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

Jun 2, 2009

Obama Should Reach Out to Muslim Youth

By Shuja Nawaz

As President Barack Obama prepares to address the Muslim World from Cairo on Thursday this week, he would do well not to dwell on the past but to look to the future. His speech should be the first salvo in a battle to meet the expectations of a world dominated by youth. He should not […]

New Atlanticist

Jun 2, 2009

Georgia the Key to US-Russia “Reset”

By David Smith

US President Barack Obama will travel to Moscow July 6-8 on the first real test of his attempt to “reset” US-Russian relations. At the Kremlin, Obama must articulate what is negotiable and what is not.

Russia The Caucasus

New Atlanticist

Jun 1, 2009

Failures on Both Sides of the Atlantic

By James Joyner

Charlie McCreevy, the EU Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, says that, while many Europeans like to “delude themselves that the financial crisis was a purely American virus,” the fact of the matter is that “there were failures on both sides of the Atlantic.”

New Atlanticist

Jun 1, 2009

All EU Politics is Local

By James Joyner

The lack of enthusiasm for this week’s European Parliament elections is a recurring theme in the press. In addition to a poll showing growing Euroskepticism in the UK, we see cynicism in France and apathy in Poland.

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

May 29, 2009

Euroskepticism Growing on Eve of EU Parliament Elections

By James Joyner

AFP highlights a new poll showing support for the EU is flagging ahead of elections for the European Parliament.

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

May 29, 2009

Ukraine: A Delicate Balancing Act

By David Kramer and Damon Wilson

Russia has always had a knack for overshadowing its neighbors – and this time the West, focused on Moscow, is distracted from a crisis in Ukraine. As U.S. President Barack Obama gears up to “reset” Russia relations, Ukraine is in disarray. The country is teetering between economic collapse, Russian influence, and vague promises of Western […]

Ukraine

New Atlanticist

May 28, 2009

Casey: Current Tempo Unsustainable

By James Joyner

General George Casey, speaking tonight at the Atlantic Council, clarified his widely quoted remarks that “we’re going to have 10 Army and Marine units deployed for a decade in Iraq and Afghanistan,” insisting that he was not making policy but doing his job to “organize, train, and equip” the force for possible contingences.

New Atlanticist

May 28, 2009

Jones: North Korea Nukes ‘Not an Imminent Threat’

By James Joyner

National Security Advisor Jim Jones declared in a speech to the Atlantic Council that the recent testing of a nuclear device and firing of Taepodong missiles by North Korea “are not an imminent threat” to the United States or the regions because “they have a long way to go” in perfecting the technology to weaponize […]

Korea

New Atlanticist

May 28, 2009

National Security Advisor Jones: USA Safer Under Obama

By James Joyner

In recent weeks, former Vice President Dick Cheney has repeatedly proclaimed that changes in U.S. national security policy ordered by President Obama have made the country less safe. In a speech at the Atlantic Council that was his first domestic address, Obama’s national security advisor, General Jim Jones, said the opposite is true

New Atlanticist

May 28, 2009

How Do They Know That?

By Banning Garrett

There is an all-too-common practice in Washington punditry of attributing strategic intentions to other countries without any apparent evidence. A recent example is the column by Dan Blumenthal and Robert Kagan in the Washington Post, “What to Do About North Korea.”

Energy & Environment

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