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

Stay updated

Explore our unique analysis

Fast Thinking

When major global news breaks, the Atlantic Council’s experts have you covered—delivering their sharpest rapid insight and forward-looking analysis direct to your inbox.

Experts React

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.

Markup

Our experts decipher and annotate major speeches and policy documents to break down big ideas and lay them out in plain language.

Content

New Atlanticist

Jan 23, 2009

Russia Offers Afghanistan Cooperation

By James Joyner

Like many other countries, Russia is seizing on a new administration in Washington in an effort to redefine its relationship with the United States. Denis Dyomkin for Reuters: Russia welcomes U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision to review policy in Afghanistan and is ready to cooperate, including on supply routes for NATO forces, Russian President Dmitry […]

Afghanistan Russia

New Atlanticist

Jan 23, 2009

Ceasefire with al Qaeda?

By James Joyner

Marc Lynch passes on word that “Mohammed Essam Derbala, one of the leaders of the Egyptian al-Gama’a al-Islamiya, [Thursday] called on Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda to declare a unilateral four month ceasefire [hudna] with the United States to test Barack Obama’s pledges to establish a new relationship with the Islamic world and to close […]

New Atlanticist

Jan 22, 2009

Europe Lauds Secret Prison Shutdown

By James Joyner

President Obama’s order to “shut secret CIA-run prisons abroad brought renewed calls for their locations to be disclosed as well a fresh denial from Poland, one of two eastern European countries most closely linked to the practice,” Shawn Pogatchnik and Frank Jordans report for AP

Poland

New Atlanticist

Jan 22, 2009

The View from Europe: Afghanistan Troop Increases Unlikely

By Peter Cassata

“We can do better,” NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said of the alliance’s Afghanistan mission in Sunday’s WaPo. Indeed, President Obama has made Afghanistan a top priority, and in addition to deploying more U.S. troops there, he is also expected to ask for greater European troop contributions. Yet, recent opinion polls and statements […]

Afghanistan European Union

New Atlanticist

Jan 22, 2009

America and the World After Bush: Economics and Globalization

By James Joyner

On Barack Obama’s second day in office, the Bush administration is fast fading into memory. As accidental tax evader Timothy Geithner prepares to take over at Treasury in an administration where transparency and the rule of law will be touchstones, it’s an excellent time to begin looking at the global economy.

New Atlanticist

Jan 22, 2009

Chirac Mauled by Clinically Depressed Poodle

By James Joyner

Now, here’s a headline you don’t see every day: “Former French President Chirac hospitalised after mauling by his clinically depressed poodle” (Daily Mail).

New Atlanticist

Jan 22, 2009

Happy Days are Here Again? Or Auld Lang Syne?

By Nikolas Gvosdev

Over at Foreign Policy’s new blog, Dov Zakheim, Vance Serchuk and Christian Brose have been discussing the future of NATO, the Afghan mission and the place of Europe in America’s national security thinking.

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Jan 22, 2009

President Obama to Close Guantanamo Within Year

By James Joyner

President Barack Obama is expected to begin to fulfill his campaign pledge to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, AP‘s Philip Elliot reports. A senior Obama administration official said the president would sign an order Thursday to shutter the Guantanamo prison within one year.

New Atlanticist

Jan 21, 2009

America and the World After Bush: Diplomacy and Security

By James Joyner

Barack Obama has been president for more than 24 hours now. America is once again beloved by one and all. Hubris and overreach are things of the past, as the inmates of Gitmo have been freed and the troops are all home from Iraq, participating in rebuilding the infrastructure at home. Or, certainly, change is […]

New Atlanticist

Jan 21, 2009

Atlantic Update: EU Economies Struggling

By Peter Cassata

With news understandably focused on the inauguration this weekend, I’ve compiled a roundup of recent transatlantic economic developments that may have been overlooked.

European Union International Organizations

Share

Issue briefs and reports