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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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

May 31, 2012

Mission Taliban

By Bharat Karnad

There are certain immutable laws of military history that repeated attempts at disproving them only end up confirming their veracity. One such law has to do with certain countries being simply intolerant of interventions by foreign powers. Vietnam and Afghanistan come readily to mind; they are the fabled “graveyards of empires”.

Afghanistan NATO

New Atlanticist

May 31, 2012

With an Eye Towards China, India Approves Arms Deal with the United States

By Ronak Desai

Decision makers in New Delhi have approved the purchase of 145 ultra-light weight howitzers from the United States for an estimated $560 million.

India

New Atlanticist

May 31, 2012

Five Questions with Ellen Tauscher at the NATO Summit

By Simona Kordosova

At the NATO Summit in Chicago earlier this month, the Atlantic Council’s Simona Kordosova had the opportunity to interview Ellen Tauscher, US special envoy for strategic stability and missile defense, and vice chair designate of the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security.

NATO Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

May 30, 2012

Expert Offers Calming Words on Iran Nuclear Program

By Barbara Slavin

In the wake of last week’s nuclear talks in Baghdad, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday blasted the process as a waste of time that is allowing Iran to get closer to nuclear weapons.

Iran Nuclear Nonproliferation

New Atlanticist

May 30, 2012

Putin’s Management of Russia’s Governors Reveals Regional Fractures, Fear of Losing Power

By Thomas Liles

Since embarking on his third term as Russia’s president on May 7, Vladimir Putin has pushed the issue of gubernatorial elections to the forefront of his agenda. In contrast to his predecessor Dmitry Medvedev, who made several symbolic concessions to the country’s pro-democracy opposition, Putin has taken a decidedly more “managerial” approach which, unsurprisingly, contradicts […]

Russia

New Atlanticist

May 30, 2012

The Mother of All (Fiscal) Tsunamis

By Harlan Ullman

Imagine you are aboard a palatial huge cruise ship — longer than three football fields and more than 100,000 tons in displacement. You are in the Atlantic. You receive an urgent text message. A giant tidal wave is headed in your direction and will hit the ship in about 2 hours. A satellite photo of […]

Elections Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

May 29, 2012

NATO’s Biggest Security Threat Is Now Economic

By Frederick Kempe

As measured from President Obama’s re-election campaign perspective – the White House’s litmus test for foreign policy issues through November – last weekend’s G-8 and NATO Summits were bell ringers. Obama campaign strategists couldn’t have scripted their outcomes better – perhaps because they did script them. Given the potential for dissent, President Obama could be […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

May 29, 2012

US Devises ‘Influence Games’ for Working with Syria, Levant

By Barbara Slavin

When is a war game not a war game? When it is a “competitive influence” game. For three days earlier this month (May 15-17), more than 100 people met in Annapolis, Md. to brainstorm about devising such an exercise. The actual game is to be played this summer at an air base in Florida. If […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

May 29, 2012

Europe’s New German Question

By Julian Lindley-French

Almost sixty years ago to the day, the European Defense Community (EDC) Treaty was signed in Paris. Under pressure from an America facing a possible war on two fronts – Korea and Europe, the aim was to create a European Army that would see West Germany re-armed to provide manpower for the defense of Europe […]

European Union Germany

New Atlanticist

May 25, 2012

The Pivot from Asia

By Derek Reveron

Since the latest US defense strategy was unveiled in January, a persistent headline has been the US pivot to Asia. As President Obama wrote in the document’s foreword, “As we end today’s wars, we will focus on a broader range of challenges and opportunities, including the security and prosperity of the Asia Pacific.”

China

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