New Atlanticist

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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.

Why Is Our Russia Policy So Foolish?

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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Why Is Our Russia Policy So Foolish?

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

Why Is Our Russia Policy So Foolish?

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 27, 2009

Why Is Our Russia Policy So Foolish?

By Daniel Larison

The underlying problem is that the Cold War generation of U.S. Russian experts has been supplanted by the post-Cold War generation, now grown to maturity and authority.

Russia

New Atlanticist

Aug 26, 2009

Pakistan: Reason for a Glimmer of Optimism?

By Harlan Ullman

Despite a continuing flow of depressing reports from Pakistan about the safety and security of this strategically vital American ally, on the eve of President Asif Ali Zardari’s first anniversary as president, the latest news, at least anecdotally, offers a glimmer of optimism. Predictions of dire outcomes leading to a failed government overthrown by an […]

Pakistan
German Euro Notes and Coins

New Atlanticist

Aug 26, 2009

Is Germany’s Economy Really Powering Ahead?

By Edward Hugh

Well, euphoria in Germany is certainly on the rebound, with a sudden surge in the ZEW investor confidence index and newspaper articles all over the place predicting the imminent renaissance of European economic growth, despite the fact that in 3 of the 5 big European economies – the UK, Italy and Spain – there is […]

Economy & Business Germany

New Atlanticist

Aug 25, 2009

Why Do the Afghans Need Our Help?

By Shuja Nawaz

Matt Yglesias writes over at Think Progress: The other thing I wonder about is these incredibly long time horizons for getting the Afghan army up to speed. Why so long?

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 25, 2009

Afghanistan: Putting Lipstick on a Pig

By Don Snow

Two events over the weekend have dominated news from Afghanistan. One involves voting in the presidential election, results of which will not be final for several weeks but which have aroused much passionate rhetoric anyway. The other is the not very surprising conclusion by the  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that the situation […]

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 25, 2009

Michael Jackson Trumps Afghanistan in News Coverage

By James Joyner

Americans’ limited interest in foreign affairs has long been lamented. But surely, the war in Afghanistan deserves more press coverage than the death of a pop star?

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 24, 2009

The Cost of the War on Climate Change

By Ross Rustici

The challenges posed by climate change are too severe to rely on military institutions that are equipped only to respond to crisis situations.

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.

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