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.

China’s Challenge to Guarantee Energy and Water 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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New Atlanticist

Feb 23, 2016

China’s Challenge to Guarantee Energy and Water Security

By Jack Schnettler

China may hold the key to alleviating some of the pressure from climate change and population growth at the nexus of the relationship between the energy and water sectors. The challenges associated with energy production and water management vary significantly from region to region. A recent report from the World Resources Institute and General Electric […]

China Climate Change & Climate Action

New Atlanticist

Feb 22, 2016

‘Real Political Dialogue’ Needed to Get Venezuela Out of Crisis

By Mitch Hulse

US official prescribes economic integration, as well, to address political and economic instability in Latin America Venezuela will have to allow “real political dialogue” if it is to extract itself from the economic crisis in which it is mired as a result of historically low oil prices and political instability, according to a senior US […]

Venezuela

Bremain vs Brexit

Feb 22, 2016

Brexit: And Now It Begins…

By Fran Burwell

For all the sturm und drang that accompanied British Prime Minister David Cameron’s negotiations with his European partners on February 19, the specific topics addressed—and the points won by the Prime Minister—were remarkably small. The implications of those negotiations, however, could be immense, both for the United Kingdom and for Europe. Whether the British people […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Feb 19, 2016

US Airstrikes in Libya May Produce an Anti-Western Backlash

By Ashish Kumar Sen

International community must focus on restoring stability to Libya, says Atlantic Council’s Karim Mezran US airstrikes that are neither invited by the Libyan authorities nor coordinated with Libyan armed forces may produce a dangerous backlash against the West, according to the Atlantic Council’s Karim Mezran. US warplanes conducted airstrikes on an Islamic State of Iraq […]

Libya

New Atlanticist

Feb 18, 2016

Obama’s Cuba Trip Exposes Cruz, Rubio as ‘Outdated’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Most Americans, including Cuban-Americans, favor normalization of ties between the United States and Cuba, say Atlantic Council analysts US President Barack Obama’s decision to make an historic visit to Cuba in March will have a negligible impact on the presidential election in the United States; if anything, it has succeeded in exposing just how out […]

Cuba

New Atlanticist

Feb 18, 2016

Saudi-Iran Rivalry Keeps Oil Prices Down

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Gulf states seen eager to put ‘fiscal squeeze’ on Iran The regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran—the two main producers in a global oil cartel—has become a significant factor behind the sharp decline in oil prices that has also kept rates at historic lows. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf oil-producing countries have watched with […]

Energy & Environment Iran

New Atlanticist

Feb 17, 2016

Iran, Syria, Russia Seen as Top Challenges in the Middle East

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Iran, Syria, and Russia together pose the biggest challenge in the Middle East today, and any notion that there can be an alignment of the interests of Tehran and Washington is unrealistic, three former US officials said at the Atlantic Council on February 16. “We have an Iran-Syria-Russia problem right now in the Middle East,” […]

Iran Iraq

New Atlanticist

Feb 16, 2016

Raising the Price for Putin

By Evelyn Farkas

Russia poses a geostrategic threat to the United States and our interests. Indeed, earlier this month Defense Secretary Ash Carter listed it first among the threats faced by our nation. It is unfortunate that in the twenty-first century Russia and the United States remain opposed to one another on most foreign policy issues. The reality […]

National Security Russia

New Atlanticist

Feb 12, 2016

A Mosquito Adds to Brazilian President’s Woes

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Zika epidemic seen as one of a ‘litany of problems’ on President Dilma Rousseff’s lap There is never a good time for an epidemic, but Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will agree that the outbreak of mosquito-borne Zika in her country could not have come at a worse time. Rousseff, who is facing impeachment charges, has […]

Brazil

New Atlanticist

Feb 12, 2016

Report Finds More than a Million Civilians Under Siege in Syria

By Mitch Hulse

More than a million civilians are currently suffering under siege from both pro-government and rebel-allied forces across Syria, according to a new report from PAX and the Syria Institute. Last month, the international community was shocked to learn about Madaya—a besieged Syrian town where up to 300,000 civilians have been essentially cut off from the […]

Syria

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