The Weekly Leaf
This week, Mexico elected Claudia Sheinbaum as its first female president, President Joe Biden traveled to France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Allied forces' D-Day landing in Normandy, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a third term in office but without an outright majority.
Read more below.
2024 Aspen Security Forum
Join us for the 2024 Aspen Security Forum! Our flagship Forum will feature an array of decision-makers and thought leaders from Washington, DC and around the world. Learn more about how to register for the livestream or request to attend here.
This Week's Content Highlights
Features from Aspen Strategy Group Members
Joseph Nye for Project Syndicate: “Old and New Lessons From the Ukraine War”
Anja Manuel, Jared Dunnmon, David Lobell, Nathaniel Persily, and moderator Francis Fukuyama at the Freeman Spogli Institute: “Weighing AI’s Impact on the Global Order and Security”
Chris Coons interviewed by Martha MacCallum for Fox News: “President Biden Is Sharp and Engaged”
Susan Glasser interviewed by Robert Costa for CBS News: “Ukraine War Looms Over Biden’s D-Day Trip to France”
Kay Bailey Hutchison interviewed by Kailey Lenz and Joe Mathieu for Bloomberg
David Ignatius for The Washington Post: “The Pentagon Is Learning How to Change at the Speed of War”
Nicholas Kristof for The New York Times: “How to Think Through the Moral Tangle in Gaza”
David E. Sanger and Farnaz Fassihi for The New York Times: “U.N. Nuclear Watchdog Censures Iran and Demands Access for Inspectors”
Frances Townsend, Joseph Dunford, and Michael Morell for RealClearDefense: “First Principles for Ensuring American AI Leadership”
Tweet of the Week
Rising Leaders Program Highlights
Features from ASG Rising Leaders
“Sometimes people hear the phrase 'existential risk' and they just think Skynet, and robots shooting humans. There's a lot of other ways that AI could really take things in a bad direction, and we do ourselves a disservice by locking in these very specific stories."
Helen Toner (‘21) quoted by Scott Rosenberg for Axios: “Skynet Isn’t the Only AI Nightmare”
Things to Know
Content Relevant to Aspen Security Forum Discussions
Sopheng Cheang for AP: “U.S. Defense Secretary Meets Cambodian Officials to Push for Stronger Ties With Chinese Ally”
Sadanand Dhume for The Wall Street Journal: “India’s Election Humbles Narendra Modi”
Laura Gozzi for BBC News: “Europe’s Centre Left Struggles to Hold Back Surge From the Right”
Robbie Gramer for Foreign Policy: “‘Somalia on Steroids’: Sudan Conflict Escalates”
Matthew Kaminski for POLITICO: “‘The Most Important National Security Issue Facing America, With the Least Amount of Attention’”
John Milewski interviewed Lila Abed for the Need to Know podcast: "Historic Election in Mexico: A Landslide Victory for Claudia Sheinbaum"
Charles Mok for The Diplomat: “The Other Half of ‘Chip 4’: Japan and South Korea’s Different Paths to De-Risking”
Samia Nakhoul and Guy Faulconbridge for Reuters: “Putin Says Russia Could Deploy Missiles in Striking Distance of the West”
Righttowarn.ai: “A Right to Warn about Advanced Artificial Intelligence”
Rob Rose for the Financial Times: “South Africa’s ANC Seeks ‘Government of National Unity’”
Mike Schwartz and Nadeen Ebrahim for CNN: “Tensions Ramp up on Israel-Lebanon Border as IDF Warns Decision Is Approaching on Fresh Offensive”
Andrea Shalal for Reuters: "Allies Make Progress on Using Russian Assets for Ukraine, U.S. Official Says"
Yan Zhuang for The New York Times: “China Lands Spacecraft on Far Side of the Moon”
Featured Video
Bertelsmann Foundation
The European Parliament Election will take place from June 6-9. This animation highlights the importance of this election for the U.S. and how the outcomes of it will shape the future of the transatlantic relationship.
Created by Sara Leming with the Bertelsmann Foundation in collaboration with the European Parliament Liaison Office in Washington, DC.
Featured Opportunity
Pardee RAND Graduate School
RAND's Master of National Security Policy, taught by RAND experts, is designed to enhance your skills and prepare you to contribute effectively at a senior level, apply tools and analytic frameworks, and understand the complex field of national security policy. Learn more about the program, upcoming information sessions, and how to apply here.
Book of the Week
by Robert D. Blackwill and Richard Fontaine
"Across the political spectrum, there is wide agreement that Asia should stand at the center of US foreign policy. But this worldview, first represented in the Obama Administration's 2011 ‘Pivot to Asia,’ marks a dramatic departure from the entire history of American grand strategy. More than a decade on, we now have the perspective to evaluate it in depth. In Lost Decade, Robert Blackwill and Richard Fontaine―two eminent figures in American foreign policy―take this long view. They conclude that while the Pivot's strategic logic is strong, there are few successes to speak of, and that we need a far more coherent approach to the Indo-Pacific region. They examine the Pivot through various lenses: situating it historically in the context of America's global foreign policy, revealing the inside story of how it came about, assessing the effort thus far, identifying the ramifications in other regions (namely Europe and the Middle East), and proposing a path forward."
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As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Aspen Institute is nonpartisan and does not endorse, support, or oppose political candidates or parties. Further, the views and opinions of our guests and speakers do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.