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.

Zbigniew Brzezinski on the End of the Cold War

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.

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New Atlanticist

Nov 4, 2009

Zbigniew Brzezinski on the End of the Cold War

By Frederick Kempe

Atlantic Council president and CEO Frederick Kempe interviewed Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter and a member of the Atlantic Council International Advisory Board, for Freedom’s Challenge, a publication commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

New Atlanticist

Nov 4, 2009

Afghanistan: Not a Question of Dither or Decide

By Harlan Ullman

The debate over what to do next in Afghanistan has been politically polarized between those who attack the Obama administration for “dithering” and supporters who believe the president needs ample time to be a “decider.” Unfortunately, this is a wrong and false debate.

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Nov 3, 2009

A Hymn to Liberty and Friendship with a Caveat: The View from Germany

By Benjamin Preisler

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s speech in front of a joint session of Congress was treated to positive while not glowing reviews in Germany.

Germany

New Atlanticist

Nov 3, 2009

Beyond Containment: How the Cold War was Won

By Condoleeza Rice

Historians are often tempted to imbue the peaceful end of the Cold War with a sense of inevitability. With the benefit of hindsight, they frequently point to a seemingly predictable sequence of events in which Mikhail Gorbachev’s campaign to restructure the Soviet system ultimately exposed its internal contradictions and seamlessly contributed to its collapse.

Germany

New Atlanticist

Nov 3, 2009

Electoral Transparency in Afghanistan

By Don Snow

Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the half-Tajik opthamologist who finished second in the first round of the Afghan presidential election and who led the push for this coming Saturday’s runoff, dropped out of the race Sunday. His stated reason for doing so was the Karzai government’s refusal to revamp the existing electoral process, and notably Karzai’s refusal […]

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Nov 3, 2009

The Wall . . . Always the Wall: Frederick Forsyth’s Cold War Berlin

By Frederick Forsyth

I do not recall the exact day but it was surely in early August 1963 that Harold King, the iconic Bureau Chief of Reuters’ bureau in Paris called me in, and he was not best pleased. I thought it was I who had invoked his impressive ire, but it was news from London.

Germany

New Atlanticist

Nov 3, 2009

Obama Foreign Policy Report Card

By James Joyner

The editors at Foreign Policy magazine used the occasion of the first anniversary of Barack Obama’s election as president to ask a “a group of experts” to grade President Obama’s foreign policy performance. I was honored to be among the graders.

Brent Scowcroft on the Fall of the Berlin Wall

New Atlanticist

Nov 2, 2009

Brent Scowcroft on the fall of the Berlin Wall

By Frederick Kempe

Frederick Kempe interviewed Brent Scowcroft on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

New Atlanticist

Nov 2, 2009

Freedom’s Challenge Editor’s Introduction

By Frederick Kempe

A special abridged edition of Freedom’s Challenge is being released in conjunction with an important new initiative, the Atlantic Council Freedom Awards, which salute, acknowledge and honor women, men, organizations and peoples who nurture, defend and advance the cause of freedom around the globe.

New Atlanticist

Nov 2, 2009

NATO-Russia Reset Needed

By Donald Bandler and Jakub Kulhanek

In March of 2009, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for pushing a “reset” button in US-Russian relations, and since then officials from both countries have been making tentative inroads in that direction. Yet, the thaw in US-Russian relations should not obscure the need for improvement of the overall state of relations between Russia […]

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