The Weekly Leaf
This week, ISIS claimed responsibility for a pair of bombings in Kerman, Iran, the White House announced that Russia is using North Korea-supplied ballistic missiles to attack Ukraine, the U.S. Navy sank three Houthi boats in the Red Sea, and the Supreme Court of Israel struck down the Netanyahu government's judicial reforms.
Read more below.
Upcoming Event
Join us as we celebrate the publication of ASG Co-Chair Joseph S. Nye Jr.’s
new memoir, A Life in the American Century.
This Week's Content Highlights
Features from Aspen Strategy Group Members
John Deutch for The National Interest: "COP28’s Nuclear Energy Promise Is Still a Long Way Off"
Mark T. Esper interviewed by Kaitlan Collins for CNN: "'Putin Had a Bad Week': Ex-Defense Secretary on Latest in Ukraine-Russia Conflict"
Susan Glasser, Stefan Kornelius, and Peter Spiegel interviewed by Ivo Daalder for The Chicago Council on Global Affairs: "Headlines to Watch in 2024"
Michael J. Green for the United States Studies Centre: "Line of Advantage: Japan’s Grand Strategy in the Era of Abe Shinzo"
Kay Bailey Hutchison interviewed by Brian Sullivan for CNBC: "Congress Faces Hectic January: What You Need to Know"
David Ignatius for The Washington Post: "Palestinians Must Be a Part of Any Postwar Gaza Peacekeeping Force"
Nicholas Kristof for The New York Times: "This Was a Terrible Year, and Also Maybe the Best One Yet for Humanity"
Joseph S. Nye Jr. for Project Syndicate: “What Killed U.S.-China Engagement?"
David Petraeus interviewed by Ines Pohl for Deutsche Welle: "Ex-CIA Head Petraeus Weighs Risk of Growing Gaza Conflict"
David Rubenstein interviewed by Tom Fitzgerald for Fox 5 DC: "Examining America's Political Polarization Heading Into 2024"
David Sanger interviewed by Amara Walker for CNN: "Analyst on U.S. Sinking Houthi Boats: 'This Is a Big Step'"
Philip Zelikow and Aaron Stein for War on the Rocks: "The Case for Seizing $300 Billion in Russian State Assets"
Tweet of the Week
Rising Leaders in the News
"The upcoming six months will be intense, it will be dynamic, and it will be exciting. And I would encourage the two leading candidates to not forget to visit Washington because Washington is key to the bilateral relationship."
Alma Caballero ('22) and Ryan C. Berg for the 35 West podcast: "El Rumbo Democrático: On the Campaign Trail in Mexico"
Things to Know
Content Relevant to Aspen Security Forum Discussions
Rana Ayyub for The Washington Post: "In Modi’s India, Gandhi has Become Irrelevant"
Vanessa Buschschlüter for the BBC: "Court Deals Blow to Argentine Leader Milei's Plan for Labour Reform"
Jen Easterly, Scott Schwab, and Cait Conley for Foreign Affairs: "Artificial Intelligence’s Threat to Democracy"
Francis Fukuyama for American Purpose: "The State of Global Democracy in 2024"
Tia Goldenberg for the AP: "Israel’s Supreme Court Delays Activation of Law That Makes It Harder to Remove Netanyahu from Office"
Rishi Iyengar for Foreign Policy: "What AI Will Do to Elections"
Stephen Kalin and Aresu Eqbali for The Wall Street Journal: "Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Deadly Bomb Attack at Soleimani Memorial"
Alejandro Mayorkas interviewed by Amna Nawaz for PBS NewsHour: "Mayorkas on Immigration System Strains, Border Negotiations"
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy for USA Today: "'Concerning Escalation': Russia Used North Korean Ballistic Missiles Against Ukraine"
Felicia Schwartz for the Financial Times: "Houthi Rebels Defy U.S. Warning With New Red Sea Explosion"
Edward Wong, Julian E. Barnes, Muyi Xiao, and Chris Buckley for The New York Times: "Chinese Spy Agency Rising to Challenge the C.I.A."
Josh Xiao and Cindy Wang for Bloomberg: "Taiwan Spots Four Chinese Balloons Over Island as Poll Nears"
From the Archives
Revisit our conversation with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai from the 2023 Aspen Security Forum: DC Edition.
Katherine Tai, 19th U.S. Trade Representative
Moderator: David Westin, Wall Street Week Anchor, Bloomberg
Book of the Week
By Joseph S. Nye Jr.
"For the past eight decades, we have lived in 'the American Century' – a period during which the U.S. has enjoyed unrivalled power – be it political, economic, or military - on the global stage. Born on the cusp of this new era, Joseph S. Nye Jr. has spent a lifetime illuminating our understanding of the changing contours of American power and world affairs. His many books on the nature of power and political leadership have rightly earned him his reputation as one of the most influential international relations scholars in the world today.
In this deeply personal book, Joseph Nye shares his own journey living through the American century. This memoir begins during his early years growing up on a farm in rural New Jersey and continues through his time in the State Department, Pentagon, and Intelligence Community during the Carter and Clinton administrations where he witnessed American power up close, shaping policy on key issues such as nuclear proliferation and East Asian security. After 9/11 drew the U.S. into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Nye remained an astute observer and critic of the Bush, Obama, and Trump presidencies. Today American primacy may be changing, but he concludes with a faint ray of guarded optimism about the future of his country in a richer but riskier world."
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