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
Mar 6, 2025

How European leaders are responding to Trump’s approach to Ukraine and Europe

From London and Berlin to Paris and Brussels, European leaders have taken several notable steps this week on security. This follows the blow-up between the Ukrainian and US presidents on February 28.

New Atlanticist
Feb 26, 2025

Why the US should not lift sanctions against Russia

By
Charles Lichfield

Sanctions are having an unmistakable effect, albeit below the inflated expectations of many in the West in early 2022. Lifting them now would be a mistake.

Conflict
Economic Sanctions

New Atlanticist
Mar 5, 2025

The Egyptian plan for postwar Gaza is a good starting point—but it needs changes

By
Thomas S. Warrick

While many obstacles remain, the Egyptian proposal could form the starting point for negotiations over a workable plan for postwar Gaza.

Conflict
Crisis Management

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New Atlanticist

May 7, 2010

Britain 2010 and America 2000

By James Joyner

Like the 2000 American presidential elections, the results of the 2010 parliamentary elections are drawing some attention to some oddities in the system and bringing calls for reform. Most likely, the Brits will follow the lead of their American cousins and make no significant changes. Britain’s hung parliament, the first since 1974, is the result […]

United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

May 7, 2010

Britain’s Hung Parliament: What Now?

By James Joyner

As expected, yesterday’s UK elections resulted in a hung parliament, with the Tories falling short of an outright majority needed to form a government on their own. While Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats wound up in distant third, they’re now in the driver’s seat. Conservative leader David Cameron has reached out to Clegg to […]

New Atlanticist

May 7, 2010

Fiscal WMD

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

Even the world’s most savvy stock market giants (e.g., Warren E. Buffett) have warned over the past decade that derivatives are the fiscal equivalent of a weapon of mass destruction, potentially lethal, and the consequences of such an explosion would make the recent global financial and economic crisis seem like penny ante. But generously lubricated […]

New Atlanticist

May 6, 2010

Greek Meltdown Sends Dow Plunging

By James Joyner

It has long been an axiom that, "When America sneezes, the world catches a cold." But, in the era of globalization, it works both ways. AP business writer Tim Paradis: Stocks plunged Thursday as investors succumbed to fears that Greece’s debt problems would halt the global economic recovery. The Dow Jones industrials slid almost 1,000 […]

New Atlanticist

May 5, 2010

World Needs Strong, Independent Britain — And the Special Relationship

By Kurt Volker

It has become disturbingly fashionable to vow that Britain must not “slavishly follow America.” David Cameron has said it. Nick Clegg has said it. And I agree. Nor should Britain “slavishly follow” Luxembourg. Or Burma. Or even the Galapagos Islands, green as they may be. These latter examples are, of course, throw-aways. It is the […]

United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

May 5, 2010

Tough Choices Make for Bad Governance

By Harlan Ullman

Well over a century ago, Karl Marx announced that a specter of communism was haunting Europe. Tragically, he was correct as 70 years of Bolshevism proved. Today, another specter is haunting the world with possibly a greater vengeance.

United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

May 4, 2010

Greek Bailout Greeted with Rioting and Skepticism

By James Joyner

The EU and IMF — but not Germany and France — have agreed on a €110bn bailout for Greece and the Papaconstantinou government has admitted to "mistakes" and announced its "absolute determination to tackle this and, secondly, to get out of the recession earlier." But while the parliament is debating the austerity measures, analysts are saying […]

New Atlanticist

May 4, 2010

Gulf Oil Disaster and America’s Energy Future

By Robert Manning

It wasn’t supposed to happen. Oil rigs have devices known as blowout preventers that are supposed to stop the oil flows when incidents like the explosion occur. No less disconcerting, it is still not clear why the device did not activate to prevent what appears to be a growing environmental disaster.

New Atlanticist

May 3, 2010

Pakistan’s Homegrown Extremists

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

Pakistan is still producing an estimated 10,000 potential jihadis a year out of 500,000 graduates from Pakistan’s 11,000 madrassas — young gung-ho boys, mostly 16-year-olds, who finish 10 years of Koranic cramming and who can then recite the holy book by heart in Arabic. That means 114 suras (chapters), 6.247 ayats (verses), or 78,000 words. […]

New Atlanticist

May 3, 2010

A New Peace Dividend?

By Don Snow

One of the clear political lessons (if there are any) of the “great recession” from which the country is slowly emerging is that the United States cannot afford everything, since unbridled spending in the absence of additional public revenues (taxes) means a burgeoning deficit that will be handed down to future generations.

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