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.

Torture a Looming Crisis in Transatlantic Relations

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

Apr 22, 2009

Torture a Looming Crisis in Transatlantic Relations

By Bernard Finel

Blogger Andrew Sullivan has likened torture to a cancer on America’s democracy, that “metastasizes quickly and poisons everything it touches.”

New Atlanticist

Apr 22, 2009

UN Conference on Racism: Another Wasted Opportunity

By Valerie Nichols

Monday’s opening of the UN Conference on Racism met low expectations, fueling criticism that it was simply a rerun of the notorious Durban Conference in 2001.

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Apr 22, 2009

India’s Fragile Democracy

By Habeeb Noor

Elections are now underway in India and will be for the next month. While the particular method employed in the world’s largest parliamentary democracy may strike American as unusual, the system has largely worked. If underlying social schisms are not addressed, however, that may soon change.

New Atlanticist

Apr 22, 2009

Nonpolar World: Or Just Messy and Complex?

By Robert Manning

In the nearly two decades since the end of the Cold War, various ideas have been offered up to define the structure of the international system. With the end of the bipolar world as the USSR dissolved, it was fashionable to bandy about the idea of a unipolar world, as Charles Krauthammer dubbed it in […]

New Atlanticist

Apr 22, 2009

Georgia Has a Republic. Can She Keep It?

By David Smith

Since April 9, some Georgians have taken to the streets of Tbilisi calling upon President Mikheil Saakashvili to resign. Their numbers have dwindled, but a dedicated few still block major thoroughfares, populate tents outside the presidential residence and rally bigger crowds in front of Parliament.

The Caucasus

New Atlanticist

Apr 21, 2009

Russian Tanks Near Tblisi

By James Joyner

Russian troops are a mere “25 miles (40 kilometers) from the Georgian capital, in violation of the European Union-brokered cease-fire that ended last year’s brief war,” Lynn Berry reports for AP. All indications are that Moscow is increasing pressure on President Mikheil Saakashvili amidst a protest movement.

Russia

New Atlanticist

Apr 21, 2009

Critical Pause in the Thai Political Crisis

By Catharin Dalpino

The round of political protests in Bangkok following the violent shut-down of the ASEAN-Plus-Three meeting have abated after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva issued an emergency decree, which is still in effect.

New Atlanticist

Apr 21, 2009

Kazakhstan Withdraws From NATO Exercise

By James Joyner

Kazakhstan has pulled out of an annual NATO training exercise following Russia’s demand that it be canceled. A founding member of the Partnership with Peace, Astana is carefully balancing its relations with the West and its former overlord.

Central Asia NATO

New Atlanticist

Apr 20, 2009

Obama Doctrine: Style But No Substance?

By James Joyner

Clive Crook pokes fun of President Obama for being perhaps a wee bit overly ambitious on both domestic and foreign affairs but admires his enthusiasm. He wonders, however, whether the various efforts to reset America’s relations with the world constitute an “Obama Doctrine.”

New Atlanticist

Apr 20, 2009

Russia Ends Chechnya Campaign

By Valerie Nichols

Russia has finally declared an end to its decade-long anti-terrorism campaign in Chechnya, leaving more power in the hands of the republic’s President Ramzan Kadyrov. Yet the decision, while perhaps symbolic, does not mean Chechnya’s troubles are over.

Russia

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