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.

FIFA, Technophobia, and 21st Century Futbol

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

Jun 28, 2010

FIFA, Technophobia, and 21st Century Futbol

By Robert Manning

Over the years, this blog has discussed the long list of international institutions — NATO, the G-8, the UN Security Council, and the EU come readily to mind — that need to be brought into the 21st century. The events of the last few days demonstrate that FIFA should be added to the list. […]

New Atlanticist

Jun 25, 2010

Transatlantic Clash at G20?

By James Joyner

Stuart Eizenstadt and Caio Koch-Weser correctly argue that it’s time for "a renaissance of joint economic and political leadership by the U.S. and the EU and its members" at tomorrow’s G20 Summit. We won’t, however, be getting it.

New Atlanticist

Jun 24, 2010

Petraeus’ Afghanistan Reality

By Shuja Nawaz

President Obama’s decision to replace General Stanley McChrystal with Centcom commander General David Petraeus has unleashed a tidal wave of commentary, with expectations that the second coming of Petraeus will yield results in Afghanistan that perhaps were unattainable before. Nothing could be further from reality. Indeed, the underlying situation in Afghanistan and — don’t forget […]

New Atlanticist

Jun 24, 2010

Desperate Times Mean Desperate Measures in Europe

By Scott Bleiweis

The financial crisis continues to wreak havoc in Europe. Beyond Greece, we’ve been told Spain is especially at risk. But even more established market economies have taken steps towards cutting debt and providing relief to struggling citizens.

European Union
International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Jun 24, 2010

Time for Transatlantic Leadership

By Stuart Eizenstat and Caio Koch-Weser

Saturday the leaders of the G20 will convene for a pivotal meeting on the future of global economic policy and financial market reform. Their first gathering in 2008 set a strong and encouraging tone of greater international cooperation. Less than two years on, this important spirit is getting lost.

European Union
International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Jun 23, 2010

McChrystal Out, Petraeus In

By James Joyner

As expected, President Obama has sacked Stanley McChrystal, stripping him of the Afghanistan command for insubordination. Unexpectedly, he replaced him with David Petraeus. While I’ve been critical of the administration’s handling of Afghanistan — as recently as this morning — this was a brilliant stroke. And the speech itself struck all the right notes. I […]

New Atlanticist

Jun 23, 2010

Is Russia Resetting? The Limits of a Petro-State

By Robert Manning

Don’t look now, but Russian President Dimitry Medvedev’s visits this week to Silicon Valley and Washington appear part of a wider Russian rethinking of its predicament. The operative word is thinking. That Medvedev would like to create a Russian Silicon Valley suggests a belated realization that Russia, the Petro-state, is not a recipe for a […]

New Atlanticist

Jun 23, 2010

A Possibly Dangerous Summer, Continued

By Harlan Ullman

The U.S. political system was designed by the best minds of the 18th century. But today, the issues and crises of the 21st century are profoundly more complex, numerous and interrelated. To be sure, this system has changed with the times. However, when faced with an unprecedented multitude of simultaneous challenges and crises, most with […]

New Atlanticist

Jun 23, 2010

Afghanistan: Time for Unified Policy

By James Joyner

General Stanley McChrystal’s widely-publicized comments deriding senior Obama administration officials and their roles in the Afghanistan strategy have, as he himself has acknowledged, "compromised the mission." He’s meeting with said team this morning and could well be fired. Regardless, it’s time to come up with a unified and coherent policy.

New Atlanticist

Jun 22, 2010

Turkey Bets on East Over West

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

Geopolitical tectonic plates began grinding menacingly five years ago when Turkey embarked on negotiations for membership in the European Union but it didn’t take long for Ankara to conclude that EU was play acting. There was little appetite for adding 70 million Turkish Muslims (80 million by the end of a projected 10-year negotiation) to […]

European Union
International Organizations

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