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
Mar 6, 2025

How European leaders are responding to Trump’s approach to Ukraine and Europe

From London and Berlin to Paris and Brussels, European leaders have taken several notable steps this week on security. This follows the blow-up between the Ukrainian and US presidents on February 28.

New Atlanticist
Feb 26, 2025

Why the US should not lift sanctions against Russia

By
Charles Lichfield

Sanctions are having an unmistakable effect, albeit below the inflated expectations of many in the West in early 2022. Lifting them now would be a mistake.

Conflict
Economic Sanctions

New Atlanticist
Mar 5, 2025

The Egyptian plan for postwar Gaza is a good starting point—but it needs changes

By
Thomas S. Warrick

While many obstacles remain, the Egyptian proposal could form the starting point for negotiations over a workable plan for postwar Gaza.

Conflict
Crisis Management

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New Atlanticist

Feb 16, 2012

Why England Needs a First Amendment

By Julian Lindley-French

A democracy without a written constitution is always in peril from political law. Three current controversies underline the extent to which England today faces just such peril: the attempt to deport radical Islamist Jordanian cleric Abu Qatada; the Leveson inquiry into press standards and ethics; and the February arrest and jailing of a woman for […]

United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Feb 16, 2012

BHO Equals W on Steroids!

By Harlan Ullman

Ironic humor, fortunately, is never far from politics. Few may recall the so-called “freedom agenda” advanced by President George W. Bush a decade ago. Spreading democracy by muscular means would “transform” the Middle East as autocratic regimes crumbled. And it did but not the way Bush intended. Afghanistan and Iraq were the test cases and […]

Europe After The Vote

Feb 15, 2012

Who Will Pay for Greece?

By Julian Lindley-French

“Bring your desires down to your present means. Increase them only when your increased means permit”, Aristotle once famously wrote. He could have been talking of Greece today.

Economy & Business European Union

New Atlanticist

Feb 15, 2012

In Egypt, Follow the Advice of President Theodore Roosevelt

By Sarwar Kashmeri

Almost exactly 100 years ago President Theodore Roosevelt spoke to the General Assembly of Cairo University. Egypt was then, as it is today, in political turmoil as nationalist groups seethed under the rule of the British Crown, clamoring for freedom. The nationalists felt that the very act of deliverance from the Colonial power would translate […]

North Africa

New Atlanticist

Feb 15, 2012

Global Power Gone

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

From dust to dust, global power is no more. So says Zbigniew Brzezinski, the only rival to Henry Kissinger in America’s contemporary geopolitical hall of fame.

United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Feb 14, 2012

As Athens Burns: Is the Cure Worse than the Disease?

By Alexei Monsarrat and Garrett Workman

Greece produces a mere 2.6 percent of the Eurozone’s GDP but remains front and center in the Eurozone crisis and the larger debate over the proper role of austerity and government spending in resolving the West’s economic woes. Sunday night, Greek parliamentarians overwhelming accepted the latest round of painful cuts—a precondition to receive the next […]

European Union Greece

New Atlanticist

Feb 13, 2012

The Illogic of Intervention

By Daniel Trombly

The first two installments of this series have explored the difficulties of successful intervention in Syria from the air and ground. Yet, without foreign intervention, further violence and civil war are likely to ensue, leading to external spillover effects including refugees and a region more awash in arms and unaccountable paramilitaries.

Syria United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Feb 13, 2012

Desperate or Serious? U.S. Must Drag Policies Out of Old Mindsets

By Harlan Ullman

A century ago, gallows humor about the inevitability of an otherwise avoidable world war permeated the upper ranks of the Kaiser’s Army. The German General Staff quipped that this gathering crisis, when viewed from Paris, was dismissed as serious but not yet desperate. In Berlin, however, conditions were seen as the opposite — desperate but […]

New Atlanticist

Feb 13, 2012

Syria: Tragic Epicentre of the New Great Game

By Julian Lindley-French

Rudyard Kipling’s famous 19th century novel Kim is set against the background of the Great Game, the fight for supremacy over Central Asia between the British and Russian Empires. The book’s hero captures the essence of the struggle with a simple, chilling phrase, “The Great Game is not over until everyone is dead. Not before.”

Syria

New Atlanticist

Feb 10, 2012

The Damning Merits of Invasion

By Daniel Trombly

As noted in yesterday’s installment, the prospects of solving the humanitarian crisis in Syria through air power alone are nil. Today, we assess the options from the ground.

Syria United States and Canada

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