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

Apr 30, 2010

Bill Clinton: Rock Star

By Bono

There are professors who pretend to be populists and populists who pretend to be professors. But there have never been a head and heart so perfectly matched as the pair within William Jefferson Clinton. It’s an impossible equilibrium: wonky intellectual meets “Oh, hell” card player, oxygen and hydrogen. He defies the laws of physics as […]

New Atlanticist

Apr 30, 2010

Great Atlanticists on Atlanticism

By James Joyner

The purpose of the Council’s annual Leadership Awards is to honor Americans and Europeans who have made exceptional and distinctive contributions to the strengthening each of the four pillars of the transatlantic relationship: political, military, business, and humanitarian. In their acceptance speeches, each of the 2010 honorees taught us a little something about being an […]

New Atlanticist

Apr 29, 2010

Bono on ‘Peaceniks in Fatigues’

By James Joyner

Paul David Hewson, KBE — known the world over by his stage name Bono — articulated last night, probably as well as anyone I’ve heard on the subject, the crucial interdependence between human development and international security. Recognizing the extraordinary sacrifice of America’s soldiers trying to make the world better, he called on these “peaceniks […]

New Atlanticist

Apr 29, 2010

Ackermann: We Stand at a Crossroads

By James Joyner

As with the venerable E. F. Hutton before him, when Joe Ackermann talks, people listen. Especially when he’s talking about fixing the problems that led to the financial crisis.

New Atlanticist

Apr 29, 2010

2010 Awards Dinner Highlights

By James Joyner

Last night, the Atlantic Council held its annual Awards Dinner, bringing together more than 900 leaders from over 50 countries to honor individuals who have made exceptional and distinctive contributions to the strengthening each of the four pillars of the transatlantic relationship: political, military, business, and humanitarian.

New Atlanticist

Apr 28, 2010

NATO: Problems with No Solutions?

By James Joyner

NATO risks becoming a relic of the Cold War unless it finds a renewed sense of solidarity and political will while framing its new Strategic Concept. That’s the central message of STRATCON 2010: An Alliance for a Global Century, a report by the Atlantic Council’s Strategic Advisors Group.

New Atlanticist

Apr 28, 2010

Financial Reform Must Restore Liability

By Harlan Ullman

Will Rogers famously quipped that every time the U.S. Congress wished to make a joke, it passed a law and every law it passed turned out to be a joke.

New Atlanticist

Apr 27, 2010

Nick Clegg Rocking British Election

By James Joyner

We’ve known for more than a year that Gordon Brown and his party were in trouble. But the surprisingly strong performance of Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg in the first debate has changed the dynamic so much that Labour could come in third. A new Guardian poll suggests Labour, which is polling at a mere 28%, […]

United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Apr 27, 2010

U.S. Not Credible Middle East Mediator

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

The nasty spat with Israel over Jewish settlements in Arab East Jerusalem didn’t last long. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu apologized for the unfortunate timing during U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s March 10 visit of the announcement of the building of 1,600 housing units, but he also made clear the new housing plans would go […]

New Atlanticist

Apr 27, 2010

North Korea’s Radio Waves of Resistance

By Peter Beck

North Korea remains the most isolated country on earth, with its people effectively cut off from the outside world—or so the world has been told. But there is reason to believe this is no longer the case. My research suggests millions of North Koreans listen to or hear about foreign radio broadcasts. There is evidence […]

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