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.

Afghanistan: Sparking a New Debate on an Old War

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

Jan 12, 2011

Afghanistan: Sparking a New Debate on an Old War

By James Joyner

The center-left New America Foundation has enlisted an unlikely ally, conservative tax foe Grover Norquist, to help build a coalition against the war in Afghanistan. At first blush, this would seem unnecessary. A CNN poll released January 3 found a whopping 66 percent of Americans opposed the war, with only 35 percent supporting it. And opposition is […]

New Atlanticist

Jan 12, 2011

Déjà Vu, Again

By Shuja Nawaz

We have seen this movie before, under civilian and military governments‚ and it does not have a happy ending. Pakistan again stands at a precipice. While there is much to be said for the indomitable spirit of the Pakistani people‚ our leadership appears blindfolded and unworthy‚ focused only on the short-term. In 2010‚ we […]

New Atlanticist

Jan 12, 2011

Continuing Instability in South Asia is in the Cards

By Gurmeet Kanwal

Though 2010 was relatively peaceful in South Asia – with the exception of the conflict in Afghanistan, the unstable regional security environment, India’s unresolved territorial and boundary disputes with China and Pakistan and continuing internal security challenges are a cause for concern. After West Asia, this region is perhaps the most trouble prone in the […]

New Atlanticist

Jan 11, 2011

Pakistan Futures

By Raja Menon

Pakistan’s prospects have dimmed quite alarmingly over the past year. My book, The Long View from Delhi, written early last year, built a transparent structure for arriving at the possible scenarios for countries that will decide India’s Grand Strategy of Foreign Policy in 2025. Pakistan had hugely uncertain futures, swinging from a Pakistan Shining (9% […]

New Atlanticist

Jan 11, 2011

Pakistan: Living on the Edge

By Maleeha Lodhi

Worsening political turmoil and an unraveling economy cloud prospects for Pakistan’s stability in the year ahead. When the ruling coalition led by President Asif Zardari lost the support of two key allies the country plunged into a fresh political crisis. The defections left the government well short of a parliamentary majority and struggling to avert […]

New Atlanticist

Jan 10, 2011

AfPak Imbroglio

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

What does one call an impoverished nuclear weapons power where 80 percent of its 180 million people say things are moving in the wrong direction; 64 percent claim the United States is their enemy; 18 percent view al-Qaida favorably; almost 40 percent say they approve of al-Qaida’s 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers; and 56 […]

New Atlanticist

Jan 7, 2011

Defense Austerity, American Style

By James Joyner

The age of austerity for NATO defense budgets is finally hitting the United States. Here, though, it’s a bit different, with "cuts" coming in the Washington sense of "spending more than last year but less than projected." To be sure, this isn’t the impression one would get scanning the headlines. NYT blares "Pentagon Seeks […]

New Atlanticist

Jan 7, 2011

Enterprise Incident: More Than Bad Judgment

By Robert Bracknell

The relief of the commanding officer of the Enterprise resounds far beyond the person of Capt. Owen Honors. It impacts a storied warship, the Navy and the nation – all of whom deserve better. Leaving aside the separate issue of the propriety of Capt. Honors’ conduct, I am perplexed at his failure to recognize how […]

New Atlanticist

Jan 6, 2011

British CHoD: Not a Time for Strategic Shrinkage

By James Joyner

UK defense chief General Sir David Richards declared that, despite painful cuts in his country’s military budget, they "will continue to be the best ally the United States could hope for." Richards made no bones about how painful austerity would be, noting that it will require manning a smaller force than he would like and […]

United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Jan 6, 2011

British Defense Chief: Afghanistan Situation ‘Radically Better’

By James Joyner

General Sir David Richards, the chief of Britain’s armed forces, told an Atlantic Council audience that the situation in Afghanistan is "radically better than it was in 2008," when he turned over command of the NATO mission. He noted that little has changed in terms of the strategic vision. The essential understanding of how to […]

United Kingdom

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