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.

Descent into Hell: The Demise of Amerian Politics

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.

Markup

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

New Atlanticist

Jan 31, 2013

Descent into Hell: The Demise of Amerian Politics

By Harlan Ullman

The Irish bon vivant Oscar Wilde naughtily observed that the reason the politics of academic life were so sharp was because the stakes were so small. In the United States today, politics are growing even sharper and nastier because the stakes are so huge.

National Security
Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Jan 30, 2013

Hands Across the Atlantic

By Chris Brummer and Frederick Kempe

Like Don Quixote’s pining for his princess Dulcinea, the generation-long quest for a U.S.-EU free trade agreement has been mostly an affair of fit and fantasy — that is, until now. In the last year, leaders across Europe have increasingly pushed for a new trade pact with the United States, their top trading partner, and […]

Economy & Business
European Union

New Atlanticist

Jan 30, 2013

Chuck Hagel, a Leader for All

By Damon Wilson

Some people are seeking to block Chuck Hagel’s confirmation as defense secretary on the basis that he is out of the mainstream on national security policy and intolerant of gays. These charges don’t stand up to either his public record or his personal relationships.

New Atlanticist

Jan 29, 2013

Cyber Command Expanding Five Fold

By Jason Healey

Cyber Command will find great opportunities but face significant challenges as it expands from 900 cyber warriors to nearly 5000. Its predecessor started with just 25 people in 1998. So in one sense, this increase represents continuity, just another in a series of expansions. But the size of the increase, and the addition of a new mission, […]

Cybersecurity
National Security

New Atlanticist

Jan 29, 2013

Britain’s History of Hedging on Europe

By Rajan Menon

First there was talk of a possible “Grexit,” the forced departure of a bankrupt Greece from the EU. Now, with British prime minister David Cameron’s Wednesday announcement that he will put the question of the UK’s continued membership to vote should his Conservative Party win the 2015 election, there’s speculation about what might be called […]

European Union
International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Jan 28, 2013

Europe and the Holocaust

By Julian Lindley-French

Yesterday was Holocaust Memorial Day, the sixty-eighth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet forces which last year I visited to pay homage to the murdered. Here in the Netherlands Anne Frank wrote “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes […]

Europe & Eurasia

New Atlanticist

Jan 28, 2013

NATO Demise Redux?

By Stephen M. Saideman

Harlan Ullman’s “NATO RIP” seemed like a bit of déjà vu, as people have been predicting the Alliance’s demise pretty much as long as it has been around. This obviously increased after the Soviet Union collapsed and with it NATO’s raison d’etre. However, the reality is that institutions are sticky, including international ones, and disappear […]

NATO
Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Jan 28, 2013

Managing Mali

By J. Peter Pham

Strategically ill-conceived as it might been in a moment of panic and almost stillborn as a result of its bumpy start (thanks to diminished European military logistics capabilities), the French military intervention in Mali has nevertheless altered the dynamics in the fight against al-Qaeda’s regional affiliate. As the United States broadens the hitherto limited assistance […]

Sahel

New Atlanticist

Jan 25, 2013

Optimism After Jordan’s Election

By Danya Greenfield

Against all expectations, Jordan’s parliamentary election this week seems to have generated some optimism. The big questions had little to do with the appeal of specific political platforms or even the candidates themselves, but rather with process and turnout.

Elections
Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Jan 25, 2013

All-Volunteer Military a Ticking Time Bomb

By Arnold Punaro

The all-in cost of the all-volunteer force is a ticking time bomb that could explode our defense capabilities if not dealt with responsibly. Unfortunately, the Pentagon does not track the real cost of personnel decisions, making smart reform difficult.

Security & Defense
United States and Canada

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