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.

International Partnership and Transition in Afghanistan

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

Jul 28, 2011

International Partnership and Transition in Afghanistan

By William B. Caldwell IV

Last week, Afghan security forces assumed lead security responsibility in areas across Afghanistan. This historic milestone is a testament to the sacrifice, hard work, and vision of the international community and the government of Afghanistan. Since the first tranche of transition areas was announced earlier this year, NATO and Afghan leadership have been working shoulder-to-shoulder […]

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Jul 28, 2011

India-Pakistan Rivalry Afghanistan’s “Gordian Knot”

By Barbara Slavin

U.S. hopes to withdraw forces and leave behind a stable Afghanistan may rest on whether Pakistan and India can lower bilateral tensions and refrain from using Afghan territory for a new proxy war.

India
Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Jul 27, 2011

Restoration Doctrine

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

It’s now called the Doctrine of Restoration, diplomatic jargon for rebuilding America before China eats our lunch.

New Atlanticist

Jul 27, 2011

The Debt Ceiling Crisis and National Security

By Don Snow

It is a central tenet of the right-wing, generally Republican, overwhelmingly pro-TEA Party movement that wields a stranglehold on the U.S. House of Representatives that the central government is not good for much. It does not, of course, put its belief in quite those terms, but nonetheless, that is the libertarian spirit in terms certainly […]

Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Jul 26, 2011

Norway Terrorism and the Blame Game

By James Joyner

To what extent does extreme rhetoric in political discussions help fuel unspeakable acts by violent extremists? This perennial question was renewed by news that Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik was a fan of anti-Islamist sites, including Robert Spencer’s Jihad Watch and Pamela Geller’s Atlas Shrugs. Dr. Marc Sageman, a forensic psychologist and former CIA officer, told the New York […]

New Atlanticist

Jul 26, 2011

New Challenges – New Nato

By Gábor Iklódy

In early August, a new division started its work in NATO’s International Staff. In itself, this may not appear particularly noteworthy. Large bureaucracies re‑shuffling their outfit from time to time is not exactly headline-grabbing stuff. But this time, things are different.

NATO
Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Jul 25, 2011

EU and US Face Economic, Leadership Crises

By James Joyner

European leaders have put another Band Aid on the Greek sovereign debt crisis while America’s leaders are trying to stave off a self-inflicted financial default. Meanwhile, pundits are credulous that the leaders won’t actually lead. Tufts international political economy expert Daniel Drezner notes that this affliction is especially strong among his fellow foreign policy wonks: To those who […]

Economy & Business
European Union

New Atlanticist

Jul 25, 2011

Greek Rescue Package Kicks Can Down The Road Yet Again

By Hugh De Santis

Last Thursday’s bailout of Greece by the principal actors in the sovereign debt crisis –France, Germany, and the European Central Bank – has buoyed the spirits of European credit and stock markets. But the agreement does little more than paper over Europe’s sovereign debt crisis. It neither resolves Greece’s inability to pay its debts nor […]

Economy & Business
European Union

New Atlanticist

Jul 23, 2011

Breaking News, Instant Analysis, and the Oslo Attacks

By James Joyner

The death toll in Norway’s deadliest day of terrorism is up to 91. The man behind it, 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik, is a frequent poster of anti-Muslim screeds on Christian fundamentalist websites. AP (“91 killed in Norway island massacre, capital blast“): A Norwegian dressed as a police officer gunned down at least 84 people at an island […]

Northern Europe

New Atlanticist

Jul 22, 2011

Self-Inflicted Wounds: West Forfeiting Global Leadership

By Alexei Monsarrat

Maybe it’s the heat here in Washington, but the news from Brussels and down the street from Congress leaves my mind baffled and my blood boiling. While Europe has ended the week slightly ahead of the United States in restoring confidence that maybe they won’t let their economy tank, it still feels an awful lot […]

Economy & Business
European Union

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