The Weekly Leaf
This week, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of China Admiral Dong Jun met in Singapore at the Shangri-La Dialogue, former President Donald Trump was found guilty by a New York jury on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, and President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use American-made weapons for limited strikes inside Russia.
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.
Aspen Strategy Group Programming
The ASG was pleased to host Executive Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China Ma Zhaoxu and his delegation in Washington, DC for a roundtable discussion on U.S.-China relations. The wide-ranging conversation covered a number of areas of concern including the war in Ukraine, disputes in the South China Sea, and overcapacity; as well as areas for further cooperation including military-to-military communications, increased people-to-people exchanges, and public health.
We are grateful to EVFM Ma Zhaoxu, Ambassador Xie Feng, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC for the opportunity and we look forward to our continued dialogues.
This Week's Content Highlights
Features from Aspen Strategy Group Members
Condoleezza Rice, Jonathan Kanter, Karen Croxson, Elham Tabassi, et al. for a workshop co-hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice and Stanford University: “Promoting Competition in AI”
Anja Manuel, Jared Dunnmon, David Lobell, Nathaniel Persily, and moderator Francis Fukuyama at the Freeman Spogli Institute: “The Impact of AI on the Global Order”
Robert Blackwill and Richard Fontaine interviewed by Gerry Baker for the Free Expression podcast: “How the U.S. Failed to Meet the China Challenge”
Chris Coons for The Hill: “A Close Relationship With Kenya Is Essential to Our Country’s Success”
Michael Froman and Penny Pritzker at the Council on Foreign Relations: “Ukraine’s Economic Recovery”
Robert Gates interviewed by Margaret Brennan for CBS
Michael J. Green and Jude Blanchette interview Julie Chung for The Asia Chessboard podcast: “How Sri Lanka Navigates Great Power Competition”
Jane Harman for The Hill: “Allied Troops Had Air Cover to Win on D-Day. Ukrainian Troops Need It Too”
David Ignatius for The Washington Post: “Russian Gains Push White House to Revisit Some Red Lines”
David E. Sanger and Edward Wong for The New York Times: “Under Pressure, Biden Allows Ukraine to Use U.S. Weapons to Strike Inside Russia”
Dan Sullivan and Tammy Duckworth led a bipartisan congressional delegation to Taiwan with Chris Coons and Laphonza Butler
Tweet of the Week
Rising Leaders Program Highlights
Features from ASG Rising Leaders
Cedric Habiyaremye's ('24) company QuinoaHub was recognized as a Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) champion by the U.S. Department of State's Office of Global Food Security
Kelly Piazza ('23) and Max Lasco for Global Americans: "China's Role in Democratic Backsliding in Latin America: Mechanisms and Policy Recommendations"
Things to Know
Content Relevant to Aspen Security Forum Discussions
Aya Batrawy, Kat Lonsdorf, and James Hider for NPR: “Israel Pushes Deeper Into Rafah After Deadly Strike at Camp for Displaced Gazans”
Stephen Collinson for CNN: "Trump Conviction Heralds a Somber and Volatile Moment in American History"
Rush Doshi; Jessica Chen Weiss and James B. Steinberg; Paul Heer; Matt Pottinger and Mike Gallagher for Foreign Affairs: “What Does America Want From China?”
Regina Garcia Cano for AP: “Venezuela Revokes Invitation for European Union Mission to Observe Presidential Election in July”
Robbie Gramer for Foreign Policy: “Why Is the World Ignoring a Looming Genocide in Sudan?”
Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz for the Financial Times: “We Must Strengthen European Sovereignty”
Mogomotsi Magome and Gerald Imray for AP: "South Africa Heads for 'Coalition Country' as Partial Election Results Put Ruling ANC Well Below 50%"
Cade Metz for The New York Times: "OpenAI Says Russia and China Used Its A.I. in Covert Campaigns"
David Pilling, Chloe Cornish, and Andres Schipani for the Financial Times: “The UAE’s Rising Influence in Africa”
Reuters: “South Korea, China, Japan Joint Declaration After First Summit in Four Years”
Christian Shepherd, Abigail Hauslohner, and Rebecca Tan for The Washington Post: "Amid Tension, U.S. and China Defense Chiefs Hold First Meeting in Two Years"
From the Archives
Revisit our conversation on China, Russia, and misinformation from the 2022 Aspen Security Forum.
Eric Schmidt, Chairman, National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence
Brad Smith, President and Vice Chair, Microsoft
Senator Mark Warner, Chairman, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Moderator: Anja Manuel, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum
Book of the Week
by Sergey Radchenko
"What would it feel like to run the world? The Soviet rulers spent the Cold War trying desperately to find out. In this panoramic new history of the conflict that defined the postwar era, Sergey Radchenko provides an unprecedented deep dive into the psychology of the Kremlin's decision-making. He reveals how the Soviet struggle with the United States and China reflected its irreconcilable ambitions as a self-proclaimed superpower and the leader of global revolution. This tension drove Soviet policies from Stalin's postwar scramble for territory to Khrushchev's reckless overseas adventurism and nuclear brinksmanship, Brezhnev's jockeying for influence in the third world, and Gorbachev's failed attempts to reinvent Moscow's claims to greatness. Perennial insecurities, delusions of grandeur, and desire for recognition propelled Moscow on a headlong quest for global power, with dire consequences and painful legacies that continue to shape our world.”
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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.