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.

Afghanistan Election Winner

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 Election Winner

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 Election Winner

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 19, 2009

Afghanistan Election Winner

By Shuja Nawaz

No matter what the pundits and the election commission says after tomorrow’s elections in  Afghanistan, one thing seems clear : we know who has won. It is the people of Afghanistan. Rather than hurl rockets or grenades at each other, they have debated and traded arguments. Rather than picking up arms, they have clicked on […]

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 18, 2009

Global Economic Council Needed after Financial Crisis

By Timothy Adams and Arrigo Sadun

How do you transform the International Monetary Fund, an institution until recently widely criticised for its lack of legitimacy and representativeness, on the verge of irrelevance, into the international community’s premier tool for fighting the global crisis?

Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Aug 17, 2009

Beyond the Afghanistan Command Change

By James Joyner

When David McKiernan was summarily fired from his post as commanding general in Afghanistan, I was shocked. Rajiv Chandrasekaran has a superb insider account in today’s WaPo that fills in some of the gaps.

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 17, 2009

Dealing With Iran

By Don Snow

With the dispute over the fairness of the recent Iranian presidential resolved–if not to everyone’s satisfaction–and the Iranian government’s response to demonstrators against the outcome repressed–once again not to everyone’s satisfaction–news about Afghanistan has pushed Iran off the front pages of American concern in the Middle East. But Iran is still there, and it is […]

Iran

New Atlanticist

Aug 17, 2009

Economic Lessons from Central Europe

By Edward Hugh

The non-biblical concept of original sin, as Claus Vistesen notes, refers to the situation where many developing economies who are not able to borrow in their own currencies feel forced to denominate large parts of their sovereign and private sector debt in non-domestic currencies in order to attract capital from foreign investors – as evidenced […]

New Atlanticist

Aug 14, 2009

Pakistan Nukes Misfire

By Shuja Nawaz

Few issues grab more attention on the global stage today than the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. The assumption in the West has always been that Pakistan cannot adequately safeguard these weapons and that radical Islamists will grab them, putting Western interests at risk in the region.

Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 14, 2009

In China, You Might Not Be Able to Read This

By Andrew Kessinger

Chinese Internet users won a small but encouraging victory on Thursday when Information Technology Minister, Li Yizhong, eased the controversial requirement to install website-filtering software on all new personal computers. The government-controlled software will still be mandatory in Internet cafes, schools and other public places however.

China Cybersecurity

New Atlanticist

Aug 14, 2009

German Terrorists Wanted to Kill Americans

By James Joyner

A foiled German terrorist plot against airports, military bases and off duty hangouts of American soldiers was motivated by Islamist zeal and hatred of American foreign policy, the group’s leader has revealed. Their intent was to kill as many Americans as possible to punish us for an alleged “war against Islam.”

Germany

New Atlanticist

Aug 13, 2009

Outside Intervention in Internal Wars

By Don Snow

The most ignored but arguably the most important factor militating against American success in Afghanistan is the dynamic of outside intervention in internal wars. The experience of foreign countries intervening in other people’s civil conflicts is, to put it mildly, dismal.

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 12, 2009

Russia’s Booming Industry

By Boyko Nitzov

For decades now, underinvestment in Russian gas infrastructure has reduced its reliability and operational efficiency. In addition to an increased risk of accidents, the repairs, maintenance, upgrades and replacements resulting from this physical deterioration are a major cost element.

Energy & Environment
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