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.

Stifling Critical Voices in Southeast Europe

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

Dec 3, 2012

Stifling Critical Voices in Southeast Europe

By Rena Linden

On November 24, a Croatian journalist revealed that Milorad Dodik, the president of the Bosnian Serb entity Republika Srpska, offered him money to cover up Dodik’s connection to the Hypo Alpe Adria Banka corruption scandal.

Politics & Diplomacy The Balkans

New Atlanticist

Dec 3, 2012

To Save Congo, Let It Fall Apart

By Peter Pham

The Democratic Republic of Congo, which erupted in violence again earlier this month, ought to be one of the richest countries in the world.

North & West Africa

New Atlanticist

Nov 30, 2012

Yemen’s Democratic Revolution, One Year Later

By Danya Greenfield

Last week marked the one-year anniversary of Yemen’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, stepping down from power after more than 10 months of protests led by youth activists and joined by a cross-section of opposition groups and ordinary Yemenis throughout the country. Over the past year, Yemen has crawled its way back from the brink of […]

National Security Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Nov 30, 2012

US Commanders in Chief Should Heed the Military Consequences

By Harlan Ullman

To ensure civilian control over its military, the US Constitution specifies that the president, and not a general or an admiral, is commander in chief of the armed forces.

National Security Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Nov 29, 2012

Russia’s Murky Energy Future

By Robert Manning

Earlier this month, the U.S. House approved a bill to establish permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Russia, also a newly-minted member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). These moves toward integrating the country into the global economy came at the same time as state oil company Rosneft took over the Russian-British partnership known as […]

Energy & Environment European Union

New Atlanticist

Nov 28, 2012

JCS Vice Chairman: US Must Prioritize National Security Interests

By James Joyner

With major budget cuts looming, the United States will have to be more selective than it has been in recent years in military interventions, says the the number two officer in the Pentagon.

National Security Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Nov 28, 2012

NATO Needs Strength of Robust European and US Economies

By General James L. Jones and Thomas J. Donohue

Last spring the leaders of the North Atlantic Alliance met in Chicago to reaffirm their commitment to the trans-Atlantic partnership and to devise new strategies to deal with pressing threats to our collective security.

Economy & Business European Union

New Atlanticist

Nov 28, 2012

The Geopolitics of Shale

By Julian Lindley-French

Energy is the stuff of power. Long dead British Socialist Aneurin Bevan once remarked, “This Island is almost made of coal and surrounded by fish. Only an organizing genius could produce a shortage of coal AND fish at the same time.” Bevan lived in those long-distant days before the EU concentrated such organizing genii in […]

Energy & Environment Oil and Gas

New Atlanticist

Nov 27, 2012

The Rise of Individual Empowerment

By Anna Borshchevskaya

Individual empowerment, fueled by increasing prosperity, greater educational oppourtunities, especially for women, and the technological revolution are the megatrends of the coming decades, proclaims the US government’s chief strategic forecaster.

Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Nov 27, 2012

Britain’s New Armed Forces Covenant

By Julian Lindley-French

Two weeks ago, General Sir David Richards, Britain’s Defence Chief said, “We have a whole load of tasks expected of us.

Maritime Security Security & Defense

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