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.

Russian Stereotypes: A Flawed Analysis Resulting in Inadequate Policy Choices

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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New Atlanticist

Nov 23, 2011

Russian Stereotypes: A Flawed Analysis Resulting in Inadequate Policy Choices

By Isabelle Francois and Brett Swaney

The relationship between Russia and NATO is in dire need of radical rethinking. In the past two decades, the evolving security environment has provided opportunities for NATO and Russia to establish new levels of cooperation but diverging perceptions continue to cause the relationship to stagnate. For the better part of the last decade, Western analysts […]

NATO Russia

New Atlanticist

Nov 23, 2011

Arab Spring is a Contradiction in Terms

By Harlan Ullman

Just an hour’s sail from Gibraltar to the north and 3 1/2 hours by car from Casablanca to the west, immortalized in the movie of the same name, Tangier, a city of 3 million has hosted for the past four years, a conference called “MEDays” sponsored by the Amadeus Institute, a Moroccan think tank dedicated […]

New Atlanticist

Nov 22, 2011

Germany’s Military Reform: An American Perspective

By Peter Flory

In the May 2011 German Defense Policy Guidelines (DPG), Germany sets as its goal a force that is capable of “[s]afe guarding national interests, assuming international responsibility, and shaping security together.” As an American, I would ask no more and no less from our German ally.

Germany

New Atlanticist

Nov 22, 2011

US Ratchets Up Economic Pressure on Iran

By Barbara Slavin

Under intense pressure from the U.S. Congress and U.S. presidential election politics, the Barack Obama administration Monday declared the Islamic Republic of Iran a “primary money laundering concern” – a designation that stops short of blacklisting Iran’s Central Bank but is intended to persuade more foreign governments, banks and companies to curtail business with Iranian […]

New Atlanticist

Nov 21, 2011

Dead Politics: Europe’s Enemy Within

By Julian Lindley-French

One of the great doyens of nineteenth century British foreign policy Lord Salisbury could turn a phrase or two. Speaking of Britain in the 1870s he may well of been speaking of Europe (and the British bit of it) today when he said “…the commonest error in politics lies in sticking to the carcases of […]

European Union Germany

New Atlanticist

Nov 18, 2011

Will NATO Intervene In Syria?

By James Joyner

Among the explanations given for why the West intervened in Libya but has thus far stayed out of the far greater crisis in Syria has been the lack of regional support for action. That excuse appears to be nearing its expiration date.

International Organizations NATO

New Atlanticist

Nov 18, 2011

Key Regional Perspectives: Central Asia

By Anna Borshchevskaya

Afghanistan is both the key and the lock preventing the Central Asian region from moving further, said Ambassador Robert Finn as he opened yesterday’s “Key Regional Perspectives: Central Asia” session at the Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum. “We need to talk about Afghanistan when we talk about Central Asia,” he said.

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Nov 17, 2011

Picking A President: The System Works

By James Joyner

The Republican candidates for president are tripping over themselves to see who can say the most embarrassingly inept thing on foreign affairs. Erstwhile front-runner Herman Cain has singlehandedly kept the late-night comics supplied with material, most recently by giving the impression that he was completely oblivious to the fact that the United States had been militarily involved in […]

Elections Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Nov 17, 2011

Ales Byalyatski and the Price of Freedom

By Cynthia Romero

In the midst of the euphoria brought on by the “Arab Spring,” it is easy to forget that freedom struggles are oftentimes hard-fought battles with few wins and more losses.

New Atlanticist

Nov 16, 2011

Beginning of the End for Assad?

By Barbara Slavin

Actions by the Arab League this week have given a regional seal of approval to Syrian opposition forces and could mark the beginning of the end of the Assad family dictatorship that has ruled Syria for more than 40 years. Regional experts and members of the Syrian opposition expect the process to be long, complicated […]

Syria

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