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.

Global Governance: Vital But Impossible?

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

Sep 20, 2010

Global Governance: Vital But Impossible?

By James Joyner

This morning, the Atlantic Council hosted the launch of Global Governance 2025, a report following a long collaboration with several partners. The fundamental takeaway is that, while cooperation between the United States and Europe is essential, it "is no longer enough to effectively manage global challenges." Instead, key players from around the globe will need […]

New Atlanticist

Sep 20, 2010

Ground Zero Mosque Test of Islamic Values

By David Smith

America’s usually sleepy summer has this year been riddled with debate over plans to build a mosque just two blocks from the site of New York’s World Trade Center—dubbed Ground-Zero—destroyed by terrorists on September 11, 2001. US President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are promoting the mosque, but a CNN poll […]

New Atlanticist

Sep 17, 2010

On Strategy in Afghanistan

By Bernard Finel

I think it is worthwhile to spend a little time discussing the issue of “strategy” as a concept because I think a significant source of tension and dispute in recent debates is due to a misunderstanding of some of the key elements of the term.

New Atlanticist

Sep 17, 2010

Nuke Outlaw as Pakistani President?

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

Pakistan’s nuclear weapons renegade, who sold nuclear secrets to America’s enemies (Iran, North Korea and Libya) and spent the best part of the last decade under house arrest, is still Pakistan’s most popular man. Last week, Abdul Qadeer Khan, now a free man, was a guest on ARY, one of Pakistan’s most popular TV channels […]

New Atlanticist

Sep 16, 2010

Turning Point in Turkish Democracy

By James Joyner

Turkey reformed its constitution over the weekend, in what Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised "will go down in history as a turning point in Turkish democracy." But there’s strong disagreement over which way it’s headed. Both the United States and the EU lauded the measures. Some 58 percent of Turkish voters Sunday voted in […]

New Atlanticist

Sep 16, 2010

Europeans’ Afghan Apathy and Consequences for NATO

By Steve Hynd

Across the pond, public support for NATO’s out-of-area adventure is cratering. The wide-ranging Transatlantic Trends study by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) also saw deep divisions between Europe and the United States on how to handle Iran’s nuclear ambitions. While 51 percent of Americans said they were confident that Afghanistan could […]

New Atlanticist

Sep 16, 2010

Yanukovych’s Democratic Steamroller

By Alexander Motyl

Ukraine’s already weak democracy has just received three body blows from the government of President Viktor Yanukovych.

Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Sep 15, 2010

Today’s Realities Need New Responses

By Harlan Ullman

What an irony! Last week, the celebrations of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan; Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year; and the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, attacks fell on consecutive days — an extraordinary proximate coincidence given how far apart Islam and Judeo-Christianity remain whether over threats to […]

New Atlanticist

Sep 14, 2010

Roma Showdown Tests Limits of EU Power

By James Joyner

The EU is vowing to take action against France for its expulsion of hundreds of Roma, setting up a showdown that will test the sovereignty of one of Europe’s most powerful countries against the newly empowered European Commission. Last week, as Leo Cendrowicz reported for Time ("E.U. Tries to Stop France’s Crackdown on Gypsies"), Brussels […]

New Atlanticist

Sep 13, 2010

NATO in Afghanistan: Perception and Reality

By James Joyner

Anatol Lieven, the eminent journalist and now professor at the King’s College Department of War Studies, argues that the NATO effort in Afghanistan suffers from disparate and implausible motives and a profound lack of understanding of Afghanistan and the Taliban. In a very long book review essay at Current Intelligence, Lieven offers this assessment of […]

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