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.

Islamic Banks Surge, Thanks to Financial Crisis

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

Dec 24, 2008

Islamic Banks Surge, Thanks to Financial Crisis

By James Joyner

One unexpected byproduct of the global financial crisis has been a boom for Islamic banks. AP business writer Emma Vandore explains: France is becoming the latest country to woo Islamic banks, which avoided much of the damage from the subprime mortgage crisis by following strict principles laid out in the Quran — as the global […]

New Atlanticist

Dec 24, 2008

Europe May Take Guantanamo Detainees

By James Joyner

After years of denying requests from the Bush administration, Europe may be ready to help President-elect Obama solve the Gitmo problem. When the U.S. government asked years ago that countries take in detainees freed from the Guantanamo military prison, only tiny Albania answered the call.

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Dec 24, 2008

Russia May Cut Off Gas to Ukraine, Europe

By James Joyner

Moscow and Kiev are once again on a collision course over gas supplies. WaPo: Russia and Ukraine appear to be heading for a new collision over natural gas that could disrupt supplies to Europe this winter, with Russia threatening to stop selling the fuel to Ukraine on Jan. 1 if it does not repay more […]

Energy & Environment Russia

New Atlanticist

Dec 23, 2008

U.S. Will Fund Militias in Afghanistan

By Peter Cassata

Echoing similar measures used in Iraq, the U.S. will begin funding militias in remote areas of Afghanistan to help fight the Taliban.

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Dec 23, 2008

Paris Mayor Doesn’t Write Letter, NYT Publishes Anyway

By James Joyner

The New York Times yesterday published a letter by Bertrand Delanoë, the mayor of Paris, assailing Caroline Kennedy’s status as apparent frontrunner for the Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton. The author termed it “surprising and not very democratic, to say the least.”

New Atlanticist

Dec 23, 2008

India-Pakistan Walking Line Between War and Peace

By James Joyner

India is playing it close to the vest with information on last month’s deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Interpol secretary general Ronald Nobel says that his agency has been kept out of the loop, BBC reports.

India

New Atlanticist

Dec 22, 2008

Surge Strategy in Afghanistan

By Peter Cassata

Hopes are high that a new Afghanistan strategy and 30,000 extra U.S. troops will prove to be a turning point in the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, much as similar measures changed the nature of the counterinsurgency in Iraq.

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Dec 22, 2008

OSCE Mission in Georgia Closing

By James Joyner

The OSCE’s mission in Georgia, which opened in 1992, is coming to a close. Veronika Oleksyn for AP: OSCE chair Finland called a meeting Monday morning to seek a three-month extension to the mandate, which expires on Dec. 31, to allow time for more negotiations on the mission’s future. It had been the topic of […]

Russia The Caucasus

New Atlanticist

Dec 22, 2008

We’re Winning in Africa but the Game’s Not Over

By Lynn Roche

President Bush’s efforts in Africa have undeniably produced accomplishments that have affected millions throughout the continent and we should be optimistic for the future. But we’ve still got much work to do — and much to learn.

Africa

New Atlanticist

Dec 22, 2008

Rethinking NATO’s Strategic Concept

By David Capezza

When members of a strained Alliance convene in Strasbourg, France and Kehl, Germany for the 60th Anniversary of NATO it will have been a decade since they last agreed upon a strategic vision for the alliance.

NATO Security & Defense

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