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

May 26, 2011

The Incredible Shrinking Ahmadinejad

By Barbara Slavin

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is now discovering what his predecessors in Islamic Iran’s unique dual system of government all learned to their sorrow: You serve at the pleasure of the supreme leader, and he prefers his presidents weak. In the aftermath of a failed attempt by Ahmadinejad to fire Iran’s intelligence minister last month, Supreme Leader Ali […]

New Atlanticist

May 25, 2011

Time for a NATO-China Council?

By Jorge Benitez

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen recently expressed a desire for NATO and China to develop a deeper relationship, comparable to the NATO-Russia Council. He observed that NATO has formal relationships with four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. The US, UK, and France are founding members of the Alliance and […]

China NATO

New Atlanticist

May 25, 2011

US-UK Relationship Essential, Not Special

By Julian Lindley-French

President Obama has done Britain and Europe a huge favor. By recasting the ‘special’ relationship as an essential relationship the president has released London from the shackles of an increasingly hollow ‘specialness.’

United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

May 24, 2011

Bringing a Gun to a Knife Fight: Striking Back in Cyber Conflict

By Jason Healey

If you pull a knife on a gunslinger, don’t be surprised if you get shot. This is one of the messages of the President’s new International Cyber Strategy.

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

May 24, 2011

Strategy and Technology: A Fading Lesson from European History

By Julian Lindley-French

In Memoriam. Dawn. 24 May, 2011. North Sea. Seventy years ago to the hour a fifteen inch (38cm) shell from the German fast battleship KM Bismarck entered above the aft main magazine of the British battlecruiser HMS Hood – the ‘mighty Hood’. The ensuing explosion had the force of a small atomic weapon and the […]

New Atlanticist

May 23, 2011

Arab Spring, Act II

By Temuri Yakobashvili

The fighting in Libya and deadly protests in Syria rage on. But the enduring legacy of the Arab Spring will be forged after the battles have ended, as liberated lands like Tunisia confront the task of building stable, democratic societies. Seen in light of the experiences of Afghanistan and Iraq over the past decade, this […]

New Atlanticist

May 23, 2011

British to EU Translation

By James Joyner

Variations on the above "Anglo-EU Translation Guide" have been around for a couple of years but gained new life when Alex Massie posted it. It may come in handy during President Obama’s visit.

New Atlanticist

May 22, 2011

US-Pakistan Relations: No More Business As Usual

By Shuja Nawaz

The US-Pakistan alliance is fraying. But there may yet be some hope.

New Atlanticist

May 20, 2011

Taking the Long View on the Middle East Revolts

By Barry Pavel

The President’s speech on the Middle East yesterday finally outlined the Administration’s initial principles for addressing one of the most significant developments in international relations in a generation. Until yesterday, the debate about options in Libya and how to approach the Middle East revolts in general was far too narrow in scope and too near-term […]

New Atlanticist

May 20, 2011

NATO and the EU: Centrifugal Forces and Fragmentation?

By Ioan Mircea Pascu

Even before the adoption of the New Strategic Concept and the Lisbon Summit, one of the major concerns of the new allies, namely us from East-Central Europe, was the necessity that NATO retains the capacity to honour its fundamental obligation to guarantee the security of its members. That was so because, on the one hand, […]

European Union International Organizations

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