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.

WikiLeaks Show American Diplomats in Good Light

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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Dive deep into developing stories, guided by continually updated expert analysis that leaves you better informed about the most pressing global issues behind the headlines.

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Our experts decipher and annotate major speeches and policy documents to break down big ideas and lay them out in plain language.

New Atlanticist

Dec 2, 2010

WikiLeaks Show American Diplomats in Good Light

By James Joyner

The WikiLeaks fiasco has doubtless lowered confidence in the American government’s ability to keep secrets and manage classified information. The latest dump provided some embarrassing moments for the State Department in particular. But they also showed that those handling America’s day-to-day foreign policy are quite capable.

New Atlanticist

Dec 2, 2010

U.S.-China Relations: Gone Fishin’

By Banning Garrett

When I was about eight years old, my father took me fishing in a stream a few miles from our ranch in California. After a long day, we came up dry. Dad saw I was disappointed, so he pulled into a fish farm on the way home. I eagerly dropped my line into a pond […]

New Atlanticist

Dec 2, 2010

International Subversives

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

Undressing electronically with eyes wide shut is what the world’s only superpower has done in a global striptease worthy of the Marx brothers but hardly a word has been written or spoken about the motives of the WikiLeaks’ chief leaker. Australia’s 39-year-old Julian Assange was 19 years old when the Cold War ended. His parents […]

New Atlanticist

Dec 1, 2010

Strengthening the OSCE in Eurasia

By Jeffrey Lightfoot

When leaders of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) gather for a summit in Astana, Kazakhstan this week, they will visit a region in turmoil. Central Asia is beset by ethnic conflict, poor governance and instability in Afghanistan. The spread of transnational threats from this strategic region mean that its security and […]

New Atlanticist

Dec 1, 2010

A Nation Not at War

By Harlan Ullman

The United States is many things, great and good. But, despite last week’s teapot-sized tempest over full-body scanners and intrusive patdowns by the Transportation Security Agency to neuter terrorist airline bombing threats and zealous rhetoric to the contrary, America isn’t a nation at war! Parts of the nation however are engaged in what to them […]

New Atlanticist

Nov 30, 2010

Jones: Making Africa Better Place Makes World Safer Place

By James Joyner

Former National Security Advisor Jim Jones says tackling the "real 21st century challenge" of maritime security and political instability in West Africa is "something we must do" as well as something we should do. He called on the United States and its NATO Allies to work together on these issues "Not only to make Africa […]

New Atlanticist

Nov 30, 2010

West Africa Vital To Transatlantic Security

By Anthony Calandra

The United States and our transatlantic partners are rightly working together to address the very real problems off the coast of East Africa. But it’s time for us to start paying more attention to West Africa, which is on the verge of catastrophe that would have far more negative impact our our interests. This is an […]

New Atlanticist

Nov 30, 2010

Foreign Policy After the US Mid-Term Elections: Avoiding a New Isolationism

By Kurt Volker

Having worked to convince NATO allies to stay committed in Afghanistan, President Obama now returns home, where questions about America’s role in the world may be growing in the wake of this month’s mid-term elections. Clearly, the U.S. mid-term elections were not about foreign policy. Yet they may have a significant impact nonetheless, with […]

New Atlanticist

Nov 30, 2010

Two Contrasting Faces of Germany Are Put on Display

By David Marsh

As the storm clouds deepen over the euro, I have spent some time in Germany in the last few days speaking to German politicians and officials who played a significant role in bringing in the single currency. Two contrasting faces of Germany are put on display: a generous and slightly unrealistic side – and one […]

New Atlanticist

Nov 29, 2010

Plugging The WikiLeaks

By James Joyner

The latest WikiLeaks document dump by five Western newspapers — this time, victimizing the State Department — will start some uncomfortable conversations among America’s friends. It will also force further evaluation about how we handle our internal business. The editors at the New York Times and The Guardian make strong arguments about the public’s right to know and the fact […]

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