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.

NATO’s Lisbon Summit: All the Right Words

New Atlanticist
Mar 6, 2025

How European leaders are responding to Trump’s approach to Ukraine and Europe

From London and Berlin to Paris and Brussels, European leaders have taken several notable steps this week on security. This follows the blow-up between the Ukrainian and US presidents on February 28.

New Atlanticist
Feb 26, 2025

Why the US should not lift sanctions against Russia

By
Charles Lichfield

Sanctions are having an unmistakable effect, albeit below the inflated expectations of many in the West in early 2022. Lifting them now would be a mistake.

Conflict
Economic Sanctions

New Atlanticist
Mar 5, 2025

The Egyptian plan for postwar Gaza is a good starting point—but it needs changes

By
Thomas S. Warrick

While many obstacles remain, the Egyptian proposal could form the starting point for negotiations over a workable plan for postwar Gaza.

Conflict
Crisis Management

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New Atlanticist

Nov 21, 2010

NATO’s Lisbon Summit: All the Right Words

By James Joyner

NATO’s Lisbon Summit exceeded all reasonable expectations. Yet it leaves critical questions about the Alliance unanswered. Once upon a time, the meeting was supposed to launch a new NATO, building on the experience in Afghanistan and forging a path for the decade to come. But the combination of disillusionment with that mission and the devastating […]

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Nov 21, 2010

The Lisbon Summit: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

By Ian Brzezinski

Good: The new Strategic Concept is a good document. It uses firm language to reassert the centrality of NATO’s Article 5 security commitment, affirm the Alliance’s role in guarding against today’s wide array of multi-dimensional threats, and formalize NATO’s roles in crisis management and prevention.

New Atlanticist

Nov 20, 2010

NATO Summit Reaction, Day 2

By Damon Wilson

On the second day of the NATO Summit in Lisbon, Allied leaders approved the Lisbon Declaration, providing an action plan to implement the Strategic Concept in the months ahead and agreed to reconvene in the United States in 2012. They also met with President Karzai and NATO’s partners in Afghanistan to endorse a strategy to […]

New Atlanticist

Nov 20, 2010

NATO Should Focus More on Conventional Arms Control in Europe

By Donald Bandler and Jakub Kulhanek

With the new strategic concept and a revitalized partnership with Russia at hand, it appears that the Alliance is poised to enter a new era with a regained sense of purpose in the aftermath of the Lisbon summit. However, as the West is bent on winding down its military presence in Afghanistan, NATO leaders are […]

New Atlanticist

Nov 20, 2010

Ashraf Ghani: UN Should Get Out of Afghanistan

By Mark Leon Goldberg

A top advisor to president Hamid Karzai stridently criticized the United Nations Mission in Afghaintan (UNAMA) in a panel discussion I moderated yesterday afternoon on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Lisbon. Dr. Ashraf Ghani is the chairman of a commission on transition, responsible for overseeing the transfer of responsibilities to Afghans from the […]

International Organizations Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Nov 19, 2010

NATO Summit Reaction, Day 1

By Jeffrey Lightfoot

Today in Lisbon, Alliance leaders met to approve a new Strategic Concept that reconfirms NATO’s purpose to safeguard members’ freedom and security and modernizes the Alliance to face new threats, with new capabilities and new partners. Atlantic Council team members offer their expert insights and analysis on the outcomes of the summit. Visit our online […]

New Atlanticist

Nov 19, 2010

NATO: New Strategic Concept, Same Old Alliance

By James Joyner

The long awaited new strategic concept, launching what has been termed "NATO 3.0," has been published under the banner "Active Engagement, Modern Defense." The document is ambitious, committing the "Alliance to prevent crises, manage conflicts and stabilize post-conflict situations, including by working more closely with our international partners, most importantly the United Nations and the […]

New Atlanticist

Nov 19, 2010

NATO’s Top Challenges

By Damon Wilson and Jeffrey Lightfoot

As Alliance leaders gather in Lisbon, they must be able to address these top challenges in order to declare Lisbon a success: Transition in Afghanistan: Will NATO project a united front on transition of the ISAF mission to Afghan security forces, or will the Allies appear to be rushing for the exits under political pressure […]

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Nov 19, 2010

Transatlantic Zero Should be Front and Center at US-EU Summit

By Peter S. Rashish

With leaders from the U.S. and EU gathering for a bilateral summit meeting in Lisbon this weekend, there is a need for a headline-grabbing initiative that can help the under-performing transatlantic relationship live up to its potential. Eliminating tariffs on trade across the Atlantic – “Transatlantic Zero” – can do just that, and should be […]

New Atlanticist

Nov 19, 2010

NATO’s Defense Budgets 2011

By Simona Kordosova

As NATO leaders meet in Lisbon, their responsibility includes charting the Alliance’s course in an age of austerity. The fiscal crisis that swept across both sides of the Atlantic put enormous pressure on defense budgets. As NATO leaders approve a new Strategic Concept and commit to strengthen capabilities to guard against a new array of […]

NATO Security & Defense

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