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2021

Aspen Security Forum

August 3-4, 2021 | Virtual

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2021 Agenda

View the Full Agenda

Day 1: August 3, 2021

8:00 – 8:10 AM Welcome Remarks

  • Nicholas Burns, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group

8:10 – 9:00 AM The View from Singapore

  • Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore
  • Moderator: Evan Osnos, Contributor, The New Yorker
  • Introduced by: Nicholas Burns, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group

9:00 – 9:30 AM Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe

  • Niall Ferguson, Milbank Family Senior Fellow, the Hoover Institution
  • Moderator: Gillian Tett, Chair, Editorial Board, and U.S. Editor-at-Large, The Financial Times
  • Introduced by: Nicholas Burns, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group

9:30 – 10:45 AM Quint, Sext, or Bust: The Future of the Quad

  • Michèle Flournoy, Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy

  • Julie Bishop, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia

  • C. Raja Mohan, Director, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore 

  • Tomiko Ichikawa, Director General, Japan Institute of International Affairs

  • Moderator: David Ignatius, Associate Editor and Columnist, The Washington Post

  • Introduced by: Nicholas Burns, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group

10:45 – 11:15 AM A Conversation with Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad

  • Zalmay Khalilzad, Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation
  • Moderator: Amna Nawaz, Chief Correspondent, PBS NewsHour
  • Introduced by: Nicholas Burns, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group

11:15 AM – 12:15 PM Two Decades On: Lessons from Afghanistan

  • David Petraeus, Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency

  • Roya Rahmani, Former Ambassador of Afghanistan to the U.S.

  • P. Michael McKinley, Former Ambassador of the U.S. to Afghanistan

  • Meghan O’Sullivan, Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Harvard University

  • Moderator: Amna Nawaz, Chief Correspondent, PBS NewsHour

  • Introduced by: Nicholas Burns, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group

12:15 – 1:15 PM

The View from the SEC: Cryptocurrencies and National Security

Speaker: Gary Gensler, Chairman, Securities and Exchange Commission

Moderator: Paul Vigna, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

Introduced by: Anja Manuel, Director, Aspen Strategy Group

1:15 – 1:45 PM

The View from Riyadh

Speaker: HH Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah bin Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud,

Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia

Moderator: Richard Engel, Chief Foreign Correspondent, NBC News

Introduced by: Anja Manuel, Director, Aspen Strategy Group

2:15 – 3:15 PM

A Future Made in America? The Biden Administration’s Trade Agenda

Speakers:

  • Myron Brilliant, Executive Vice President and Head of International Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

  • Mike Froman, former U.S. Trade Representative

  • Susan Schwab, former U.S. Trade Representative

  • Robert Zoellick, former President, World Bank and former U.S. Trade Representative

Moderator: Shawn Donnan, Senior Writer, Bloomberg

Introduced by: Anja Manuel, Director, Aspen Strategy Group

3:15 – 3:45 PM

The View from Seoul: A Conversation with President Song

Speakers: Song Young-gil, President of the Democratic Party of Korea

Moderator: Josh Rogin, Columnist, The Washington Post

Introduced by: Anja Manuel, Director, Aspen Strategy Group

3:45 – 3:50 PM

Closing Remarks

Speaker: Anja Manuel, Director, Aspen Strategy Group

Day 2: August 4, 2021

8:45 – 8:50 AM

Welcome Remarks

Speaker: Anja Manuel, Director, Aspen Strategy Group

8:50 – 9:30 AM          

The View from the AIIB

Speaker: Jin Liqun, President, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Moderator: David Barboza, Co-Founder and Staff Writer, The Wire

Introduced by: Anja Manuel, Director, Aspen Strategy Group

9:30 – 10:15 AM

Two Sides of the Same Coin: The Promise and Peril of Cryptocurrency
Speakers:

  • Stuart Levey, CEO, Diem Association

  • Brad Garlinghouse, CEO, Ripple

  • Sigal Mandelker, former Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence

Moderator: Paul Vigna, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

Introduced by: Nicholas Burns, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group

10:15 – 11:00 AM

The View from the NSC: A Conversation with White House Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger
Speaker: Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies
Moderator: David Sanger, White House and National Security Correspondent, The New York Times

Introduced by: Anja Manuel, Director, Aspen Strategy Group

11:00 – 11:45 AM    

Standing Together: Protecting Global Cyber Networks through Public – Private Partnerships
Speakers:

  • Ron Green, CSO, Mastercard

  • Robert Hannigan, former Director, GCHQ

  • Tucker Bailey, Partner and Cybersecurity Practice Leader, McKinsey & Company

Moderator: David Sanger, White House and National Security Correspondent, The New York Times

Introduced by: Anja Manuel, Director, Aspen Strategy Group

11:45 AM – 12:15 PM

Not Your Father’s Space Race: UFOs, Billionaires, and Satellite Missiles

Speakers:

  • Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal, Cambridge University

  • Ankit Panda, Stanton Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Kerry Buckley, Vice President, Air and Space Forces, MITRE National Security Sector

