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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When major global news breaks, the Atlantic Council’s experts have you covered—delivering their sharpest rapid insight and forward-looking analysis direct to your inbox.

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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

May 28, 2010

Will China Rule the World?

By Robert Manning

Have the past two centuries of a Western defined and dominated world order — the norms, rules and ways of thinking about the world — the very concept of modernity — been a historical anomaly?

New Atlanticist

May 28, 2010

Ukraine: Fear and Loathing on the Post-Campaign Trail

By Adrian Karatnycky

Reading the Kyiv Post and many of Ukraine’s other newsweeklies, one gets the impression that a measure of hysteria has seized normally sober-minded and serious analysts. Respected analysts speak in dire terms of a wholesale sellout of Ukraine to Russia and of the consolidation of dictatorship.

Ukraine

New Atlanticist

May 27, 2010

National Security Strategy Instant Reactions

By James Joyner

Yesterday, Derek Reveron gave us a National Security Strategy preview. Today, the 52-page document is being unveiled to mixed reviews. The Obama administration is trying to make a clear break with its predecessor’s policy, in both tone and substance, while redefining "national security" to include issues that have traditionally been thought of as purely matters […]

New Atlanticist

May 27, 2010

Azerbaijan – Turkey High Stakes Gas Deal

By Boyko Nitzov and Galib Abbaszade

Ever since the beginnings of the modern petroleum industry in Azerbaijan in the mid-19th century, the country has, despite being a major oil exporter, also been a net gas importer. It was only recently that production from Phase I of the Shah Deniz gas-condensate field picked up, along with output of associated gas at the […]

New Atlanticist

May 27, 2010

George Magnus Interview: Can the EU Remain Cohesive?

By Jason Harmala

In his latest New Atlanticist Podcast, Atlantic Council senior fellow Sarwar Kashmeri speaks with George Magnus, Senior Economic Advisor at UBS Investment Bank and author of the book The Age of Aging, on the cohesiveness of the European Union and the Eurozone’s outlook following the recent Greek and monetary crises.

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

May 26, 2010

Euro Crisis: Light at the End of the Tunnel?

By James Joyner

The Eurozone remains in real trouble despite recent efforts to strengthen the currency and allay the fears of investors. Public sentiment in the North, especially Germany, is souring on the project. But key governments are now starting to address their own budget crises, finally giving some reason for optimism. CSM correspondent Isabelle de Pommereau reports […]

New Atlanticist

May 26, 2010

National Security Strategy Preview

By Derek Reveron

Rumors have President Obama’s National Security Strategy, which is about a year overdue, finally being released tomorrow. After 16 months in office, the president has given many hints, most notably his Nobel Peace Prize address that emphasized international cooperation. In Oslo, he said: “America cannot insist that others follow the rules of the road if […]

New Atlanticist

May 26, 2010

NATO Needs A Slogan

By Harlan Ullman

Last week, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis, came to Washington to testify before Congress and to make several public appearances discussing important issues such as Afghanistan and the future of the sixty-one year old military alliance. An avid user of Facebook and Twitter, during one of his presentations, Admiral Stavridis […]

New Atlanticist

May 25, 2010

Pakistan’s Bloody Alphabet Soup

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

The Pakistani army showed no hesitation about pursuing and killing Taliban insurgents everywhere except in North Waziristan, one of the seven tribal areas where different terrorist groups have long enjoyed a privileged sanctuary. When Pakistani army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani was in Washington six weeks ago, he briefed his American interlocutors on the army’s […]

New Atlanticist

May 25, 2010

Onward to Kandahar

By Don Snow

The United States and its ISAF allies are inching closer to the next big battleground in Afghanistan–the assault on Kandahar City. Kandahar, of course, is both the hometown of Afghan President and sometimes U.S. buddy Hamid Karzai and the main urban redoubt of the Taliban. This juxtaposition in itself creates the parameters for the mission […]

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