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.

In Nigeria, Boko Haram Casts a Shadow Over President Buhari’s Sunny Victory Claim

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 1, 2016

In Nigeria, Boko Haram Casts a Shadow Over President Buhari’s Sunny Victory Claim

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Militant group has shown a ‘remarkable resilience and an almost uncanny ability to reinvent itself,’ said Atlantic Council’s J. Peter Pham A recent spate of deadly attacks by Boko Haram only serve to underscore the fact that despite Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s optimistic proclamations on the war against the Islamist militants, the group is far […]

Africa Nigeria

New Atlanticist

Jan 29, 2016

In Putin’s Russia, Intellectuals Trapped in a ‘Zone of Silence’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Writers debate ‘shrinking’ space for independent media Intellectuals in Russia today suffer a fate that they consider to be worse than death—being forced to remain silent. “Instead of killing us they offer to move us to the zone of complete silence,” said Ilya Danishevsky, Chief Editor of the Vremena Publishing House. While some may view this […]

Russia Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Jan 27, 2016

Help Wanted: The Balkans Need a Hand to Deal with the EU Migrant Crisis

By Ariel Cohen

Greece’s failure to meet its obligations to secure the frontier of Europe’s passport-free Schengen zone stands in stark contrast with the role Macedonia is playing to deal with the influx of hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing war zones. More than 750,000 migrants moved through Macedonia last year. Macedonia, with some help from Albania, Slovenia, […]

Europe & Eurasia European Union

New Atlanticist

Jan 27, 2016

Putin a Victim of His Own Creation

By Aleksandra Garmazhapova

Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, tests the Kremlin with his terror tactics “I ask Ramzan Akhmatovich for forgiveness and thank him for not yet killing me.” This is an example of the messages Russian opposition members have been posting on their social media pages. They are appealing, of course, to the leader of the Chechen republic […]

Russia

New Atlanticist

Jan 26, 2016

Libya: The Chaos Continues

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Tobruk-based assembly puts a question mark over unity government’s fate, says Atlantic Council’s Karim Mezran Libya’s internationally recognized parliament on January 25 rejected a unity government proposed under a UN-backed plan out of concern that it was too large, dealing a setback to efforts to end a period of uncertainty that has allowed the Islamic […]

Libya

New Atlanticist

Jan 22, 2016

A Roadmap for Europe

By Ashish Kumar Sen

White paper examines challenges facing Europe Union and the consequences of success and failure in dealing with them The European Union’s unity is being tested in some significant ways. Chief among these challenges are the United Kingdom’s potential exit—a “Brexit”—from the EU, mediocre long-term economic prospects, an influx of migrants that is the largest movement […]

Economy & Business European Union

New Atlanticist

Jan 21, 2016

How Do You Disrupt ISIS’ Social Media Strategy and Safeguard Freedoms?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

NSA Director Michael S. Rogers says online censorship goes to the ‘heart of the whole American construct’ The Obama administration is “trying to come to grips with” how to prevent terrorists from using technology as a recruiting tool, while at the same time safeguarding individual freedoms, Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the Commander of US Cyber […]

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Jan 21, 2016

Will Iran receive the sanctions relief it expects?

By Matthew Kroenig

Last week marked “implementation day” of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, better known as the Iran nuclear deal. With the deal formally in effect, Iran will begin receiving sanctions relief, leading many to conclude, as NPR recently reported, that “European and Asian companies are expected to flock to Iran now that the UN sanctions […]

Iran Nuclear Nonproliferation

New Atlanticist

Jan 20, 2016

Keeping Georgia’s NATO Dream Alive

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili says progress in European and Euro-Atlantic integration will be a ‘good incentive’ for Georgian support for continuing reforms Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili was catapulted to office in December of 2015 after the abrupt resignation of his predecessor, Irakli Garibashvili. In his previous role as Foreign Minister, Kvirikashvili led significant […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Jan 20, 2016

Dealing with Iran: A Policy of Engagement and Deterrence

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Former US diplomat, R. Nicholas Burns, says Iran nuclear agreement is positive for the United States, but Iran will continue to be a problem in a violent Middle East As the State Department’s No. 3 official in the George W. Bush administration, R. Nicholas Burns was instrumental in negotiating sanctions to punish Iran for its […]

Iran Israel

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