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.

The Geopolitical Case for Crude Oil Exports

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

May 4, 2015

The Geopolitical Case for Crude Oil Exports

By Chris Brown

The US ban on crude oil exports was a prominent topic of discussion when industry leaders and high-ranking government officials from across the globe convened in Houston in April for IHS CERAWeek, one of the energy industry’s largest annual conferences. Indeed, over the past year the longstanding ban has emerged as one of the hottest […]

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

Tobey Keith, American country music singer-songwriter and recipient of the Atlantic Council's Distinguished Artistic Leadership Award, performed April 30 at the awards ceremony in Washington. (Imagelink.com/denniskan)

New Atlanticist

May 1, 2015

2015 Distinguished Leadership Awards: A Night to Remember

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Breedlove, Ghani, Hewson, and Keith receive Atlantic Council’s Distinguished Leadership Award What do Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, Ashraf Ghani, Marillyn A. Hewson, and Toby Keith have in common? The answer to that question is probably: not much. That was until all four were honored with the Atlantic Council’s Distinguished Leadership Award at a glittering ceremony […]

New Atlanticist

Apr 30, 2015

Imagining Solutions to Society’s Most Pressing Problems

By Larry Luxner

A Brazilian woman trying to interest her fellow citizens in municipal politics joined a State Department official, a Pentagon strategist, and the publisher of Foreign Policy magazine April 30 for an Atlantic Council discussion titled “Imagining Solutions.” The lively discussion—covering topics from Rio de Janeiro’s impoverished favelas to the worldwide explosion in smartphones—marked the last […]

New Atlanticist

Apr 30, 2015

Takeaways from the Global Strategy Forum

By Larry Luxner

The Washington establishment is unprepared for the technological and geopolitical risks of the future, America is losing influence around the world—and while the United States is still indispensable as a superpower, there’s debate on whether it ought to remain so. These are among the takeaways from the Atlantic Council’s Global Strategy Forum held April 29-30 […]

Christopher A. Preble (left), Vice President for Defense and Foreign Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, and Xenia Wickett, the Dean of The Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership in International Affairs at Chatham House, debated America's role in the world at a Global Strategy Forum panel hosted by the Atlantic Council's Strategy Initiative. Hisham Melhem (center), Al Arabiya news channel’s Washington Bureau Chief, moderated the debate. (Imagelink.com/denniskan)

New Atlanticist

Apr 30, 2015

Is the United States Really Indispensable?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Analysts debate US role in the face of global challenges President Bill Clinton, speaking in 1996 on the US-backed NATO military intervention in Bosnia, described the United States as an “indispensable nation.” Scholars debated that premise April 30 at the Global Strategy Forum hosted by the Atlantic Council’s Strategy Initiative in Washington. Xenia Wickett, Dean […]

National Security Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Apr 30, 2015

Would You Care More About Climate Change if You Knew it Would Change Your Life?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Panel discusses ‘power of narrative’ in getting message across on important issues and preparing for future challenges Do you care much about climate change? How about the fate of polar bears gingerly making their way across thinning Arctic ice? Most people would probably care a lot more if they heard how dramatic temperature spikes and […]

Climate Change & Climate Action Energy & Environment

New Atlanticist

Apr 30, 2015

Enhancing Foresight: Experts See a Future of Robot Swarms, DNA-Modified People

By Larry Luxner

Tiny robots that can predict the exact fruit yield of apple trees while helping farmers cut water usage. Drone swarms which respond to 911 emergency calls without risking human lives. Genetically modified humans free of dozens of diseases that once killed millions. Science fiction? Maybe, but not for long, say two scholars who spoke April […]

New Atlanticist

Apr 28, 2015

Is Assad Losing Control?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Atlantic Council report suggests more US support for ‘nationalist opposition’ in Syria Iran has fueled the war in Syria by providing a steady stream of assistance to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but his regime is gradually losing control, says Robert S. Ford, a former US Ambassador to Syria. “I think we would have been able […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

Apr 28, 2015

Another Voice Silenced in Pakistan

By Huma Haque

It was Friday afternoon and as I was getting ready for the weekend, news broke that Sabeen Mahmud, director of The Second Floor (T2F), had been shot dead in Karachi. Even after reading it a few times, it just did not sink in. I stared blankly. The death of Pakistan’s leading human-rights activist is a […]

Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Apr 27, 2015

Dying to Get to Europe

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Libya’s ‘slave trade’—exodus of migrants from Africa—is a European crisis, says Atlantic Council’s Mezran A European commitment to save lives is “backfiring” as human traffickers continue to pack boats full of migrants fleeing desperate situations in Africa and the Middle East, says Atlantic Council analyst Karim Mezran. Traffickers have exploited instability in Libya to funnel […]

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