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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New Atlanticist

Feb 25, 2009

Taliban: What’s in a Name?

By Steve Hynd

Two years into the Iraq war, moderately well read Westerners already knew that the insurgency there wasn’t monolithic. Honest reporting repeatedly made clear that Al Qaeda, Sunni militant groups of various varieties and Sadrists didn’t see eye to eye and often worked at cross purposes even while all were hostile to America and its allies.

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Feb 25, 2009

Pakistan Opposition Leader Barred from Office

By James Joyner

Pakistan’s supreme court today banned the most popular opposition candidate from running for office, raising further concerns about the long-term viability of the country’s ostensibly democratic government as a partner.

Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Feb 24, 2009

Afghanistan and Pakistan Proclaim ‘New Environment’

By James Joyner

The foreign ministers of Afghanistan and Pakistan have just declared a “new environment” of trust between their two countries, Paul Eckert reports for Reuters.

Afghanistan Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Feb 24, 2009

Murdoch: Nations Will Be Redefined

By James Joyner

Matt Drudge has the banner headline “MURDOCH WARNS NATIONS WILL BE REDEFINED” above a story that begins: Media baron Rupert Murdoch issued an urgent internal communication late Monday, warning his staff: “We are in the midst of a phase of history in which nations will be redefined and their futures fundamentally altered.”

New Atlanticist

Feb 24, 2009

Party Leader Speaks Kurdish in Turkey Parliament, Breaks Law

By James Joyner

Democratic Society Party leader Ahmet Turk violated Turkey’s constitution today by addressing the parliament in his native Kurdish tongue.

Turkey

New Atlanticist

Feb 24, 2009

Trust Deficit Undermines U.S.-Pakistan-Afghanistan Cooperation

By James Joyner

Over the next three days, a high level delegation of U.S., Afghan, and Pakistani officials will meet to “seriously deal with the hard issues: how do the Afghans want to deal with [the insurgent activity on] their border, how to do this better, how to undermine those insurgents that run across their territory,” Laura Rozen […]

New Atlanticist

Feb 24, 2009

Georgian Armed Forces Moving Forward

By David Smith

Last week, the Georgian Defense Ministry unequivocally signaled that it is moving forward by publishing its plan for 2009. The MoD—civilian and military—is building upon its achievements, studying the lessons of the August 2008 war and moving forward to defend Georgia at home and in international security operations.

The Caucasus

New Atlanticist

Feb 23, 2009

Pakistan-India Kashmir Talks Revealed

By Peter Cassata

Indian and Pakistani officials engaged in secret talks from 2004 to 2007 that almost resulted in a deal over Kashmir, according to New Yorker journalist Steve Coll. The talks fizzled out in 2007 and have since been set back even further.

New Atlanticist

Feb 23, 2009

A Hint of “Afghanistanization”?

By Don Snow

The policy of the Obama administration toward Afghanistan is clearly a work in progress. On one hand, the president campaigned on the notion that the United States had “dropped the ball” on Afghanistan by going into Iraq, suggesting at least indirectly that he would pick the ball back up and turn his attention toward Afghanistan. […]

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Feb 22, 2009

The Military the Country Needs

By Derek Reveron

In response to a soldier’s question in 2004 about lacking the appropriate training and equipment for counterinsurgency in Iraq, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld quipped, “you go to war with the army you have.”

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