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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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

Aug 9, 2010

Pakistan: Turmoil to Upheaval

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

First the country of 180 million was rocked by the flood of thousands of WikiLeaks documents that gave credence to claims that Pakistan isn’t only funding and arming the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan but is also playing an operational role directing specific attacks against U.S. and NATO forces. Then, in quick succession, Pakistan was hit […]

New Atlanticist

Aug 9, 2010

AFRICOM’s Impressive Public Diplomacy Product

By Philip Seib

One of the most impressive online U.S. public diplomacy venues is Magharebia, a website and news service for North Africans that is published by the United States African Command (AFRICOM). Offered in Arabic, English, and French, Magharebia illustrates how providing useful information and advancing national self-interest can be successfully combined in a public diplomacy venture.

New Atlanticist

Aug 9, 2010

Defense Procurement Politics: F-35 Backup Boondoggle

By Sarwar Kashmeri

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is one of the most respected voices in Washington. Which is why it was so surprising to hear the Senator come out in support of a defense project that is opposed by the military, the secretary of defense, and by President Obama, as being expensive and unnecessary. The project is a […]

New Atlanticist

Aug 6, 2010

China’s Post-Crisis Economic Rebalancing

By Pieter Bottelier

Years from now, we may look back at 2009 and see that it marked a critical turning point in China’s economic development strategy. The global financial crisis deprived China of a paradigm for economic development, casting strong doubts about western countries’ abilities to restore growth momentum while sustaining domestic fiscal and international financial stability. For […]

New Atlanticist

Aug 6, 2010

WikiLeaks Aftermath

By Shuja Nawaz

IN STAND-UP comedy and politics, timing is critical. There was nothing “funny ha-ha’’ about the recent leak of US documents about the Afghanistan war implicating Pakistan and its Inter-Services Intelligence agency. But there was plenty of what the British call “funny peculiar’’ for sure. The leaks followed a period of growing confidence of the ISI […]

New Atlanticist

Aug 5, 2010

When Is Anti-Extremism Anti-Islamic? The View from Europe (and America)

By Scott Bleiweis

France’s decision to ban full Islamic veil-wearing in public stirred up accusations of anti-Muslim bias. Ongoing controversies in the Netherlands and here in the U.S. show the complexity of balancing religious tolerance and opposing the more radical elements of Islam. At the center of the controversy in Europe is Geert Wilders, leaders of the Freedom […]

New Atlanticist

Aug 5, 2010

Creating a Transatlantic Bridge

By Sarwar Kashmeri

Annette Heuser, Executive Director of The Bertelsmann Foundation, speaks with Atlantic Council senior fellow Sarwar Kashmeri in the latest installment of the New Atlanticist Podcast Series. Heuser discusses The Bertelsmann Foundation’s efforts to establish a strong transatlantic bridge between the U.S. and Europe, without preference to any one European country or region.

New Atlanticist

Aug 5, 2010

Terrorist World Cup in East Africa

By David Smith

The first half of the World Cup final game was drawing to a close when that universal cry of combined disappointment and relief arose from restaurants and bars around the world. Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas had made a spectacular save. But at that very moment, cries of anguish arose from Kampala’s Ethiopian Village Restaurant—a suicide […]

New Atlanticist

Aug 4, 2010

Dodd: G20 Has Taken Over

By James Joyner

Christopher Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, declared that recent events demonstrate, "The debate is over. We’re in a global economy." As such, he repeatedly called for close coordination between American regulators and those of the other G20 nations.

New Atlanticist

Aug 4, 2010

Dodd: No Bank Levy for U.S.

By James Joyner

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd expressed deep skepticism that a European style bank levy is coming to the United States. Certainly, it won’t happen on his watch, because "not much happens" in the final months before an election or in a lame duck session with substantial partisan movement. Dodd made this statement in the […]

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