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.

Colombian President Santos’ Quest for Peace

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

Sep 28, 2015

Colombian President Santos’ Quest for Peace

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award recipient shunned popularity in bid for peace with leftist guerrillas The Atlantic Council will honor Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos with its Global Citizen Award in New York on October 1 in recognition of his unwavering commitment to make peace with leftist guerrillas and end Latin America’s longest-running war. Santos […]

Colombia

New Atlanticist

Sep 25, 2015

Colombia’s Peace Negotiations: Keeping the Focus on Transitional Justice

By Andrea Saldarriaga Jiménez

A pledge by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Rodrigo Londoño (better known by the nom de guerre Timochenko), the leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP), at their historic meeting in Havana on September 23 to end Latin America’s longest-running conflict within six months has raised expectations for peace. But while […]

Colombia

New Atlanticist

Sep 24, 2015

Wanted: A NATO Strategy

By Alejandro Alvarez

New security challenges in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and cyberspace have sent the world’s most important military alliance scrambling against obsolescence. A lot has changed since the North Atlantic Treaty’s inception in 1949. The big question is whether a Cold War-era institution can do anything to remain effective and coherent in the face of […]

NATO Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Sep 24, 2015

A Failed European Response to Migrant Crisis Will Hurt Transatlantic Ties, says Norwegian Defense Minister

By Ashish Kumar Sen

A failure to deal appropriately with the migrant crisis will cause rifts within Europe that will have serious implications for transatlantic unity, Norway’s Defense Minister, Ine Eriksen Søreide, said at the Atlantic Council on September 24. “How we handle the ongoing refugee crisis will be a test for Europe,” Søreide said while describing the magnitude […]

Europe & Eurasia NATO

New Atlanticist

Sep 22, 2015

Will the European Union’s Plan to Distribute Migrants Hurt Europe?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

European ministers on September 22 approved a plan that would force EU member states to take in their share of 120,000 migrants, a majority of whom are fleeing the war in Syria. In an unusual break from procedure, which emphasizes consensus on issues of national sovereignty, the ministers decided the issue on the basis of […]

Central Europe Europe & Eurasia

New Atlanticist

Sep 22, 2015

Mr. Xi Comes to Washington: High Stakes, Low Expectations

By Romain Warnault

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington on September 25 will take place in a much tenser atmosphere than that which prevailed a little under a year ago when US President Barack Obama visited China. Indeed, the US-China relationship has become much more volatile over the past year. Recent cyber espionage scandals, the devaluation […]

China

Europe After The Vote

Sep 21, 2015

In Greece, Alexis Tsipras’ Gamble Pays Off. Now What?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Alexis Tsipras has won his third election this year. It’s a remarkable achievement for a man who won his first election on an anti-austerity platform, his second after urging voters to support that position, and his third after doing a U-turn and accepting tough bailout conditions demanded by Greece’s creditors.

European Union Greece

Middle East Strategy Task Force

Sep 19, 2015

David Miliband: Europe’s Feeble Response to Migrant Crisis Threatens EU

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Former British Foreign Secretary says United States, too, must ‘up its game’ and take in more refugees Europe’s “feeble” response to the migrant crisis—the largest displacement of people since World War II—is threatening the European Union, and European countries as well as the United States need to step up to do more to help these […]

European Union Germany

New Atlanticist

Sep 17, 2015

Iran Debates Its Regional Role

By Bilal Y. Saab

University of Tehran Professor Nasser Hadian’s article Iran Debates Its Regional Role is a must-read for two main reasons: First, even though we know a bit more about Iran today because of a long negotiation with the P5+1 over the nuclear issue and extensive interaction among Iranian and Western diplomats, we still know very little […]

New Atlanticist

Sep 17, 2015

Wanted: All—Transatlantic—Hands on Deck for Implementation of Iran Deal

By Peter Wittig

Two factors made it possible to reach the nuclear agreement with Iran. First, unity was key. The agreement is also a transatlantic success. During the negotiations, the P5+1—that is, the United States, France, Great Britain, Germany, Russia, and China—and the European Union remained united in the goal of preventing the nuclear armament of Iran. Second, […]

Germany Iran

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