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 11, 2012

NATO and the Transatlantic Bargain

By Franklin Kramer

The United States’ recent defense strategy emphasizes a “strategic turning point” and a “broader range of challenges and opportunities.” The NATO Summit, which will be held in Chicago May 20 and 21, will offer the transatlantic countries a first opportunity to respond and two key elements will be “pivoting”—expanding the focus on the larger world […]

NATO
Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

May 11, 2012

Determining Libya’s Trajectory

By Sarwar Kashmeri

Some six months after the end of the war in Libya the situation on the ground appears unstable and chaotic. Is what one sees in Libya simply the normal chaos that precedes a new state? Sarwar Kashmeri, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, speaks with Dartmouth Professor Dirk Vandewalle, a noted expert on Libya. (8.5 minutes)

Libya

New Atlanticist

May 10, 2012

Saving NATO

By Franklin Kramer and Jordan Becker

As the United States engages in a “strategic pivot” toward the Asia-Pacific region—and as defense budgets tighten on both sides of the Atlantic—the debate on burden sharing within NATO has once again been rekindled. Last summer, outgoing secretary of defense Robert Gates, a staunch Atlanticist, chided European allies publicly over the issue, warning of “dire” […]

NATO
Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

May 10, 2012

Needed Now: An Intellectual Revolution in Strategic Thinking

By Harlan Ullman

Toward the end of the Cold War, Soviet military thinkers coined the phrase “Military-Technical Revolution.” Based on a combination of extraordinary advances in precision strike and in information and surveillance technologies, the MTR was successfully transformed by the Pentagon into the “Revolution in Military Affairs.” Meant to defeat the Red Army, the RMA was a […]

New Atlanticist

May 9, 2012

Cyber Security and the Need for New Approaches

By Franklin Kramer

Cyber as a critical facilitator of the global world is well recognized and the concomitant importance of a safe and secure cyber system is equally understood. But the continued and highly successful attacks on cyber systems in recent years have undercut any sense of real security. Just to state a few: the US Department of Defense […]

Cybersecurity
NATO

New Atlanticist

May 9, 2012

The True Meaning of Solidarity, M. Hollande

By Julian Lindley-French

Cher M. Hollande, First, let me congratulate you on your victory. You are about to become president of a great country which is at the heart of European affairs and a major influence on world politics.

European Union
France

New Atlanticist

May 9, 2012

Ballistic Missile Defense Cooperation: How the US Can Kick-Start Smart Defense

By Michael Hannan

With the shift in priorities to the Pacific and the Arabian Gulf outlined in the president’s new Defense Strategy Guidance, it is critical for the US to operationalize its international partnerships in order to further our national interests. With growing fiscal constraints faced by the United States military, we must call on historic allies and […]

Europe & Eurasia

New Atlanticist

May 8, 2012

Hagel: Enlisted Troops Don’t Make Policy But Always Carry It Out

By James Joyner

The Atlantic Council presented its 2012 Distinguished Military Leadership Award not, as has been the custom, to a famous general or admiral but to the Enlisted Men and Women of the United States Armed Forces.

New Atlanticist

May 8, 2012

Prince Harry: Wounded Veterans Paid Terrible Price to Keep Us Safe And Free

By James Joyner

Prince Harry of Wales paid tribute to the wounded veterans of the transatlantic Alliance, noting that, “They have paid a terrible price to keep us safe and free.”

New Atlanticist

May 8, 2012

Unilever’s Polman: Business Simply Has to Take the Lead

By James Joyner

Unilever CEO Paul Polman declared that “business simply has to take the lead” to solve global challenges ranging from hunger to climate change.

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