of the global effort to keep nuclear weapons out of terrorists’ hands has been dependent on Obama’s determined leadership, it is not clear what […]

National Security Nuclear Nonproliferation

New Atlanticist

Apr 5, 2016

Distract, Deceive, Destroy: Atlantic Council Report exposes Putin’s deceptions in Syria

By Ashish Kumar Sen

A new Atlantic Council report uses open-source data to link Russia to attacks on civilian facilities and the use of cluster bombs in Syria.

Conflict Disinformation

New Atlanticist

Apr 5, 2016

No, Europe, Migrants Are Not Stealing Your Jobs

By Ashish Kumar Sen

As migrants head to Europe, International Monetary Fund study places emphasis on integration Contrary to the rhetoric from some politicians, there is very little evidence that migrants take jobs away from host populations, and in Europe, where some countries have low to negative population growth, migration should be seen as a boon, according to an […]

Europe & Eurasia European Union

New Atlanticist

Apr 1, 2016

What Next After Obama’s Final Nuclear Security Summit?

By Mitch Hulse

Engagement with Russia, Sustained Commitment to Disarmament Sought Positive engagement with Russia and sustained disarmament efforts must follow US President Barack Obama’s final Nuclear Security Summit in order to avoid global nuclear crises, according to a former US Secretary of Defense. “The actions following the Nuclear Security Summits have removed quite a bit of [nuclear] […]

Nuclear Nonproliferation Security & Defense

Cyber 9/12 Project

Apr 1, 2016

What if a Cyberattack Ignited a War?

By Samuel Klein

Cyber 9/12 contest participants present policy options to contain crisis A cyberattack has brought nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan to the brink of war. An unknown adversary has hacked into a US defense contractor’s computer systems, stolen highly sensitive data, and potentially taken over Global Positioning System satellites. Fighter jets and military radios, along with […]

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Mar 31, 2016

Rula Ghani: Afghanistan’s First Lady. Myth Buster.

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Afghanistan’s First Lady, Rula Ghani, delivered a spirited defense of her husband’s administration on March 31 and warned that “repeated half truths take a life of their own…and suddenly become conventional wisdom.” Speaking at the Atlantic Council, Ghani described and disputed numerous “myths” about Afghanistan that she said exist in the West, particularly in the […]

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Mar 31, 2016

Impeaching Brazilian President Rousseff Will Cement a Crooked System

By Andrea Murta

Brazil inched one step closer to impeaching President Dilma Rousseff on March 29 when a main coalition partner, the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), officially parted ways with the government. A vote is scheduled in the lower chamber of Congress for mid-April; with most PMDB votes now against Rousseff, the impeachment will likely be approved […]

Brazil

New Atlanticist

Mar 30, 2016

Georgia’s President Wants Security Guarantees for Eastern Partnership Countries

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Paris, Brussels terrorist attacks add to urgency, says Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili The terrorist attacks on Paris and Brussels show that there is an urgent need for “bigger security guarantees” for countries of the Eastern Partnership, Georgia’s President, Giorgi Margvelashvili, said at the Atlantic Council on March 30. “At the end of the day…are we […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Mar 30, 2016

Poland’s President Seeks Stronger NATO Presence in Europe’s East

By Ashish Kumar Sen

‘Real deterrence means real presence,’ says Polish President Andrzej Duda Poland’s President, Andrzej Duda, wants an enhanced NATO presence—in the form of troops as well as infrastructure—in Central and Eastern Europe to deter Russian aggression, but said his government does not want to isolate Russia or return to the Cold War. Noting Russia’s military buildup […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Mar 30, 2016

South Sudan: ‘A Problem Child’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Years of conflict, a dysfunctional government, and the international community’s failure to impose tough and meaningful sanctions have contributed to the crippling food insecurity that has caused tens of thousands of people to flee South Sudan, according to the Atlantic Council’s J. Peter Pham. “No rational farmer anywhere in the world is going to plant […]

East Africa Sudan

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