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

Oct 5, 2010

Pakistan: Nervy One-Star

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

It was at the officers club in the military garrison town of Rawalpindi, a short drive from the capital of Islamabad. The one-star brigadier general, holding a glass of mango juice, asked for permission to speak to the three-star corps commander. They spoke in English as Pakistani generals are prone to do when speaking among […]

New Atlanticist

Oct 4, 2010

Cyberattacks After Stuxnet

By Derek Reveron

Recent revelations about the Stuxnet worm have changed the way we think about cyber attacks. It is remarkable for a number of reasons. It is the first known worm to target exclusively industrial control systems that are used in factories, power plants, chemical facilities, and other large systems. In the most dramatic scenario, the worm […]

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Oct 4, 2010

Developments in Pakistan Won’t Help Relationship with the U.S.

By Shuja Nawaz

Even as the recently released tell-all Obama’s Wars by Bob Woodward raises fresh doubts about the U.S.-Pakistan relationship and will likely stoke mistrust in the United States about Pakistan as a partner against the Afghan Taliban, a series of stories that paint the Pakistani army in a negative light will undoubtedly contribute to the tensions.

New Atlanticist

Oct 4, 2010

Innovantion and Stagnation in Eurasia

By Alexandros Petersen

For the countries of the greater Black Sea region and Central Asia, the question of how to diversify their economies away from resource dependency or government-dominated industry is central to long-term growth and future political stability. Economic diversification is an explicit policy of energy-rich states such as Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, and fostering innovation is a […]

New Atlanticist

Oct 1, 2010

General Musharraf’s Return

By Shuja Nawaz

"Today, God has given me the opportunity to set the tone for my political legacy. Come join me in changing Pakistan’s destiny. It is not an easy task but one we must work for, as Pakistan is ours. ‘All Pakistan Muslim League’ is our platform from where I will work tirelessly to serve Pakistan and […]

New Atlanticist

Oct 1, 2010

The Outlook for Unconventional Gas in Eurasia: Resources and Policies

By Boyko Nitzov

In a keynote speech before the Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum in Istanbul, Ambassador Richard Morningstar, the U.S. Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy, reflected on how much has changed about Eurasian energy issues since his work in the Clinton Administration. “On the supply side, shale gas and other developments could emerge as real game […]

New Atlanticist

Oct 1, 2010

Instant Diplomacy

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

Along with instant coffee, instant soup, instant oven cleaners, instant Viagra, instant pain relief from four-hour Viagra, it was only a matter of time before instant diplomacy made its debut on the nation’s comedy channels. Some foreign leaders have concluded American youth — and many older Americans, too — have tuned out serious news and […]

New Atlanticist

Oct 1, 2010

Pakistan Blocks NATO Supply Lines, Testing Fragile Relationship

By James Joyner

Pakistan has blocked NATO’s primary supply line into Afghanistan in retaliation for an air strike that killed three Pakistani paramilitaries. Reporting for FT, Farhan Bokhari notes that this will not have an immediate impact on operations but would if the embargo held for long, since "Most of the fuel, food and building materials for the […]

New Atlanticist

Sep 30, 2010

5 Questions for Kori Schake

By Jorge Benitez

Kori Schake is the former Director for Defense Strategy and Requirements at the National Security Council. She is currently a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and an associate professor of international security studies at the United States Military Academy. I had the opportunity to discuss her thoughts on some key issues of interest to […]

New Atlanticist

Sep 30, 2010

Afghanistan: In It To Win It?

By Kurt Volker

When Gen. David Petraeus assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, he delivered exactly the right message: “We are in this to win.” Surely, that message was welcomed by Afghan women who fear subjugation; by parents who fear seeing their daughters sprayed with acid for attending school; by decent people trying to […]

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