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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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.

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

New Atlanticist

Aug 1, 2013

Power Africa the Right Choice

By Sam Fishman

President Barack Obama’s “Power Africa” initiative, announced during his six-day tour of Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania in early July, is a major step forward for an administration that has remained relatively inactive in the Sub-Sahara. Though the $7 billion pledge will be spread over three to five years, matching promises from the business community […]

Economy & Business Energy & Environment

New Atlanticist

Aug 1, 2013

The Iran Culture Opportunity

By Ramin Asgard and Barbara Slavin

Many in the foreign policy community have suggested that the election of Hassan Rowhani, the least hard-line candidate running in Iran’s presidential elections, has opened a new window of opportunity for resolving Iran’s complex disputes with the United States and its negotiating partners. The most pressing issue, Iran’s nuclear program, will require deliberate multilateral diplomacy […]

Iran

New Atlanticist

Jul 31, 2013

Latin America’s Drop Out Crisis

By Gabriel Sanchez Zinny

It is estimated that between now and 2040, nearly 40 percent of Latin America’s labor force will lack even a high school degree – much less, any advanced academic or professional training. This is a major challenge in a century whose economic winners are being defined by the ability to innovate, adapt, and leverage advanced […]

Economy & Business Latin America

New Atlanticist

Jul 31, 2013

An All-American Agenda

By Harlan Ullman

This column advances what the United States must do to get its domestic house in order. There are probably a million reasons why this won’t work, yet, if America is to emerge stronger and future generations made more secure, there is no alternative except to act no matter how much the political system resists.

Elections Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Jul 30, 2013

Hezbollah, Iran Pay Price for Syria Role

By Barbara Slavin

Two years after President Barack Obama confidently predicted a swift demise for Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president seems relatively secure. Pro-regime forces have clawed back swaths of key territory as the opposition splinters into hundreds of rebel groups.

Iran Iraq

New Atlanticist

Jul 29, 2013

Zimbabwe’s Irrelevant Election

By Bronwyn Bruton

Elections scheduled for Wednesday in Zimbabwe are shaping up to be an absolute disaster. They were organized on short notice and without adequate budget, so promise to be plagued with irregularities. Some will be deliberate—the ruling party is expected to rig the vote and violently harass the political opposition—but enormous lines, unprinted ballots, and disorganized […]

Elections Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Jul 28, 2013

Turkey-Syria-Kurdish Fronts Heat Up

By Ross Wilson

Reports that Turkish F-16s will fly reconnaissance flights along the Syrian frontier highlight rising alarm over border security and suggest a further internationalization of the civil war in Syria with implications for it, Turkey, and the region’s Kurds.

Intelligence Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Jul 26, 2013

US Governance Backbone Needed Now

By Harlan Ullman

Resurrection is a popular metaphor often promiscuously applied to fallen or disgraced athletes, politicians, celebrities and, of course, religion. But few entities are more in need of resurrection than the governance of the United States.

Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Jul 26, 2013

Can Gratitude Improve American Policy in Afghanistan?

By Jeff Lightfoot

General de Gaulle is attributed to have said “Countries have no friends, only interests.” He offered this contribution to international relations theory from his war-time exile in London, where he depended entirely on the hospitality of the British government for the survival of Free France.

Afghanistan Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Jul 26, 2013

The NSA Isn’t the Only One Watching You

By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

On Wednesday, lawmakers in the House narrowly defeated a measure proposed by Rep. Justin Amash that would have dramatically curtailed the National Security Agency’s ability to collect phone records. While concerns about the breadth of the NSA’s surveillance are far from behind us, privacy advocates will do themselves a grave disservice if the NSA remains the sole […]

Cybersecurity Intelligence

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