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.

China and the World: Are We Approaching a Tipping Point?

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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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

Apr 8, 2010

China and the World: Are We Approaching a Tipping Point?

By Robert Manning

Is the pendulum of history shifting? Has China moved from emerging power to emerged? It is difficult not to conclude that China seems to have eaten its Wheaties: whether it is their swagger at the Copenhagen Climate meeting last December, the recent cyber-flap with Google, or its unusually vitriolic reaction to not unexpected recent U.S. […]

New Atlanticist

Apr 8, 2010

Wrong on the Reset?

By Nikolas Gvosdev

Back in January, I opined in this space that it was time to "Time to Retire the Russia Reset Button." With presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signing the follow-on START agreement in Prague today, should I re-evaluate that position?

New Atlanticist

Apr 8, 2010

Watching Karzai, Seeing Diem

By Don Snow

Historians warn us not to overgeneralize based on different events, citing the special circumstances that surround any particular event or complex of events.

New Atlanticist

Apr 7, 2010

Kyrgyzstan Revolution Topples Government

By James Joyner

Kyrgyzstan’s capital is under siege in a brutal riot that appears to have ousted Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the brutal leader who himself came to power in the Tulip Revolution.

New Atlanticist

Apr 7, 2010

Cyber Security Framework and Strategy Needed

By Harlan Ullman

Next week, representatives from dozens of countries will meet in Washington to discuss nuclear security. Clearly, proliferation of nuclear weapons to include theft and acquisition by terrorists or unfriendly regimes raise nightmarish scenarios.

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Apr 7, 2010

The NPR: Obama Finally Leading on NATO Nuclear Policy

By Damon Wilson

After much internal wrangling, the Obama administration has settled on a clever and well-prepared Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) which, without explicitly addressing NATO nuclear policy, clearly steers the unruly Alliance debate in a conservative direction. Consistent with President Obama’s commitment to "listen, learn and lead," the administration is finally leading on nuclear policy. However, the […]

New Atlanticist

Apr 6, 2010

Iraq Video: Collateral Murder? Or Fog of War?

By James Joyner

A disturbing video which seems to show American soldiers shooting unarmed civilians in Iraq — and to contradict official accounts of the incident back in 2007 — is making the rounds. CSM’s Dan Murphy has the backstory: A video released on the Internet Monday by WikiLeaks, a small nonprofit dedicated to publishing classified information from […]

New Atlanticist

Apr 6, 2010

Anti-American Posturing: The Root of All Our Problems

By Bernard Finel

In his New Atlanticist post, "Is Hamid Karzai Crazy?," James Joyner argues that the Afghan president’s recent statements about the presence of “foreigners” is just about Karzai bolstering his standing at home. This assessment is probably right, but the implied U.S. response — that we ought to do just slough it off — is problematic, […]

New Atlanticist

Apr 5, 2010

Is Hamid Karzai Crazy?

By James Joyner

On April Fools Day, Afghan President Hamid Karzai lashed out at "foreigners" who have been criticizing his corrupt, inept government, leveling bizarre charges that the rampant fraud in the recent elections was perpetrated by UN officials, the European Union, and other non-Afghans. It was, alas, no joke. In addition to bringing the retort from Peter […]

New Atlanticist

Apr 5, 2010

Ukraine’s Democracy in Danger

By Alexander Motyl

As Ukraine’s recently elected President Viktor Yanukovych prepares to visit Washington in April, he will aim to project an image of stability, confidence, and control. In reality, Mr. Yanukovych has committed a series of mistakes that could doom his presidency, scare off foreign investors, and thwart the country’s modernization.

Ukraine

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