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.

Obama Repeating Bush Mistakes in South Asia?

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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New Atlanticist

Mar 13, 2009

Obama Repeating Bush Mistakes in South Asia?

By James Joyner

Juan Cole, a leading historian of the Islamic world and fervent critic of the Bush administration’s policies, tells Harper‘s Scott Collins that he’s not so pleased with the Obama administration’s policies, either.

South Asia United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Mar 13, 2009

Pakistan Protests Bring Fear of Military Coup

By James Joyner

Top diplomats from the United States and the United Kingdom are trying to broker a deal between the government of Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari and chief opposition leader Nawaz Sharif amid fears that a string of protests could result in yet another military takeover.

Pakistan United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Mar 13, 2009

Does De Gaulle Still Matter?

By Jeffrey Lightfoot

Forty-three years after General Charles de Gaulle’s removal of France from NATO’s integrated command structure, Nicolas Sarkozy announced in an important speech that his country will reverse this symbolically important legacy of Gaullist heritage at the upcoming NATO summit.

NATO Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Mar 12, 2009

America Could Learn From Europe on Appointment Process

By James Joyner

H. Rodgin Cohen, “the leading candidate for Deputy Treasury Secretary, has withdrawn from consideration,” ABC News chief Washington correspondent George Stephanoupoulous reports. He adds, “Cohen had risen to the top after the withdrawal last week of expected deputy treasury secretary pick Annette Nazareth.”

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Mar 12, 2009

Don’t Let the Pentagon Implode

By Harlan Ullman

This week the National Defense University and the Atlantic Council jointly hosted a major conference in Washington on the future of the Department of Defense, drawing literary license from President Obama by calling it “Audacity for Change – Transforming How the Pentagon Conducts Its Business.”

New Atlanticist

Mar 12, 2009

A U.S. Backed North-South Corridor

By Alexandros Petersen

It is a pet peeve of many a “Eurasianist” geopolitical analyst that the U.S. State Department groups Central and South Asia together in its organizational structure. There may be historical links across Afghanistan, they argue, but these pale in comparison to the Caspian-Central Asia region’s links to Russia, the West, and even China. Indeed, the […]

New Atlanticist

Mar 12, 2009

Cheney’s Assassination Ring

By James Joyner

Sy Hersh is at it again, this time telling a University of Minnesota audience that Dick Cheney ran a super secret assassination ring. MinnPost‘s Eric Black reports that Hersh said this Tuesday night in a Q&A:

New Atlanticist

Mar 11, 2009

Denmark’s Anders Fogh Rasmussen Next NATO Chief?

By James Joyner

“Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Danish prime minister, appears set to become the new secretary-general of Nato, following a private agreement by the leaders of Britain, France and Germany to back his candidacy,” James Blitz reports for the FT.

NATO Northern Europe

New Atlanticist

Mar 11, 2009

Should Obama Abandon NATO for the EU?

By James Joyner

Paul Hockenos, editor of Internationale Politik-Global Edition, asks “Is the EU Better for Obama than NATO?” His answer, not surprisingly, is Yes.

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Mar 11, 2009

German High School Shooting Kills 15

By James Joyner

A shooting rampage has left at least ten dead and many wounded in at the Albertville Realschule school near Stuttgart, Germany.

Germany

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