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

Aug 19, 2013

America’s Missed Opportunity in Egypt

By Matthew Bryza

The brutal crackdown on August 14 by Egypt’s interim government on supporters of ousted President Mohammad Morsi will produce no winners. Both the secular interim government and its Islamist predecessor demonstrated they lack the intellectual and political tools required to cope with Egypt’s complex challenges. Now, all Egyptians will suffer as the country descends into […]

Economy & Business
North Africa

New Atlanticist

Aug 16, 2013

Turkey’s Pivot Away from Democracy

By Kathryn Alexeeff

For the second time in two months, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government is clashing with secularists and opposition forces. The latest clash brings to the fore the question of whether Turkey will remain democratic, or if it is descending into authoritarianism. While the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) rightly emphasizes that it […]

Elections
Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Aug 16, 2013

Gibraltar–Rock of Rages

By Julian Lindley French

Article X of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht is pretty unequivocal. “The Catholic King does hereby, for himself, his heirs and successors, yield to the Crown of Great Britain the full and entire propriety of the town and castle of Gibraltar, together with the port, fortifications, and forts thereunto belonging; and he gives up the […]

European Union
International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Aug 16, 2013

Four Days in Iran in August: Heat, Hijab, and Hope

By Barbara Slavin

What is it about Iran and Western women journalists? Foreign reporters who got visas to cover last week’s inauguration of Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, were overwhelmingly female and included me as well as correspondents for NBC and CBS. Historically, women such as Christine Amanpour, Robin Wright and Elaine Sciolino have also reported extensively […]

Iran

New Atlanticist

Aug 15, 2013

Obama Has an Opening with Iran

By R. Nicholas Burns

With a speed few predicted, Iran’s new president, Hassan Rowhani, has signaled his interest in negotiations this autumn on Iran’s controversial nuclear program. This could produce the first extensive contact between Washington and Tehran since diplomatic relations ruptured during the Jimmy Carter administration.

Iran
Nuclear Nonproliferation

New Atlanticist

Aug 15, 2013

War on Terror Is not the Only Threat

By Harlan Ullman

Unspecific warnings last week about an al-Qaida terrorist plot were taken very seriously.

United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Aug 14, 2013

Central Asia Can’t Be Forgotten

By James L. Jones

The transformation of Central Asia and the Caucasus that began twenty years ago—and in which the transatlantic community has a vital stake—is incomplete and uncertain. Despite progress, numerous problems remain. They vary from country to country, but among the most ubiquitous are ineffective governance, political systems that lack public participation and transparency, shortcomings in the […]

Central Asia
Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Aug 14, 2013

Will White House Strong Words on Egypt Be Followed by Action?

By James Joyner

The Obama administration has issued a strongly worded statement on this morning’s massacre by the Egyptian government:

North Africa
Political Reform

New Atlanticist

Aug 13, 2013

Obama’s Red Lines

By Henry Johnson

President Obama’s tepid response to Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons illuminates how he might react to a decision by Iran to build nuclear weapons. In both cases, he has drawn red lines that are extremely costly to enforce.

Iran
Missile Defense

New Atlanticist

Aug 12, 2013

In the Shadow of Forster’s Room

By Peter Haynes

What might the world look like a century from now? This is not an idle question: if we were able to forecast the ultra-long-term future with at least some degree of accuracy, our approach to policymaking would be very different. For example, if we consider federally funded R&D since World War II, much of it […]

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