New Atlanticist

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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.

Afghanistan: War of Necessity?

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.

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Afghanistan: War of Necessity?

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

Afghanistan: War of Necessity?

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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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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Content

New Atlanticist

Aug 24, 2009

Afghanistan: War of Necessity?

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

Afghanistan is not only President Obama’s war, but it’s also what he now calls “a war of necessity.” But for Richard Haass, the head of the Council on Foreign Relations who was head of policy planning at the State Department in the run-up to the Iraq War and who voted for Obama, Afghanistan is a […]

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 24, 2009

Hillary Clinton’s Quiet Revolution?

By James Joyner

David Rothkopf argues that, while the commentariet is distracted by Hillary Clinton’s celebrity, the new secretary of state is “overseeing what may be the most profound changes in U.S. foreign policy in two decades — a transformation that may render the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush mere side notes in a long transition […]

New Atlanticist

Aug 21, 2009

The War on Climate Change

By Ross Rustici

With the upcoming Quadrennial Defense Review and the looming debate over the Waxman-Markey bill, securitizing climate change is in vogue.  However, proponents of securitizing climate change, particularly on the grounds of the Responsibility to Protect concept, are mistaken.

New Atlanticist

Aug 21, 2009

Afghanistan Effort Shooting Behind a Moving Target

By James Easaw

A wise man once said “we can’t kill our way to victory” in Afghanistan.  And, I might add, we can’t keep shooting behind a moving target either.  If you want to hit a moving target, you have to lead it.

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 21, 2009

The WTO and Cultural Goods: The Case of Hollywood

By Griffin Huschke

Last week, the World Trade Organization struck down China’s use of a governmental agency to supply western movies to consumers, stating that the practice provided Chinese movies with an unfair trade advantage.

China

New Atlanticist

Aug 20, 2009

Lockerbie Bomber Released Over U.S. Objections

By James Joyner

The man who murdered 270 people by bombing Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, has been given a compassionate release from prison so that he may spend his dying days with his family.

United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Aug 20, 2009

An Al Qaeda ‘Foothold in Iran’?

By Brendan Boundy

As the U.S. and its European counterparts pursue engagement amid the post-election strife in Iran, continued violence between the Iranian government and Jundullah threatens to further inflame regional tensions and provide an outlet for extremist forces seeking respite from U.S. and Pakistani operations in the tribal areas.

Iran

New Atlanticist

Aug 20, 2009

An Alternative Strategy for Afghanistan

By Bernard Finel

One of my great frustrations in becoming more involved in the debate over Afghanistan policy and the utility of population-centric counter-insurgency (COIN) theory is how ruthlessly the pro-escalation side of the debate has sought to caricature the position of the skeptics.

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 19, 2009

Russia Upgrades Spying on NATO Countries

By Jorge Benitez

The Russian news service Interfax announced today that Moscow has expelled two Czech diplomats in an apparent tit-for-tat for yesterday’s reported expulsion of two Russian diplomats by the Czech Republic.

NATO Russia

New Atlanticist

Aug 19, 2009

Shock and Awe in Pakistan

By Harlan Ullman

The apparent elimination of Tehrik-e-Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud two weeks ago in a Predator strike is, on balance, very good news.

Pakistan
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