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.

Obama’s National Security Strategy Unfolding

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 16, 2009

Obama’s National Security Strategy Unfolding

By Derek Reveron

While the United States had often followed an unofficial grand strategy (e.g., containment during the Cold War), Congress required the president to formalize one since 1986. While President Obama has yet to do so, we have a pretty good idea what his foreign policy vision will be.

New Atlanticist

Jul 16, 2009

Clinton: U.S. Seeks both Partners and Primacy

By Brendan Boundy

For those hoping for a dramatic unveiling of the Obama administration’s new foreign policy agenda, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s first major address last week was a bit of a disappointment.

New Atlanticist

Jul 16, 2009

An Adapting Al Qaeda?

By Brendan Boundy

Countering Al Qaeda’s ability to launch attacks against Europe and the United States from ungoverned tribal areas is the primary aim of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and aid to Pakistan. However, Al Qaeda’s aim may be shifting.

New Atlanticist

Jul 15, 2009

Russia May Score Final Coup in Energy Battle

By Alexandros Petersen

The European Union is touting its deal with Turkey on Monday to realize the Nabucco natural gas pipeline project as a major coup in the quest for alternative energy routes that bypass Russia. The project’s major transit country, Turkey, may have been brought on board, but Ankara’s other energy interests in the Caucasus may still […]

Energy & Environment Russia

New Atlanticist

Jul 15, 2009

Nabucco: Success Far From Assured

By Nikolas Gvosdev

Listening to some of the commentary on the signing of the intergovernmental agreement which lays the foundation for the construction of the Nabucco pipeline reminds me of Raphael Patai’s famous observation about the political culture of the Middle East.

New Atlanticist

Jul 15, 2009

‘International FEMA’ Needed for Contingency Operations?

By James Joyner

Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, argues that we need an “international FEMA” to coordinate complex contingency operations across the various agencies of the American government and institutionalize lessons learned.

New Atlanticist

Jul 15, 2009

Three Wishes for Obama

By Harlan Ullman

Back from “resetting” relations with Russia and then conferring with the G8-plus before stopping over in Ghana, U.S. President Barack Obama continues a full court press on resolving concurrently the myriad of crises, dangers and issues facing the nation.

Russia

New Atlanticist

Jul 14, 2009

At War with Pakistan’s Taliban

By Shuja Nawaz

After years of self-denial, Pakistani society and its government now face the reality of a dangerous – nay, existential – threat to their polity from a home-grown variant of the Afghan Taliban, a movement that was spawned by the U. S. invasion of Afghanistan and grew into a potent political force in the past three […]

New Atlanticist

Jul 14, 2009

European Youth Unemployment Creating Lost Generation?

By James Joyner

At 9.3 percent, unemployment in the European Union is at its highest rate in more than a decade. For those under 25, however, the rate is more than twice that.

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Jul 14, 2009

U.S.-China Relations: The Changing Climate of Diplomacy

By Banning Garrett

From the start of the global economic crisis, it has become clear that a new world order has emerged. While the world is increasingly interconnected, it is specifically the U.S.-China relationship that will determine how and if our leaders can meet the major global challenges of the 21st century.

China

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