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.

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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New Atlanticist

Jul 21, 2009

Who Really Runs Russia?

By James Joyner

Most of us in the West have presumed that Vladimir Putin is still running Russia, despite having stepped down as president and moving to the constitutionally-less-powerful premiership. Apparently, most Russians think so, too.

Russia

New Atlanticist

Jul 21, 2009

The Congressional-Military-Industrial Complex

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

“If the Department of Defense can’t figure out a way to defend the United States on half a trillion dollars a year, then our problems are much bigger than anything that can be cured by buying a few more ships and planes.” So spoke Defense Secretary Robert Gates, angry with the profligate ways of both the Congress […]

New Atlanticist

Jul 21, 2009

Is Globalization 2.0 Unraveling?

By Robert Manning

Even as projections of global recovery in 2010 flow from the IMF, the global economic meltdown has spawned a buzzword that seems to be on the lips of the chattering class: deglobalization. Look no further than Joshua Kurlantzick’s “The World is Bumpy” for a recent sampling.

New Atlanticist

Jul 20, 2009

UK’s Afghanistan Patience Waning

By James Joyner

July has been the deadliest month so far for American forces in Afghanistan, with 55 killed already this month. Despite the trend toward Americanization of the conflict, however, today’s crash of a RAF Tornado fighter brought the month’s toll to 19 British troops killed. Given the extreme controversy over the war in the UK, that […]

Afghanistan United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Jul 20, 2009

Will COIN Work in Afghanistan?

By Don Snow

The Obama administration has invested a great deal (one can argue too much) of its national security capital in the war on Afghanistan, and the chief instrument for realizing that investment has been the application of counterinsurgency (COIN) doctrine to the situation. This application, in turn, is based on putting into action the Army and […]

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Jul 20, 2009

The French & Iranian Revolutions

By Andrew Kessinger

We have recently celebrated the anniversaries of the American and French Revolutions, both violent civil uprisings that changed the course of their nation’s history. A similar storm seems to be brewing – this time in Iran.

France Iran

New Atlanticist

Jul 18, 2009

Europe Needs Diversified Energy Strategy

By Borut Grgic

After Gazprom signed a deal with Azerbaijan for 500 million cubic meters of gas, the Nabucco bunch got together in Ankara and agreed on a legal basis for the 3300 kilometer long pipeline which will connect the European market to the Caspian gas.

Energy & Environment

New Atlanticist

Jul 17, 2009

Iceland EU Bid Forced by Financial Crisis

By James Joyner

Fiercely independent Iceland is ready to make its bid to join the European Union in the wake of the global financial crisis that has devastated the island nation’s economy more than most. Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir deemed it “probably the most historic vote in the history of our parliament.” The Althingi is the world’s oldest legislative […]

Economy & Business European Union

New Atlanticist

Jul 17, 2009

Education and Grand Strategy

By Mark Safranski

America’s current educational system, which emphasizes uniformity, conformity, and memorization is stifling the creation of the next generation of strategic thinkers.

New Atlanticist

Jul 16, 2009

US and European Tax Rates and Compliance

By James Joyner

The United States has among the lowest top income tax rates in the developed world. And also the highest rates of compliance in paying taxes. One suspects these facts are related.

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