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.

US and Europe Can Ramp Up Their Pressures on Russia

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

Apr 10, 2014

US and Europe Can Ramp Up Their Pressures on Russia

By Irena Chalupa

Both Europe and the United States are designing broader sets of economic sanctions against Russia over its assaults on Ukraine says the Atlantic Council’s Fran Burwell. Like the Obama administration, the European Union is considering a further phase of sanctions that will likely include restrictions on Russian banks doing business in Europe, and on European […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Apr 10, 2014

Senate Testimony: Transatlantic Security Challenges in Central & Eastern Europe

Council Senior Fellow Ian Brzezinski will testify before a panel of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, recommending policies dealing with the crisis in Ukraine. The hearing starts at 3:00 p.m. The lineup of panelists is below. We will make the video and Ian Brzezinski’s testimony as prepared for delivery available on this page as soon […]

Russia Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Apr 10, 2014

Mideast Diplomacy Looks Bleak but Alternatives are Worse

By Barbara Slavin

The Obama administration has certainly had better weeks in Middle East diplomacy. The Israeli-Palestinian talks appear to be collapsing in a fit of finger-pointing, and Syria increasingly resembles a slow-motion Rwanda. Only Iran negotiations continue to progress, albeit with obstacles looming as the parties approach a mid-summer deadline for a long-term nuclear agreement.

Israel Middle East

New Atlanticist

Apr 9, 2014

Amid Europe’s Crisis, Danger Signs From Egypt

By James Rupert

As the United States and Europe (and the Atlantic Council) grapple with the crisis over Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, danger signs rise like signal flares from the Middle East. The latest reminder at the Council is an essay by Aziz El-Kaissouni, a political analyst and former Reuters correspondent in Cairo.

North Africa

Congressional Relations

Apr 8, 2014

Gen. James Jones: Amid Ukraine Crisis, Congress and NATO Should Help Energize Europe

By New Atlanticist

US Could Export LNG, Back Iraq-Turkey Pipeline General James L. Jones, the former US national security advisor to President Obama, has urged Congress and NATO to act quickly to ensure energy security in Europe in light of the crisis over Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

New Atlanticist

Apr 8, 2014

Hungary: Re-elected Government Will Remain a Cold European Ally

By David Koranyi

Prime Minister Orbán Wins Gerrymandered Vote Hungary elected a parliament for the next four years on April 6, an event largely hidden amid the Ukraine-crisis and Afghanistan’s election the day before. But the victory of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his conservative nationalist Fidesz party suggests that Hungary will remain a cold, calculating, unenthusiastic member […]

Hungary

New Atlanticist

Apr 7, 2014

Attacks in East Ukraine: Government Accuses Russia of Subversion

By Irene Chalupa

Masked Men in Web Video Called for Armed Uprising Ukraine’s interim government is scrambling to respond to the seizures yesterday of government buildings in eastern provinces by organized groups of men who demanded the annexation of eastern Ukraine by Russia. President Oleksander Turchynov cancelled a visit to Lithuania and said the weekend attacks represent a […]

Russia Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Apr 7, 2014

Afghanistan’s Election: The Real Results

By James Rupert

Following Afghanistan’s presidential election Saturday, ballots from villages of the Hindu Kush mountains are wobbling down dirt paths toward counting centers, lashed to the backs of donkeys. While we will need some weeks to know the official outcome, in which the top two candidates are likely to face a runoff, we know some key effective […]

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Apr 3, 2014

The Arab Spring and Human Rights: Slow Progress on a Long Road

By New Atlanticist

A thousand days, roughly, after the Arab Spring revolutions swept away three Middle Eastern presidents-for-life and one Brother-Leader, how much has the democratic wave improved basic human rights? The US State Department’s report on human rights for 2013, released in recent weeks, offers us an overview, notably if we compare it to the same report […]

New Atlanticist

Apr 2, 2014

Russia vs. Ukraine: The Cyber Front Unfolds

By Jason Healey

Russia’s battle with Ukraine is being fought partly in cyberspace, where it may have greater room for escalation because nations increasingly accept covert cyber attack as a valid form of international pressure when more traditional options are too violent – or too visible. So far, the Ukraine cyber conflict appears to have pitted the strong […]

Cybersecurity Russia

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