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
Mar 6, 2025

How European leaders are responding to Trump’s approach to Ukraine and Europe

From London and Berlin to Paris and Brussels, European leaders have taken several notable steps this week on security. This follows the blow-up between the Ukrainian and US presidents on February 28.

New Atlanticist
Feb 26, 2025

Why the US should not lift sanctions against Russia

By
Charles Lichfield

Sanctions are having an unmistakable effect, albeit below the inflated expectations of many in the West in early 2022. Lifting them now would be a mistake.

Conflict
Economic Sanctions

New Atlanticist
Mar 5, 2025

The Egyptian plan for postwar Gaza is a good starting point—but it needs changes

By
Thomas S. Warrick

While many obstacles remain, the Egyptian proposal could form the starting point for negotiations over a workable plan for postwar Gaza.

Conflict
Crisis Management

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New Atlanticist

Apr 12, 2013

Reflections on Thatcher

By Julian Lindley-French

“To those waiting with bated breath for that favorite media catchphrase, the U-turn, I have only one thing to say: ‘You turn if you want to. The lady’s not for turning.’”

Economy & Business United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Apr 12, 2013

American Airpower Sequestered

By Aaron Burgstein

I like to run. One thing runners know, really that all athletes amateur to professional know, is that when you take time off or scale back on your training because of an injury or the like, it takes time to recover. I don’t mean taking a day off to recover here and there. I mean taking say a […]

Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Apr 11, 2013

A Call to Action on Roma Inclusion

By Meleah Paull

Monday was International Roma Day. Throughout Europe, Roma people and their allies gathered to sing, dance, and celebrate Romani culture. But the day is also meant to draw attention to the poor living conditions and social exclusion facing many of Europe’s largest minority. Roma people die younger, complete far fewer years of school, have little […]

Europe & Eurasia European Union

New Atlanticist

Apr 11, 2013

More Self-Sufficient Cities in a 3D Printing World

By Neal Peirce

There has been plenty of hype recently about the wonders of three dimensional printing – a fast-emerging technology that may be able to reproduce any object from an instrument for sublime music (a Stradivarius violin) to a potential weapon of death (a bullet-firing gun). But 3D printing machines can do more than produce objects. They […]

Intelligence Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Apr 10, 2013

No, It’s Not Too Soon to Judge Iraq War

By James Joyner

Paul Wolfowitz, a leading cheerleader for and planner of the Iraq War, says “it’s too soon to tell” how it turned out.

National Security Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Apr 10, 2013

Dealing with the North Korean Threats

By Harlan Ullman

More than a century ago, as this column noted, events in Europe were simultaneously described as serious but not yet desperate and as desperate but not fully serious. Given the antics of the Boy Sun King in Pyongyang, Kim Jung Un, it is hard to know how serious or desperate the current situation on the […]

China Korea

New Atlanticist

Apr 10, 2013

Time to Unblock Macedonia’s Accession to NATO

By Sally Painter

The first visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry to Afghanistan last month underscored the changing nature of Western involvement in the country. Kerry, among other important discussions, finalised the transfer of the Parwan detention centre over to Afghan authorities. The centre has long been a symbol of the Afghan government’s demands for national […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Apr 9, 2013

Kurdish Opening: Opportunities and the Challenges Ahead

By Selin Bolme and Mujge Kucukkeles

On March 21, 2013 Turkey entered a new period with the reading of a letter from Öcalan to the crowds gathered in Diyarbakir on Newruz day, the traditional Kurdish Spring festival, calling for a cease-fire and the withdrawal of PKK fighters from Turkish territory. The letter did not contain the technical details of the withdrawal; […]

Politics & Diplomacy Turkey

New Atlanticist

Apr 9, 2013

North Korea: Sad, Bad, and Mad?

By Julian Lindley-French

In 2000 Cranfield University’s Professor Helen Smith posed the now seminal question about North Korea, “Bad, Mad, Sad, or Rational Actor?” Kim Jong-un, the thirtyish leader of the somewhat misnomered Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) would indeed seem on the face of it to be bad, mad, and sad.

Korea

New Atlanticist

Apr 8, 2013

How the Nordic Countries Are Quietly Leading the Alliance into the Future

By Magnus Nordenman

Amidst massive defense cuts and perennial squabbling over burden sharing across NATO, the Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark have quietly assumed a real leadership role in the transatlantic security relationship. They are making valuable contributions to the Alliance in personnel, strategic vision, operations, and policy. More importantly, they provide a model for […]

NATO Northern Europe

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