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.

Senator Urges Congress to Confront ‘Stark’ Vet Suicide Rates

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

Dec 14, 2015

Senator Urges Congress to Confront ‘Stark’ Vet Suicide Rates

By Alejandro Alvarez

Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) calls for ‘all hands on deck’ in Congress as suicide rates exceed combat losses US armed forces today lose more troops to suicide than to active combat, Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) said at the Atlantic Council on Dec. 10, while calling on Congress to develop an effective system to help veterans […]

New Atlanticist

Dec 11, 2015

British Defense Secretary Calls for Tightening Noose Around ISIS

By Ashish Kumar Sen

The US-led coalition that is conducting airstrikes on the Islamic State in Syria should more deliberately target the terrorist group’s infrastructure and “tighten the noose” around its de facto capital Raqqa, British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said at the Atlantic Council on Dec. 11. “I hope now we are going to see new focus on […]

United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Dec 9, 2015

Russia, IMF, and Global Economic Governance

By Andrea Montanino

The International Monetary Fund decided on Dec. 8 to change its Lending into Arrear Policy (LIA). Until now, the Fund could only lend to a member country if all the arrears on its sovereign debt were cleared, with two exceptions, contingent on specific conditions on the state of the negotiation with official creditors of the […]

Russia Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Dec 8, 2015

Is the United States a Less Reliable Ally?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Some Arab Gulf states seen looking at Russia, China as ‘alternatives’ The United States’ friends and allies in the Middle East see Washington as a less reliable partner and are “talking fairly openly about alternatives” such as Russia and China, retired Gen. James L. Jones, Jr., a former US National Security Advisor, said on Dec. […]

International Organizations Iran

New Atlanticist

Dec 8, 2015

Election Victory? Check. Now Can the Opposition in Venezuela Stay United?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Opposition must set aside differences and focus on people’s interests, says Atlantic Council’s Peter Schechter Venezuela’s opposition has won an absolute majority in Congress that gives it the ability to initiate a recall referendum against President Nicolás Maduro, but it must instead focus on staying united and showing that it has the people’s interests as […]

Venezuela

New Atlanticist

Dec 7, 2015

In Venezuela, Maduro’s Fate Hangs in the Balance

By Ashish Kumar Sen

As opposition scores big electoral victory, President will face challenges from his own party, says Atlantic Council’s Jason Marczak The opposition’s historic victory in legislative elections on Dec. 6 has created a two-front challenge for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — one from an opposition that could try to have him recalled, and the other from […]

Venezuela

New Atlanticist

Dec 4, 2015

In Mexico, Transition to Gas Reduces Electricity Tariffs

By Megan Reilly Cayten

Mexico’s consumption of fuel oil has declined by 60 percent since 2012, and is on track to achieve a reduction of 90 percent by 2018, according to Guillermo Turrent, Director of Modernization at Mexico’s Federal Commission of Electricity (CFE). Turrent spoke on a conference call convened by the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center and David […]

Mexico

New Atlanticist

Dec 3, 2015

Here’s What You Need to Know About COP21

By Ashish Kumar Sen

President Obama’s former climate change advisor discusses the importance and expectations of the Paris summit Officials from one hundred and ninety-six governments are gathered in Paris with the goal of reaching the first-ever global climate change agreement. The negotiators’ main objective is to agree on legally binding reductions in greenhouse gas emissions intended to keep […]

Climate Change & Climate Action Energy & Environment

New Atlanticist

Dec 3, 2015

Putting Brazil on US Department of Labor Blacklist ‘Unfair’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Brazilian textile association official says action on forced labor may hurt exports The US Department of Labor’s decision to place Brazil on a list of countries where forced and child labor are practiced is “unfair” and could have an adverse impact on the South American nation’s exports, said an official with Brazil’s textile association. Brazil’s […]

Brazil Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Dec 3, 2015

Today’s Energy Security Risks: Complacency, Uncertainty, and Ideology

By David L. Goldwyn

At the 2015 Atlantic Council Energy and Economic Summit in Istanbul, twenty-one Ministers and senior officials from Europe, Asia, North America, and the Middle East met to assess the changing geopolitics of energy security. The assembly was a reminder that energy security — the ability of a nation to secure affordable, reliable, and sustainable supplies […]

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

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