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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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.

New Atlanticist

Feb 2, 2009

The United States is Still Sticky

By Derek Reveron

One consistent theme at the World Economic Forum in Davos was blaming the United States and calling for a new global economic order that doesn’t speak with an American accent. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said, “The current crisis has fully exposed the deficiencies in the international financial system and its governance structures. Developing countries should […]

New Atlanticist

Feb 2, 2009

Preparing for the NATO Summit: From Allies to Partners

By Sven Biscop

At NATO’s 60th anniversary Summit in April the tasking will be given to draft a new strategic concept, which will undoubtedly provoke an intense and none too easy debate about the future of the Alliance. When undertaking this exercise, it is important to realize that the context in which NATO operates has changed fundamentally. Accordingly, […]

New Atlanticist

Feb 1, 2009

Davos Provides No Answers

By James Joyner

The annual economic summit in Davos did not come up with a magic bullet to solve the world’s financial woes, Edith Lederer reports for AP. Mired in indecision and uncertainty, the world’s foremost gathering of the best and brightest in government and business failed to come up with any new plan to stem, much less […]

New Atlanticist

Jan 31, 2009

Spain Opens ‘Universal Justice’ Can of Worms

By James Joyner

Who has jurisdiction over alledged war crimes? A growing number of countries believe they do, Paul Haven reports for AP. A Spanish judge’s decision to investigate seven Israeli officials over a deadly 2002 attack against Hamas that had nothing to do with Spain has renewed a debate about the long arm of European justice.

New Atlanticist

Jan 30, 2009

Nabucco Summit Exposes Differences

By Peter Cassata

This week’s Nabucco summit in Budapest brought little resolution to the problems that have plagued the proposed pipeline since its conception in 2002. The project to bring Caspian Sea energy directly to Europe has been lackluster in attracting financing and has suffered from political disagreements between the countries involved. Although some EU funds were offered […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Jan 30, 2009

Obama’s Team of Rivals Gets More Interesting

By James Joyner

Samantha Power, Obama foreign policy advisor who was forced to resign after calling Hillary Clinton a “monster” during the heat of the Democratic nomination battle, will be working closely with Clinton, AP reports.

New Atlanticist

Jan 30, 2009

Turkey’s Erdogan Storms Out of Davos

By James Joyner

A bizarre incident at Davos yesterday, as reported by Katrin Bennhold for NYT: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey walked off the stage after an angry exchange with the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, during a panel discussion on Gaza at the World Economic Forum on Thursday, vowing never to return to the annual gathering.

Turkey

New Atlanticist

Jan 29, 2009

French Strike For Economic Stimulus

By James Joyner

As governments on both sides of the Atlantic scramble to cope with a global financial crisis most observers are calling the greatest since the Great Depression, the French citizenry seems to be losing patience. Hundreds of thousands of angry and fearful French workers mounted nationwide strikes and protests Thursday to demand President Nicolas Sarkozy do […]

France

New Atlanticist

Jan 29, 2009

Korea after Kim Coming Soon?

By Peter Cassata

Last week, Kim Jong-il met with a foreign representative, CCP International Department head Wang Jiarui, for the first time since what many intelligence reports believe was a stroke in August. He “warmly accepted” an invitation from Hu Jintao to visit China and even hinted at working with Obama over nuclear issues. However, the North Korean […]

Korea

New Atlanticist

Jan 29, 2009

Arctic Thaw Brings NATO Security Risks

By James Joyner

NATO leaders said yesterday that an Arctic thaw will create new security concerns for the Alliance — and they don’t mean “security” in a postmodern sense in which any concern is labeled one of security to help argue for increased funding.

NATO Security & Defense

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