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.

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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.”

New Atlanticist

Feb 22, 2009

Europe Agrees to Tighten Regulations, Double IMF Funding

By James Joyner

The leaders of Europe’s key economies agreed this morning to stronger regulation for the financial markets and to double the investment in the International Monetary Fund ahead of the G20 summit.

Economy & Business European Union

New Atlanticist

Feb 21, 2009

Balkan Squabbles Threaten NATO Expansion

By Borut Grgic

Normally one would think Afghanistan, out-of-area deployment, mobility and interoperability when discussing the problems facing NATO in the 21st Century. Well, the latest problem creeping up on the NATO plate is Slovenia-Croatia bilateral relations.

NATO NATO Partnerships

New Atlanticist

Feb 20, 2009

EU President Vaclav Klaus Condemns EU

By James Joyner

In a truly bizarre display, Czech President Vaclav Klaus, who holds the rotating EU presidency, yesterday compared the institution to the Soviet Union. Constant Brand for AP:

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Feb 20, 2009

German Papers Rebel Against Afghanistan Pressure

By James Joyner

Charles Hawley, in a Der Spiegel editorial titled “Afghanistan Hasn’t Yet Become NATO’s Vietnam,” argues that “it is time for an honest reassessment of the mission.”

Afghanistan Germany

New Atlanticist

Feb 20, 2009

Kim Jong-il’s Successor Named

By Peter Cassata

Kim Jong-un, the 25-year-old youngest son of dictator Kim Jong-il, is the likely heir to North Korea’s police state, according to reports emerging from the Korean peninsula.

Korea

New Atlanticist

Feb 19, 2009

NATO-Russia War: A Scenario

By Andreas Umland

A regularly employed analyst runs a certain risk when publicly speaking about the possibility of a destruction of humanity, in the foreseeable future. “Professional myopia” or “immaturity in judgment” may be among the less denigrating – “unprofessional hysteria” or “irresponsible conduct” the more damning – reactions by colleagues. One workplace-friend recently advised me to delete […]

NATO Russia

New Atlanticist

Feb 19, 2009

NATO Meeting Brings Afghanistan Pressure

By James Joyner

As widely foreshadowed, the United States used the occasion of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Warsaw to call on its European allies to contribute more troops and resources to the Afghanistan mission and, to the surprise of no one who’s been paying attention, they refused.

Afghanistan NATO

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