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

Apr 14, 2009

Taking On Somali Piracy

By Harlan Ullman

Sunday’s rescue of Richard Phillips, the skipper of the Maersk Alabama, from Somali pirates brought home an old story.

Somalia

New Atlanticist

Apr 14, 2009

North Korea and Iran Nuclear Talks on Different Path to Same Destination

By James Joyner

Efforts to stem progress in the nuclear programs of two members of the erstwhile Axis of Evil are going in decidedly different directions. North Korea has pulled out of the Six-Party talks while negotiations with Iran appear ready to get underway.

Korea

New Atlanticist

Apr 13, 2009

Election Unrest in Moldova: The View from Europe

By Valerie Nichols

Last Wednesday marked the beginning of continued violent protests in Moldova after elections the previous day saw the Communist party retain its power with 50 percent of the vote. However, OSCE gave the elections a more or less positive review. So why a degree of unrest not witnessed since the fall of the Soviet Union?

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Apr 13, 2009

Publicly Funded Energy Research Needed Yesterday

By Boyko Nitzov

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) has been touted as a major step towards a more secure and cleaner energy future. This much is quite true. The question is, is the step big enough to span the void and aren’t we risking being pushed into it before the step could be actually […]

New Atlanticist

Apr 13, 2009

After G-20: Not Quite A New World Order…Yet

By Robert Manning

Now that the dust has settled from the London G20 meeting earlier this month, what did it add up to? The media was not kind to British PM Gordon Brown’s boast that, “I think the New World Order is emerging.”

Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Apr 10, 2009

When Bubbles Burst: Daewoo All Over Again

By Peter Beck

I have been teaching a class called “The Global Marketplace” this semester, but often I begin class by stating, “Welcome back to `The Global Meltdown’ class.” Instead of studying about rising trade and investment and economic integration, we discuss deglobalization and the prospects for a global depression.

New Atlanticist

Apr 10, 2009

AfPak: One Theater, Two Countries

By James Joyner

The Obama administration has brought a new emphasis to its predecessor’s policy of treating the fight against militants in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region as part of single theater. As a joint Atlantic Council appearance of the two ambassadors makes clear, however, it would be wise to remember that they are in fact two countries.

Afghanistan Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Apr 9, 2009

Georgian Protests: A Threat to US-Russia Relations?

By Valerie Nichols

Tbilisi has been overrun by tens of thousands of protestors. An estimated 60,000 people have turned up outside of Georgia’s parliament to rally against President Mikhail Saakashvili, blaming him for the 2008 disastrous conflict with Russia and continuing economic recession, as well as accusing him of stifling democracy.

Russia The Caucasus

New Atlanticist

Apr 9, 2009

Public Relations, North Korean Style

By Patrick deGategno

North Korea’s launch of a Taep’odong-2 prototype intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) over the weekend was a political success for the Kim Jong-Il regime on a series of levels. The North effectively used international law to test its missile technology, the Obama administration, and the resolve of UNSC and the other 5 members of the Six-Party […]

Korea Missile Defense

New Atlanticist

Apr 9, 2009

Central Asia Key to Afghan Success

By Borut Grgic and Alexandros Petersen

As the United States prepares to deploy an additional 17,000 troops to the troubled Afghan theater, Kyrgyzstan to the north vows to close the U.S. air base at Manas, considered vital for continued operations in Afghanistan.

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