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.

Decoding Russia’s Contradictory Messages Toward NATO

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

Nov 4, 2010

Decoding Russia’s Contradictory Messages Toward NATO

By Jason Harmala

In the latest installment of the New Atlanticist Podcast Series, Atlantic Council senior fellow Sarwar Kashmeri interviews Juurd Eijsvoogel, international relations corespondent for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad. Eijsvoogel and Kashmeri discuss Russia’s declaration of NATO as a mortal threat, its willingness to attend NATO’s Lisbon Summit this month, and the meaning behind Russia’s contradictory messages.

New Atlanticist

Nov 3, 2010

Britannia: Bright Beacon or Bursting Bubble?

By Harlan Ullman

This is one of a few columns not preoccupied with Tuesday’s elections, either crowing or cowering over predictions and results and simmering with solemn pronouncements for the nation and world that lie ahead as consequences of how well or badly Republicans and Democrats fared. To many of us, these elections were more embarrassment than elixir […]

United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Nov 3, 2010

US Midterm Elections: The View From Europe

By James Joyner

To the extent that the story was covered at all, it was mostly straight reporting of a changed domestic political landscape. Indeed, most of the reporting was little different from that in the American press. See, for example, Guardian’s "US midterm election results herald new political era as Republicans take House" and "The Tea Party has just […]

New Atlanticist

Nov 2, 2010

India Awaits Obama

By Mohan Guruswamy

President Barack Obama’s visit to India on November 6th comes under the best possible circumstances. There are few expectations of any consequence in India. The United States off-course, as it is increasingly wont to these days, has a big wish list.

New Atlanticist

Nov 2, 2010

U.S.-India Relations: Yes, We Can

By Jasmeet Ahuja

On November 9, President Barack Obama will address India’s Joint Session of Parliament. It was ten years ago that the last sitting U.S. president spoke before the Members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. On that occasion President Clinton drew hearty applause when he highlighted the strength of India’s representative government: “At every election,” […]

New Atlanticist

Nov 2, 2010

Obama in India: Expectations and Opportunities

By Shikha Bhatnagar

President Obama will be making his first visit to India next week. There is no question that the President’s trip is important as a symbol of the growing prominence of India’s role in the global economy, and its strategic importance in regional stability.

New Atlanticist

Nov 1, 2010

Repairing NATO-Pakistan Relations Part II

By Derek Reveron Nikolas Gvosdev and Hayat Alvi

Last month, we considered how NATO and Pakistan could repair relations in the wake of Pakistan asserting its sovereignty in the aftermath of a border skirmish between NATO attack helicopters and a Pakistani border post. Fortunately, the Torkham Gate has been re-opened and Afghanistan-bound supply convoys from Karachi have resumed. The short-term crisis indicates that […]

New Atlanticist

Nov 1, 2010

Managing the West’s Decline

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

Is the world balance of power shifting away from the West and moving to India and China? That’s what a number of geopolitical sages are discussing in think tanks from Moscow to Beijing to London to Washington. In a joint SOS piece in the November-December issue of Foreign Affairs, former U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Roger […]

New Atlanticist

Oct 29, 2010

Afghanistan Process Will Take Years

By James Joyner

Ivo Daalder, the US Ambassador to NATO, says that we are "seeing the corner and can peek around it in Afghanistan" and that a province-by-province handover of security responsibilities to the host government will "start in the first half of 2011."

New Atlanticist

Oct 29, 2010

Merkel Wins EU Reform Showdown

By James Joyner

Once again, Angela Merkel has held her ground and forced the other EU leaders to accommodate Germany’s policy concerns. This time, it’s a set of amendments to the Lisbon Treaty to deal with sovereign debt emergencies. UPI ("EU bows to Merkel over euro crisis rules") Bowing to most of the demands tabled by German Chancellor […]

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