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.

Trust-Busting Popular on Both Sides of the Atlantic

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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Dive deep into developing stories, guided by continually updated expert analysis that leaves you better informed about the most pressing global issues behind the headlines.

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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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New Atlanticist

Jul 13, 2009

Trust-Busting Popular on Both Sides of the Atlantic

By James Joyner

The European Union has long been aggressively using its anti-trust laws to go after large companies who may be abusing their marketplace dominance while the United States has been more inclined to look the other way. There have been recent signs, however, that a convergence is taking place.

New Atlanticist

Jul 13, 2009

Africa’s Future: The West’s Role

By Derek Reveron

President Obama concluded weeks of travel not in Russia or Italy, but in Ghana. While there less than a day, he outlined four areas of partnership that begins, in his words, “from the simple premise that Africa’s future is up to Africans.”

Africa

New Atlanticist

Jul 10, 2009

Afghanistan Caveats Coming to End?

By James Joyner

General John Craddock, the outgoing SACEUR, says the caveats that constrain how some countries’ NATO forces are used “increase the risk to every service member deployed in Afghanistan and bring increased risk to mission success” and are “a detriment to effective command and control.”

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Jul 10, 2009

Obama’s Missed Opportunity

By Nikolas Gvosdev

President Barack Obama is an inspiring orator and a gifted storyteller. So why did his speech at Moscow’s New Economic School go over so poorly (other than the genuine laughter at his gratitude for Alexander Ovechkin playing for the Capitals)?

New Atlanticist

Jul 10, 2009

Protests in Iran Continue

By Brendan Boundy

On Thursday, Iranians took to the streets in stirring defiance of a regime that has killed at least 20 and arrested thousands in stifling protests that began over a reputedly rigged presidential election but have now become demands for fundamental political reform.

Iran

New Atlanticist

Jul 10, 2009

Cyber Security: Hackers and Retooled Institutions

By Andrew Kessinger

You may have missed it. As fireworks were exploding over our nation’s capital this Independence Day weekend, U.S. government websites were being attacked by hackers.

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Jul 9, 2009

Why is Russia Afraid of a 300-Year-Old Ukrainian Hero?

By Adrian Karatnycky and Alexander Motyl

Lord Byron, Pushkin, and Victor Hugo wrote poems about him. Liszt composed a symphonic work in his honor, Tchaikovsky devoted an opera to him, and Gericault painted him tied naked to a horse. In centuries past he was a historical superstar — a poster child for the Romantic era.

Russia Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Jul 9, 2009

Where are the Local Forces in Afghanistan and Iraq?

By Bernard Finel

In both Afghanistan and Iraq, the United States has more expansive and ambitious goals than our local allies.

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Jul 9, 2009

Iran, Russia and U.S. Nonproliferation Efforts

By Brendan Boundy

Despite the apparent failure of the “reset button” for U.S.-Russian relations, the nuclear arms agreement signed by Obama and Medvedev will significantly reduce each country’s respective nuclear weapons arsenals and strengthen U.S.-led efforts to address a far more pressing issue: Iran’s continuing uranium enrichment and the concomitant threat of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.

Iran Russia

New Atlanticist

Jul 8, 2009

Are you Passionate about Afghanistan?

By Kenneth Payne

No? That could be a problem. Yesterday, Richard Holmes wrote this in his tribute to Lt Col Rupert Thorneloe, the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards commanding officer who was killed in Afghanistan on July 1:

Afghanistan United Kingdom

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