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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New Atlanticist

Sep 19, 2011

A Transatlantic Weakness to Avoid

By Carles Castello-Catchot

The transatlantic community is weaker and more divided than it has been in a century, sending shockwaves through a world accustomed to seeing the US and the EU lead by example on a global scale.

European Union
International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Sep 19, 2011

Afghanistan Now a Pointless War?

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

We should have declared the Afghan war won last May 3, the day after a U.S. SEAL team killed Osama bin Laden and buried him in the Arabian Sea. That was the advice given in Washington last week by a former spy chief who played a key role in the Saudi-Pakistan-U.S. alliance that defeated the […]

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Sep 16, 2011

As Iran Edges Closer to Nukes

By Barbara Slavin

One country is likely to get increasing attention during the presidential campaign: Iran. So it is important to frame the debate about Iran correctly — without hyping or underestimating the possibility it will get nuclear weapons in the near future. Compared to four countries that have developed nuclear weapons outside international norms — Israel, India, […]

New Atlanticist

Sep 16, 2011

A Modest Proposal for Pan-European Defense

By Nikolas Gvosdev

The idea of intra-alliance military specialization in Europe is attractive in theory, but problematic in practice. Instead, officials should pursue a two-tiered pan-European defense force, which would facilitate deployment beyond Europe and improve effeciency using economies of scale. The recent candid remarks by Stefan Wallin, Finland’s defense minister, that conditions of growing austerity might require […]

European Union
International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Sep 16, 2011

Moscow Plans for a Post-NATO Afghanistan

By Jakub Kulhanek

The looming withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan slated for 2014 poses for Moscow a serious geopolitical predicament. In spite of their conspicuous silence on the matter, Russian officials have been growing increasingly uneasy about the potential vacuum. Yet still some in the Russian leadership see this as a welcome opportunity to expand […]

Afghanistan
NATO

New Atlanticist

Sep 15, 2011

The Reality of 9/11-Related Predictions of Cyber Attacks

By Jason Healey

After the 9/11 attacks a decade ago, it seemed that threats were waiting for us around every border, hiding in every cave, and ready to pounce from everywhere, including cyberspace. To be sure, some of those threats did in fact materialize against the United States, our allies and interests.

Cybersecurity
Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Sep 15, 2011

Article 5 Ten Years On: Division or Unity?

By Simona Kordosova

Ten years ago, in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, NATO invoked Article 5 for the first and only time in its history. Paradoxically, a treaty provision created to guarantee American assistance in case of a Soviet attack on Europe instead brought Europe to the aide of the United States in Afghanistan. Since then, […]

NATO
Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Sep 15, 2011

NATO Support Steady Through Transatlantic Twists and Turns

By James Joyner

The German Marshall Fund has just released its annual Transatlantic Trends report, which measures U.S. and European public opinion on transatlantic issues and trends. The big headline is that a bare majority of Americans, 51 percent, now think the countries of Asia are more important to their national interests than the countries of the European Union, which […]

NATO
Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Sep 15, 2011

International Partnership and NATO’s Future in Afghanistan

By William B. Caldwell IV

Reflecting on ten years of United States involvement in Afghanistan, the greatest long-term effect the international community can have in Afghanistan is through continued partnership. Today, nearly a quarter of the world’s nations are working with the Afghan government to rebuild a war-torn society, stimulate economic activity, and develop their security forces. In spite of […]

Afghanistan
NATO

New Atlanticist

Sep 14, 2011

Ten Years Later – Are Americans Better or Worse Off?

By Harlan Ullman

The anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks brings with it the self-evident question of whether the United States and Americans are safer or more secure in 2011 given all the blood and treasure expended since the Twin Towers collapsed. Unfortunately, politics and human nature make finding an objective answer to that question difficult. Republicans […]

United States and Canada

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