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
Jul 29, 2025

The Russia pressure menu: Options to convince Putin to negotiate on Ukraine

As the US president cuts his deadline for Russia to ten days, there are several options for him to increase pressure on Moscow to pursue peace.

New Atlanticist
Jul 24, 2025

Dispatch from Manila: A lesson in calling out Chinese maritime aggression

By
Markus Garlauskas, Philip W. Yu

As the Philippines has focused more on Chinese threats to itself, Manila also seems increasingly inclined to see its own security as connected to that of the broader region.

China
Indo-Pacific

New Atlanticist
Jul 1, 2025

The US must enforce sanctions to prevent Iran from rebuilding its nuclear program

By
Kimberly Donovan

To ensure that Tehran cannot get its hands on the financial resources it would need to rebuild its nuclear program, Iran sanctions enforcement should start with China.

Economic Sanctions
Iran

Stay updated

Explore our unique analysis

Fast Thinking

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.

Experts React

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.

Markup

Our experts decipher and annotate major speeches and policy documents to break down big ideas and lay them out in plain language.

New Atlanticist

Feb 22, 2010

Clinton on Russia and NATO

By James Joyner

Hillary Clinton addressed the Atlantic Council this evening on “The Future of NATO” as a kickoff to a conference on a new strategic concept for the sixty-year-old Alliance. She worked very hard to square the circle on NATO-Russia relations, both advocating increased cooperation and leaving the door open for further contentious expansion.

NATO Russia

New Atlanticist

Feb 22, 2010

Deep Transatlantic Tensions Spotlighted by Obama Effect

By Kurt Volker

President Barack Obama took office in late January 2009, and there can be little doubt that he remains highly popular in Europe a year on. But it is also hard to escape the conclusion that despite the best of intentions on both sides of the Atlantic, there is dissatisfaction with the state of transatlantic relations.

New Atlanticist

Feb 22, 2010

India and Pakistan: Give Dialogue a Chance

By Sherry Rehman

The resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan is always weighed down by anxiety about outcomes. After the July 26 blasts in Mumbai, New Delhi cut off the composite dialogue process with Islamabad. The foreign secretaries of both countries are now scheduled to meet on Wednesday, February 24th to begin talks again.

New Atlanticist

Feb 20, 2010

Alexander Haig, Former SACEUR and Atlantic Council Director, Dead at 85

By The Editors

General Alexander Haig, a long-time friend of the Atlantic Council who served as Supreme Allied Commander from 1974-1979 and as Secretary of State from 1981-1982, has died. He was 85.

New Atlanticist

Feb 19, 2010

Pakistan Optimism Premature?

By James Joyner

While the cooperation of Pakistan’s intelligence service in the capture of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has been highly touted as a sign of improved relations with the United States, some are not convinced.

New Atlanticist

Feb 18, 2010

The Euro’s Final Countdown?

By Sylvester Eijffinger and Edin Mujagic

The introduction of the euro in 1999, it was claimed, would narrow the economic differences between the member countries of the monetary union.

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Feb 18, 2010

Extending Vietnamization to Afghanistan

By Don Snow

The war in Afghanistan took a familiar turn this week, as the U.S. Marines began an Aghan “surge” to wrest the city of Marja in the opium-infested province of Helmand from the Taliban. The term “surge” kept coming up to describe the purpose and intent of the operation, presumably because of the widely advertised “success” […]

New Atlanticist

Feb 17, 2010

The (New) German Question

By James Joyner

The unfolding Euro crisis has raised a new variant on the old German Question. For much of its history as a state, Germany has been the pivotal state in Europe. After the Cold War and the reunification of East and West, the fate of "Europe" as a unified political and economic space depended entirely on […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Feb 17, 2010

Iran Options: Sanctions and Strikes

By Jonathan Paris

The inexorable march of the Iranian regime towards nuclear weapons has produced a growing international consensus for serious sanctions. After a year of engagement by President Obama, the Iranians have made it clear that they are not eager to reciprocate by compromising on their nuclear program. The international community now appears to be following a […]

New Atlanticist

Feb 17, 2010

A Test of Will for the U.S. and Pakistan

By Harlan Ullman

That war is a clash of wills is a cliche. Yet, as one of America’s earliest naval heroes John Paul Jones understood, “men (and by extension women) are more important than guns in the rating of a ship.”

Share

Issue briefs and reports