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

Oct 16, 2012

Home Cost of Wars

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

The American Society of Civil Engineers issued a cry of alarm five years ago in the form of three separate report cards on the state of the nation’s infrastructure in 15 major categories — from bridges to rail lines, pipelines, dams, waterways, highways and all other publicly regulated facilities.

Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Oct 16, 2012

Baltic Energy Security: Today’s Historic Opportunity

By Matthew Bryza

For the first time in modern history, the Baltic states can rely on their own actions to attain energy security.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

New Atlanticist

Oct 15, 2012

Nobel Peace Prize: Right Continent, Wrong IGO

By James Joyner

The Norwegian Nobel Committee surprised most observers with its award of the peace prize to the European Union for its contributions to “the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.” The Telegraph‘s Iain Martin wonders whether the committee has “been infiltrated by satirists or opponents keen on discrediting the organization.” Observing that, in […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Oct 15, 2012

The Good Ole US of E

By Julian Lindley-French

US President Abraham Lincoln famously said, “you can fool some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time”.

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Oct 12, 2012

America Needs a Kennan Moment

By Julian Lindley-French

US strategist George F. Kennan, a hero of mine, once said, “The best an American can look forward to is the lonely pleasure of one who stands at long last on a chilly and inhospitable mountaintop where few have been before, where few can follow and where few will consent to believe he has been”.

United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Oct 12, 2012

As the US Prepares to Vote, the World Watches

By Frederick Kempe

America’s friends around the globe are watching the presidential elections with a mixture of horror and hope. They are dismayed by the expense, the duration and the self-indulgence of an election campaign that does more to entertain and polarize Americans than to enlighten and galvanize them.

Elections Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Oct 11, 2012

Why Do We Need Armies?

By Julian Lindley-French

The Duke of Wellington once said “I mistrust the judgment of every man in a case in which his own wishes are concerned.”

United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Oct 10, 2012

Unintended Consequences

By Harlan Ullman

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld coined the phrase “unknown unknowns,” a snappier way to describe “unintended consequences.” Both refer to events that are unanticipated, unexpected and unpredictable.

Russia Syria

New Atlanticist

Oct 9, 2012

Three Steps to Siachen

By Arun Kumar Singh

India and Pakistan have been engaged in military-level Track 2 talks for the past 12 months, with the delegates of the two sides meeting in Dubai, Bangkok and finally in Lahore in September this year. Smaller “sub-group” meetings in Chiang Mai (Thailand) and Palo Alto (California) have also featured in the Track 2 process. A […]

India Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Oct 9, 2012

Africa Rising

By Derek Reveron

The latest World Bank study describes the state of the global economy as “volatile, punctuated by natural disasters, large swings in investor sentiment, and periods of relative calm and improving prospects.”

Africa Economy & Business

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