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

Jun 4, 2012

Is the Eurozone Really in Danger?

By Sarwar Kashmeri

The euro is in danger. Greece’s exit is imminent. Are Portugal and Spain next? That’s what the media headlines tell us. Brown Brothers Harriman’s Marc Chandler begs to differ. He tells Sarwar Kashmeri, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, that the glue that holds the eurozone together is stronger than the media reports. (8.5 minutes)

Economy & Business European Union

New Atlanticist

Jun 1, 2012

Stuxnets are Not in the US National Interest: An Arsonist Calling for Better Fire Codes

By Jason Healey

The United States government has apparently struck a blow against the Iranian nuclear enrichment capability by using Stuxnet to disable centrifuges. While this cyber weapon destroyed centrifuges and seized up the enrichment process, the cost in American cyber power ultimately will not have been worth these limited gains.

Cybersecurity Iran

New Atlanticist

Jun 1, 2012

Egypt’s Prospects for Democracy

By Michele Dunne

Michele Dunne, director of the Atlantic Council‘s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, sat down with Reza Akhlaghi, senior writer at Foreign Policy Association Blogs, to discuss the Egyptian elections. What, in your opinion, were the key driving factors behind the mass revolt against Hosni Mubarak’s regime? Egyptians were disappointed by the fact that […]

North Africa

New Atlanticist

Jun 1, 2012

On American Military Intervention in Syria

By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

The massacre in Houla and other regime atrocities that have been unearthed do not change American strategic interests with respect to Syria. Horrible as they are, they don’t tell us anything new about the nature of this odious regime. If it was a bad idea to intervene prior to the latest revelations, then it remains […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

Jun 1, 2012

NATO’s Many Challenges

By Joshua Foust

I had the privilege of attending the Young Atlanticist Summit, sponsored by The Atlantic Council, during the NATO Summit last week in Chicago. It was a fascinating experience, getting to hear NATO officials discuss their plans with an oftentimes skeptical crowd. NATO tried to sell the summit as a watershed moment for the alliance – […]

Afghanistan NATO

New Atlanticist

May 31, 2012

US-European Economic Partnership Key to Everything

By James Joyner

Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides declared that “the US-European economic partnership is key to everything we want to do together around the world” and together “we must use sanctions and the like to pressure those who break international rules and threaten international security, and we must use economic incentives to drive political reform.”

New Atlanticist

May 31, 2012

Ending Poland’s Absurd Exclusion From Visa Waiver Program

By James Joyner

Speaking today at the Wroclaw Global Forum, Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides declared that “the Obama Administration strongly supports expanding the Visa Waiver Program to include Poland” and that “legislation that could open the door to Poland’s participation in the program is possible by the end of this year.”

NATO Security & Defense

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

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