The Weekly Leaf
This week, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Keith Kellogg and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Kyiv following talks between U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, the foreign ministers of the G20 met in Johannesburg, and M23 rebels captured Bukavu in eastern DR Congo.
Read more below.
ASG Rising Leaders Class of 2025
We are thrilled to introduce the ASG Rising Leaders Class of 2025!
Over the course of this year-long program, the class will contribute to the conversation on critical national security and foreign policy issues while honing their leadership skills. Read more about this year’s cohort here.
This Week's Content Highlights
Features from Aspen Strategy Group Members
Nicholas Burns was announced as incoming Vice Chair of The Cohen Group
Condoleezza Rice interviewed by Martha MacCallum for Fox News: “‘We Have To Win’ AI Race, Says Condoleezza Rice”
Anja Manuel quoted by James Politi, Felicia Schwartz, and Steff Chávez for the Financial Times: “What’s Really Behind Trump’s Abrupt Pivot to Russia?”
Anja Manuel, Dominique De Villepin, Ng Eng Hen, and Valdis Dombrovskis interviewed by Francine Lacqua for Bloomberg The Pulse: “Trump, Putin Ukraine Talks, U.S. Tariffs Loom Over Munich Security Conference”
Chris Coons interviewed by Scott Pelley for CBS News: “With the Dismantling of USAID, Is the Trump Administration Defying the Constitution?”
Susan B. Glasser for The New Yorker: “Trump’s Putinization of America”
Michael J. Green interviewed Tarun Chhabra for the Asia Chessboard podcast: “Technology Competition: The New Great Game”
David Ignatius for The Washington Post: “A Trump Outrage That Stands Apart”
Nicholas Kristof for The New York Times: “With Trump’s Prostration to Putin, Expect a More Dangerous World”
David Petraeus interviewed by Suzanne Kelly for The Cipher Brief: “Dispatches from Munich”
Jack Reed quoted by Caitlyn Burchett for Stars and Stripes: “Some Lawmakers Decry Push for Sweeping Cuts to DOD Budget, Others See Opportunity to Reallocate Funds”
Susan E. Rice interviewed by Jennifer Rubin for The Contrarian: “Amb. Susan Rice and Jen Rubin on Trump's Wrecking-Ball Impact on International Relations”
David E. Sanger and Steven Erlanger for The New York Times: “Trump Team Leaves Behind an Alliance in Crisis”
Dan Sullivan mentioned by Gloria Oladipo for The Guardian: “‘In Alaska, It’s Denali’: Senators Move to Counter Trump’s Mountain Name Order”
Lawrence Summers contributed to Harvard Kennedy School commentary: “Analyzing DOGE Actions One Month Into Trump’s Second Administration”
Tweet of the Week
Things to Know
Content Relevant to Aspen Security Forum Discussions
The Economist: “Rwanda Tightens Its Grip Over Eastern Congo”
Lizzi C. Lee for Foreign Policy: “Jack Ma Is Back, but Beijing Is in Control”
Lee Si-jin for The Korea Herald: “Yoon Denies Insurrection, Seeks Release as Trial Opens”
Daniel Michaels, Nancy A. Youssef, and Alexander Ward for The Wall Street Journal: “Trump’s Turn to Russia Spooks U.S. Allies Who Fear a Weakened NATO”
Victoria O’Regan for The Daily Maverick: “Foreign Ministers Descend on Joburg to Deliberate Geopolitical Tensions as Trump Upturns Global Order”
Tom Phillips and Tiago Rogero for The Guardian: “Jair Bolsonaro Charged Over Alleged Far-Right Coup Plot to Seize Power in Brazil”
Maroš Šefčovič and moderator Stan Veuger at the American Enterprise Institute: “EU-U.S. Cooperation on Trade and Economic Security: A Conversation with Maroš Šefčovič”
Demetri Sevastopulo and Nic Fildes for the Financial Times: “Chinese Warships Sail Within 150 Nautical Miles of Sydney”
David L. Stern and Ellen Francis for The Washington Post: “Amid War of Words, Trump Envoy Meets Ukraine’s Zelensky”
Patrick Tucker for Defense One: “Microsoft-DARPA Collaboration Yields Possible Quantum Chip Breakthrough”
Glen VanHerck and Pete Fesler for The National Interest: “‘Iron Dome’ for America: A Fresh Look at Homeland Defense”
Vivian Yee and Ismaeel Naar for The New York Times: “Thanks to Trump, Saudi Arabia Gets a Big Week in International Diplomacy”
From the Archives
Revisit our conversations with U.S. congressional leaders from the
Michael McCaul, then Chairman, House Committee on Homeland Security (currently Chairman Emeritus)
Stephanie Murphy, then U.S. Representative for Florida's 7th Congressional District
Adam Schiff, then Ranking Member, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (currently U.S. Senator for California)
Mac Thornberry, then Chairman, House Armed Services Committee
Moderator: Ryan Lizza, then Washington Correspondent, The New Yorker
Book of the Week
Edited by Andrew Yeo and Isaac Kardon
“What challenges and risks do Chinese and Russian bases pose to the United States’ military strategy? How do the military postures of great powers interact and with what consequences for regional and global security? This book examines the emerging dynamics of geostrategic competition for overseas military bases and base access. The comparative framework adopted in this volume examines how the geopolitical interests of the United States, China, and Russia and their respective underlying force posture interact in different regions including the Indo-Pacific, Europe, sub-Sahara Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, and the Arctic Circle. By exploring the security, political economic, and domestic political dynamics of specific regions, the contributors to this volume reveal varied motivations for overseas military bases and base access among great powers. With analysis on the particular dynamics of overseas bases in major regional theaters, the book offers a valuable window into the nature and scope of the broader ‘great power competition’ underway in the twenty-first century.”
Podcast of the Week
Oriana Skylar Mastro joins Michael McFaul on the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University's World Class podcast: “Understanding China’s ‘Upstart’ Strategy”
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