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.

Amid Hong Kong Protests, China Escalates Mainland Crackdown, Too

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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Dive deep into developing stories, guided by continually updated expert analysis that leaves you better informed about the most pressing global issues behind the headlines.

Markup

Our experts decipher and annotate major speeches and policy documents to break down big ideas and lay them out in plain language.

New Atlanticist

Dec 11, 2014

Amid Hong Kong Protests, China Escalates Mainland Crackdown, Too

By Ashish Kumar Sen

‘Off-the-Charts Harsh Sentences’ Against Anti-Corruption Protesters in Chinese Cities The government of President Xi Jinping is conducting “one of the harshest” Chinese campaigns against civil society and peaceful dissent in the past decade, according to a prominent human rights activist. The campaign has come amid the pro-democracy protests that have roiled Hong Kong since September. […]

China

New Atlanticist

Dec 11, 2014

Estonia’s Prime Minister: NATO Presence Key to Counter Russia’s Provocations

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US forces should remain in Estonia for “as long as needed,” since tensions between Russia and the West show no sign of abating, Estonia’s Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas told the Atlantic Council.

NATO Northern Europe

New Atlanticist

Dec 10, 2014

Coalition Troops Officially End Combat Mission in Afghanistan Amid Growing Security Concerns

By Ashish Kumar Sen

As US and NATO troops depart Afghanistan, they are taking with them their expertise, hardware, dollars, and jobs – and also leaving behind many questions about the fate of that country’s security and economy.

Afghanistan NATO

New Atlanticist

Dec 9, 2014

Light at the End of the Tunnel? The Baghdad-Erbil Agreement over Tax Revenues and Oil Exports

By David Koranyi

The dealThe harmony between the messages of federal Iraqi Oil Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi and the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government’s Natural Resources Minister Ashti Hawrami was striking at a panel at the Atlantic Council’s annual Energy and Economic Summit in Istanbul this November. This new tone in Arab -Kurdish relations within Iraq was showcased by the […]

New Atlanticist

Dec 9, 2014

How TTIP Can Enhance EU-US Energy Security and Counterbalance Russia’s Energy Weight

By Vicente Lopez-Ibor Mayor

It should come as no surprise that during talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and EU Foreign Affairs Chief Federica Mogherini last week, Mogherini called for the inclusion of a specific energy chapter in the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement.

Economy & Business Trade and tariffs

New Atlanticist

Dec 9, 2014

A Graphic Breakdown of the Anti-ISIL Coalition

By Atlantic Council

The Atlantic Council’s Jorge Benitez and Gabriel Maletta take a closer look at which nations have joined the coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) – and what kind of support each country is providing.

NATO Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Dec 8, 2014

Forget the South China Sea: Taiwan Could Be Asia’s Next Big Security Nightmare

By Robert A. Manning

Forget the South China Sea. The results of Taiwan’s local elections last week, still reverberating in Beijing, are more likely than not to propel Taiwan’s ascension to the status of No.1 security problem in Asia over the coming two to three years.

China

New Atlanticist

Dec 4, 2014

The Demise of South Stream

By Richard Morningstar

Russia’s Planned Pipeline to Southeast Europe Was Doomed from the Start While the timing of President Vladimir Putin’s abandonment of the South Stream gas pipeline this week was surprising, its demise was inevitable from the start.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

New Atlanticist

Dec 4, 2014

Ukraine News Roundup | December 4

By Irena Chalupa

It’s Not Just Ukraine: Putin Has the Whole Region Cornered via Politico Pifer: Congress Should OK Arms for Ukraine, but Not Sanctions on Russia via The Hill Ukrainian Journalists Oppose Kyiv’s New Information Ministry via RFE-RL Video: Yale Historian Tim Snyder on Ukraine and Us via Chicago Humanities Festival EuroMaidan One Year Later via Ukrainian Media Crisis Center Anne Applebaum: How Putin and His […]

Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Dec 4, 2014

Boko Haram Steps Up Offensive as Nigeria Halts US Military Training Program

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Boko Haram, the African militant group that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) over the summer, appears to have borrowed a page from the jihadists’ playbook as it unleashes a deadly wave of attacks across northern Nigeria in its quest to carve out an Islamic state rooted in Shariah law.

Nigeria

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