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.

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 19, 2014

Ukraine News Roundup | September 19

By Irena Chalupa

What Will Putin’s New World Order Be? via Politico Don’t Buy Your Aircraft Carrier from Russia via Real Clear Defense Yes Russia Matters: Putin’s Guerilla Strategy via World Affairs Baltic States Wary as Russia Takes More Strident Tone with Neighbors via The Guardian The Long Game in Eastern Europe via Real Clear World Ice Bucket […]

Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Sep 18, 2014

Storify: #RenewingSpace: The Future of Human Space Exploration

By The Atlantic Council

Exploring space firsthand seems more elusive now than ever before with waning public interest and the termination of more than twenty NASA human space exploration programs in the last twenty-five years. Transcripts: Final Frontier – Morning Session Final Frontier – Afternoon Session Final Frontier – Jill Tarter Despite these setbacks, efforts are underway to build […]

Space Technology & Innovation

New Atlanticist

Sep 17, 2014

The US Begins Bombing ISIS: Will President Obama’s Strategy Work?

The ‘Islamic State’ Cannot Be Destroyed with Syria’s Assad in Power, Fred Hof Says As the United States opens a campaign of airstrikes against the brutal militants of ISIS, Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Fred Hof says the US aim of destroying the group will require the overthrow of Syria’s also-brutal president, Bashar al-Assad. Removing the […]

Iraq Syria

New Atlanticist

Sep 15, 2014

Ukraine News Roundup | September 15

By Irena Chalupa

Ukraine President Poroshenko Faces Backlash Over EU Trade Deal Delay via Wall Street Journal Bitter Survivors and Caravans of Coffins from Ukraine’s “Eastern Boiler” via Daily Beast As The Sanctions’ Noose Tightens, China Grabs Russian Energy Assets At Bargain Prices via Forbes 5 Ways for NATO, U.S. to Support Ukraine via Washington Post Europe’s Political Divorces Are Often Messy via Moscow Times Propaganda Army Speaks […]

Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Sep 11, 2014

Obama’s ISIS Strategy Likely to Put 5,000 US Troops Around Iraq Within 90 Days, Former CIA Chief Says

By Alex Ward and Liz Harper

Hayden: Plan Is a Step Forward, But US Should Know ‘We Are Putting Americans in Harm’s Way’ President Barack Obama’s new strategy for confronting the explosive growth of the ISIS militant movement in Iraq and Syria puts the United States “in a better place than we have been,” said General Michael Hayden, Atlantic Council board […]

Iraq Syria

New Atlanticist

Sep 11, 2014

Obama’s ISIS Strategy: Is It Enough?

By The Atlantic Council

Following President Obama’s September 10 speech outlining the US strategy to “degrade and ultimately destroy” ISIS, the Atlantic Council held a conference call to assess the president’s plan. Listen to the audio below for expert analysis from Michael V. Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency, former CIA director, and Atlantic Council board director; […]

Iraq Middle East

New Atlanticist

Sep 11, 2014

Ukraine News Roundup | September 11

By Irena Chalupa

Russia and the Menace of Unreality via The Atlantic Russian Soldiers Reveal the Truth Behind Putin’s Secret War via Newsweek Russian Nationalists Grasp at Straws with ‘Scottish Solidarity” Campaign via Global Voices Peace on Putin’s Terms via Foreign Affairs The Ukrainian Crisis is at a Point of No Return via National Interest Crimean Adventure Will Cost Russia Dearly via Rand Blog Putin’s Nationalism and Expansion […]

Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Sep 8, 2014

As ISIS Upends States in the Mideast, Boko Haram is Doing the Same in Africa

By New Atlanticist

Governments and Media, Seized With Iraq-Syria Crisis, Are Paying Scant Attention in Nigeria In the ninety days since ISIS militants suddenly seized Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul, international news media, governments, and even last week’s NATO Summit have swung their attention and agendas to debating how to counter the explosive growth of the group’s apparent capacities […]

Africa Nigeria

New Atlanticist

Sep 8, 2014

Yemen: Protests and Mistrust of Government Hamper Another Arab Struggle Toward Stability

Months After ‘National Dialogue’ Opened a Path Forward, Ill-Prepared Reforms Ignite New Turmoil Eight months after Yemen sparked hope for its stabilization with a broad political accord for a new, federal state, that agreement has eroded into massive protests that threaten to undermine the earlier progress. Tens of thousands of Shia tribesmen from Yemen’s Houthi […]

Yemen

New Atlanticist

Sep 5, 2014

Expert Briefing: NATO Summit Takeaways

The following is a September 5, 2014 briefing from Fred Kempe, president and CEO, the Atlantic Council, Damon Wilson, executive vice president, the Atlantic Council, and R. Nicholas Burns, former US ambassador to NATO, Atlantic Council Board Member, and professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Listen to the audio: Click here to read […]

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