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.

Will eleventh-hour diplomacy get Sweden into NATO by the Vilnius summit?

New Atlanticist Mar 6, 2025

How European leaders are responding to Trump’s approach to Ukraine and Europe

From London and Berlin to Paris and Brussels, European leaders have taken several notable steps this week on security. This follows the blow-up between the Ukrainian and US presidents on February 28.

New Atlanticist Feb 26, 2025

Why the US should not lift sanctions against Russia

By Charles Lichfield

Sanctions are having an unmistakable effect, albeit below the inflated expectations of many in the West in early 2022. Lifting them now would be a mistake.

Conflict Economic Sanctions

New Atlanticist Mar 5, 2025

The Egyptian plan for postwar Gaza is a good starting point—but it needs changes

By Thomas S. Warrick

While many obstacles remain, the Egyptian proposal could form the starting point for negotiations over a workable plan for postwar Gaza.

Conflict Crisis Management

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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.

Markup

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

New Atlanticist

Jul 7, 2023

Will eleventh-hour diplomacy get Sweden into NATO by the Vilnius summit?

By Anna Wieslander and Eric Adamson

At stake in Vilnius is not only the security of Sweden and the Alliance as a whole, but NATO’s open-door credibility.

Europe & Eurasia National Security

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi visits Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant during a recent inspection, June 15, 2023. (Source: IAEA via ABACAPRESS.COM and Reuters Connect)

New Atlanticist

Jul 7, 2023

Russian War Report: Russian conspiracy alleges false flag at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Allegations of a supposedly US and Ukraine-planned false flag operation on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant spread across social media ahead of the NATO Summit.

Conflict Disinformation

New Atlanticist

Jul 7, 2023

The view from Vilnius: NATO needs speed and scale to ensure deterrence

By Giedrimas Jeglinskas

The real test of the July 11-12 NATO Summit will be whether leaders take the opportunity to increase the Alliance's deterrence.

Conflict Eastern Europe

New Atlanticist

Jul 7, 2023

Does Taiwan’s massive reliance on energy imports put its security at risk?

By Joseph Webster

Taipei relies on maritime imports for around 97 percent of its energy, even as Beijing appears increasingly capable of launching a quarantine, blockade, siege, or even invasion of the island.

China Conflict

A truck of the Mexican company Olympics bearing Mexican and U.S. flags approaches the border crossing into the U.S., in Laredo October 21, 2011. The Mexican transport truck carrying a ten-foot drill on Friday crossed into the United States and punitive tariffs were suspended as the two nations fulfilled a promise to resolve a longstanding trade dispute.

New Atlanticist

Jul 6, 2023

A midterm report card for Mexico’s USMCA progress

By Luz María de la Mora

With three years to go before the USMCA's review, here are the major challenges Mexico must face to maximize its benefits from the trade deal.

Americas Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Jul 6, 2023

Ukraine needs NATO membership, not an ‘Israel model’

By Ian Brzezinski

Granting NATO membership to Ukraine is critical to ensuring it wins the war against Russia quickly and decisively.

Israel NATO

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government, via video link at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia July 4, 2023.

New Atlanticist

Jul 6, 2023

Four scenarios for Russia’s future after the Wagner Group mutiny

By Jeffrey Cimmino

What will be the long-term aftermath of Russia's Wagner mutiny? Here are four possible paths for Russia's future the West should consider.

Belarus Crisis Management

New Atlanticist

Jul 5, 2023

Here’s the ‘concrete’ path for Ukraine to join NATO

By Franklin D. Kramer, Hans Binnendijk, Christopher Skaluba

The upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius should establish a High Level Group to design a roadmap for Ukraine’s fast-track membership.

Conflict Crisis Management

USAID Administrator Samantha Power speaks at an Atlantic Council Front Page event on June 28, 2023.

New Atlanticist

Jun 30, 2023

Samantha Power on the status of LGBTQI+ rights globally, from Uganda to Ukraine

By Daniel Hojnacki

The USAID administrator addressed the challenges facing global LGBTQI+ human rights and the need for inclusive reconstruction in Ukraine.

Human Rights Resilience & Society

New Atlanticist

Jun 30, 2023

Success is not just showing up. Blinken’s Caribbean trip needs to deliver.

By Wazim Mowla

The US secretary of state heads to Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, building on recent Biden administration outreach to the region. But if he arrives with little to announce, frustration is likely to brew.

Americas Caribbean

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