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.

Turkey: Trusted Eurasian Energy Partner?

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 17, 2010

Turkey: Trusted Eurasian Energy Partner?

By Borut Grgic

Can Europe trust Turkey when it comes to energy security any more than we can trust Ukraine? Turkey is becoming a major energy hub, with pipelines from Russia and the Caspian basin crisscrossing the country. The two notable projects are the Blue Stream gas line, which brings Russian gas to Turkey, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil […]

New Atlanticist

Jun 17, 2010

Don’t Waste Kyrgyzstan Crisis

By James Joyner

To put it mildly, the situation in Kyrgyzstan is a mess. Ethnic Uzbeks are being slaughtered in the streets and the government, itself there by virtue of an illegal power grab in April, is begging for Russian help. The humanitarian toll has been grim, with at least 170 dead and 1,500 wounded and perhaps 100,000 […]

New Atlanticist

Jun 16, 2010

Paralysis in AfPak

By Harlan Ullman

In Afghanistan, the United States and its allies have dealt the cards and made their bets lying as if in suspended animation while events on the ground unfold. Given the Obama administration’s ambiguous statements over next year’s force reductions, taken as a lack of U.S. commitment in Kabul and Islamabad, last week’s announcement of a […]

New Atlanticist

Jun 16, 2010

NATO a Permanent Alliance: Outlook for the Future

By Stanley Sloan

At the end of the day, there are two basic requirements for NATO to be perceived as important enough for the member states to ensure its survival. Put most simply, the United States must be convinced that political and military cooperation with the European allies makes an important net contribution to US interests. On the […]

New Atlanticist

Jun 15, 2010

Afghanistan Effort Falling on its Face

By James Joyner

In the midst of testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee defending the progress of the mission in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus fainted. Thankfully, he appears to be fine. Alas, the symbolism was powerful. The 57-year-old chief of Central Command apparently was suffering from a combination of a brutal schedule, too little food and drink, […]

New Atlanticist

Jun 15, 2010

NATO a Permanent Alliance: Today’s Challenges

By Stanley Sloan

If we acknowledge that nothing in life lasts forever, the transatlantic bargain between the United States, Canada, and its European allies appears as close to a permanent international alliance as has ever been fashioned by sovereign independent states. Its appearance of permanence is based on the fact that it is founded on shared values and […]

New Atlanticist

Jun 15, 2010

Should Brits be Miffed by American Comments on BP? The View from Europe

By Scott Bleiweis

Last Friday, I wrote about harsh comments flying across the Atlantic from the United States in the wake of the BP oil spill. Many in the U.K. have taken American frustrations at BP as insulting to the British people and nation. If anything, this has picked up steam.

United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Jun 14, 2010

Pakistan: Friend or Foe?

By James Joyner

One longstanding question is which side the Pakistan military — particularly the ISI — is on in our war with the Taliban. A new report gives strong credence to the long-held suspicion that they are not only tacitly backing the enemy but actively supporting them "as clear as the sun in the sky." Jeremy Page […]

New Atlanticist

Jun 14, 2010

NATO a Permanent Alliance: Surviving the Bush Years

By Stanley Sloan

On the other side of the pond, the unilateralist character of US foreign and defense policy under George W. Bush led some Europeans to favor using integration in the European Union to “balance” US power in the international system. This multi-polar temptation, like the US unilateral temptation, threatened trans-Atlantic cooperation and therefore international stability. The […]

New Atlanticist

Jun 14, 2010

Afghanistan Mineral Riches: Beware the Hype

By James Joyner

News that "United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself" should be taken with several doses of salt. James Risen of the NYT broke the story, which has the security […]

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