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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Experts React

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

Jun 6, 2012

Supporting Democracy

By Madeleine K Albright

America’s most valuable contribution to democracy is and always has been the successful implementation of freedom at home. If our country had grown up in despotism, the world would be a different and far bleaker place.

Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Jun 6, 2012

South Asian Meltdown?

By Harlan Ullman

Conditions in South Asia are chaotic, confused, critical and potentially catastrophic. Afghanistan, India and Pakistan are confronted with existential security, economic and political dangers that could overwhelm the capacity and limited resources of each state to address.

Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Jun 5, 2012

In Spain, Germany Is Villain, Not Savior

By Frederick Kempe

What brought me to Spain during the most threatening week of the country’s recent history was an invitation to speak about one of Europe’s darkest hours a half-century ago, pegged to the Spanish-language publication of my book Berlin 1961: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth.

Europe & Eurasia Germany

New Atlanticist

Jun 5, 2012

Pressure Mounts on Russia To Switch Horses in Syria

By Barbara Slavin

The US, Europe and Arab nations are mounting a concerted effort to convince Russia that it can maintain its alliance with Syria without Bashar al-Assad at the helm.

Syria

New Atlanticist

Jun 5, 2012

Yemeni Youth Condemn Drones, Call for Halt to Saleh Clan Support

By Danya Greenfield

As I talked with a group of 30 Yemeni youth leaders recently, the message came across loud and clear: US drone attacks against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) are short-sighted, ill-fated and create more enemies than they destroy.

Yemen

New Atlanticist

Jun 5, 2012

The Quandaries of Anti-Interventionist Advocacy

By Dan Trombly

For those seeking to limit the role of military interventions in American foreign policy, making arguments convincing for a policymaking audience has been a persistent difficulty. Despite the existence of a significant popular aversion to intervention, mobilizing members of the policymaking elite behind anti-interventionist policy choices has always been difficult, and anti-interventionist stances, at least […]

Syria United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Jun 4, 2012

New Militia Clashes Endanger Transition in Libya

By Karim Mezran

This morning’s clashes between members of the Tarhouna militia and the Zintani militia at Tripoli’s main airport demonstrate just how unstable Libya’s security situation really is.

Libya NATO

New Atlanticist

Jun 4, 2012

Collateral Damage

By Ben Carliner

The Eurozone’s austerity strategy has reached a dead end. With the Euro can kicked to the curb of depression and debt deflation, voters, politicians and macroeconomists alike are rebelling against austerity and calling for growth. But with investors increasingly unwilling to lend to shaky banks and sovereign borrowers, what are the alternatives? The champions of […]

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia

New Atlanticist

Jun 4, 2012

Syrian Intervention Risks Upsetting Global Order

By Henry Kissinger

The Arab Spring is generally discussed in terms of the prospects for democracy. Equally significant is the increasing appeal — most recently in Syria — of outside intervention to bring about regime change, overturning prevalent notions of international order.

Syria

New Atlanticist

Jun 4, 2012

A Light in the Mire

By Julian Lindley-French

Edward Gibbon, in his masterly Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire wrote, “all that is human must retrograde if it does not advance.” Having just come back from a two day NATO meeting in the Eternal City one is beginning to see that in the fabric of the people and the place.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

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