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

Mar 11, 2013

Syria: Between Sarajevo and Baghdad

By Julian Lindley-French

Thucydides, the great-great grandfather of unforgiving International Relations, once said, “The strong do what they have to do and the weak accept what they have to accept”. British Foreign Secretary Hague’s announcement last week in Parliament that Britain will send armored vehicles and bullet-proof vests to support the Syrian National Coalition came just at the moment when […]

International Organizations
Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Mar 8, 2013

Our Arctic Strategy Deficit

By William Edwards

The United States is juggling multiple crises at home and around the world. Operating in crisis mode has meant a lack of attention to over-the-horizon issues, not least of which are in the Arctic, where there is a looming fight for territorial expansion driven by large amounts of untapped oil and natural gas resources in […]

Europe & Eurasia
Northern Europe

New Atlanticist

Mar 7, 2013

North Korean Albatross Around China’s Neck

By Robert A. Manning

North Korea’s recent nuclear test was a stark reminder to China that the days of a “lips and teeth” relationship with Pyongyang, of Mao Zedong and Kim Il-sung half a century ago, are long gone. Nuclear test after nuclear test, missile test after missile test, Pyongyang has time after time ignored Beijing’s pleas not to […]

Korea
National Security

New Atlanticist

Mar 7, 2013

For 375 Years, Close Partners

By Mark Brzezinski and Jonas Hafstrom

Innovative – entrepreneurial – audacious – these words apply to this region just as much today as they did 375 years ago.

Energy & Environment
Northern Europe

New Atlanticist

Mar 6, 2013

Was Afghanistan Worth It?

By James Joyner

As his Marines prepare to leave Helmand Province, General James Amos, the commandant, says the mission has “paid off.” He cites several metrics: “The number of violent events, from gunshots to roadside bombs, has dropped in almost every district since 2010.” “Roads have been paved and markets secured, allowing commerce to grow in places like […]

Afghanistan

Congressional Relations

Mar 6, 2013

Y2K Sequester?

By Harlan Ullman

As of last Friday, the inability or intransigence of U.S. President Barack Obama and Republicans in the House of Representatives to reach a budget agreement triggered the much publicized sequester.

Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Mar 5, 2013

Promoting the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

By Garrett Workman

With both the United States and Europe mired in economic stagnation, removing the remaining barriers to trade—both tariffs and divergent regulations—is critical to maintaining the leadership position the West has grown accustomed to. President Obama made clear in his State of the Union address that pursuing a comprehensive agreement with the European Union will be […]

Economy & Business
European Union

New Atlanticist

Mar 4, 2013

Handicapping the Kenyan Election

By Bronwyn Bruton

As Kenyans go to the polls, observers are bracing for a replay of the country’s horrific 2007 presidential elections, which produced a wave of ethnic violence that killed more than a thousand people and displaced over a half a million.

East Africa
Elections

New Atlanticist

Mar 4, 2013

Sequestration’s Credibility Costs

By Jeffrey Lightfoot

The debate over sequestration is focused nearly entirely on the impact of spending reductions on the U.S. economy. Far less attention is given to how the automatic spending cuts would undermine the credibility of American power abroad. As sequestration comes into force, the White House and Congress signal a dangerous lack of resolve to both […]

Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Mar 4, 2013

Toward Stability in Mali

By Dustin Dehez

The current crisis in Mali came largely as a shock to the international community. Yet, with the conflict having gone from local insurgency to full scale war and back, plenty of analyses have begun to formulate an early consensus among analysts: the conflict, it is argued, is a direct result of the 2011 civil war […]

Politics & Diplomacy
Sahel

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