Moderator: Eric Berger, Senior Space Editor, Ars Technica

Introduced by: Niamh King, Deputy Director, the Aspen Strategy Group

12:15 – 12:45 PM

The View from Edinburgh 
Speaker: Nicola Sturgeon MSP, First Minister of Scotland
Moderator: Mary Louise Kelly, Co-Host, All Things Considered, NPR

Introduced by: Nicholas Burns, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group

12:45 – 1:15 PM

The View from the Eurogroup
Speaker: Paschal Donohoe, President, The Eurogroup
Moderator: Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief, The Economist 

Introduced by: Nicholas Burns, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group

1:15 – 2:00 PM

Mind the Gap: A Transatlantic Strategy to Counter China

Speakers: 

  • Joseph Nye, Dean Emeritus, Harvard Kennedy School

  • Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman, Munich Security Conference

Moderator: Anja Manuel, Director, Aspen Strategy Group

2:00 – 2:30 PM

The View from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
Speaker: John Aquilino, Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
Moderator: David Ignatius, The Washington Post

Introduced by: Anja Manuel, Director, Aspen Strategy Group

2:30 – 3:15 PM

Silk Road to Global Highway: China’s Rising Global Influence

Speakers:

  • Elizabeth Economy, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution

  • Susan Shirk, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State (East Asian Bureau)

  • Stephen Biegun, former Deputy Secretary of State

  • Matt Pottinger, former Deputy National Security Advisor

Moderator: Joseph Nye, Dean Emeritus, Harvard Kennedy School

Introduced by: Niamh King, Deputy Director, Aspen Strategy Group

3:15 – 3:45 PM

The Road to COP26

Speaker: Alok Sharma, President, COP26

Moderator: Al Roker, Co-Host, the Today Show

Introduced by: Nicholas Burns, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group

3:45 – 4:00 PM

A Conversation with Senator Lisa Murkowski

Speaker: Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senator from Alaska

Moderator: Peter Baker, Chief White House Correspondent, The New York Times

Introduced by: Nicholas Burns, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group

4:00 – 4:15 PM

Conversation with Senator Dan Sullivan

Speaker: Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senator from Alaska

Moderator: Peter Baker, Chief White House Correspondent, The New York Times

Introduced by: Nicholas Burns, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group

4:15 – 4:20 PM

Closing Remarks

Speakers: 

  • Nicholas Burns, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group

Videos and Transcripts

The View from Singapore

The View from Singapore

LEE HSIEN LOONG, Prime Minister of Singapore // Moderator: // EVAN OSNOS, Contributor, The New Yorker
Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe

Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe

NIALL FERGUSON, Milbank Family Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution // Moderator: // GILLIAN TETT, Chair of the Editorial Board and U.S. Editor-at-Large, The Financial Times
Quint, Sext, or Bust: The Future of the Quad

Quint, Sext, or Bust: The Future of the Quad

MICHÈLE FLOURNOY, Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy // JULIE BISHOP, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia // C. RAJA MOHAN, Director, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore // TOMIKO ICHIKAWA, Director General, Japan Institute of International Affairs // Moderator: // DAVID IGNATIUS, Associate Editor and Columnist, The Washington Post
Two Decades On: Lessons from Afghanistan

Two Decades On: Lessons from Afghanistan

DAVID PETRAEUS, Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency // ROYA RAHMANI, Former Ambassador of Afghanistan to the U.S. // P. MICHAEL MCKINLEY, Former Ambassador of the U.S. to Afghanistan // MEGHAN O'SULLIVAN, Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Harvard University // Moderator: // AMNA NAWAZ, Senior National Correspondent, PBS NewsHour
The View from Riyadh

The View from Riyadh

HH PRINCE FAISAL BIN FARHAN BIN ABDULLAH BIN FAISAL BIN FARHAN AL SAUD, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia // Moderator: // RICHARD ENGEL, Chief Foreign Correspondent, NBC News
A Future Made in America? The Biden Administration’s Trade Agenda

A Future Made in America? The Biden Administration’s Trade Agenda

MYRON BRILLIANT, Executive Vice President and Head of International Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce // MIKE FROMAN, Former U.S. Trade Representative // SUSAN SCHWAB, Former U.S. Trade Representative // ROBERT ZOELLICK, Former President, World Bank, and Former U.S. Trade Representative // Moderator: // SHAWN DONNAN, Senior Writer, Bloomberg
Not Your Father’s Space Race: UFOs, Billionaires, and Satellite Missiles

Not Your Father’s Space Race: UFOs, Billionaires, and Satellite Missiles

MARTIN REES, Astronomer Royal, Cambridge University // ANKIT PANDA, Stanton Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace // KERRY BUCKLEY, Vice President, Air & Space Forces Center, MITRE National Security Sector // Moderator: // ERIC BERGER, Senior Space Editor, Ars Technica
The View from Edinburgh

The View from Edinburgh

NICOLA STURGEON MSP, First Minister of Scotland // Moderator: // MARY LOUISE KELLY, Co-Host, All Things Considered, NPR
The View from the Eurogroup

The View from the Eurogroup

PASCHAL DONOHOE, President, The Eurogroup // Moderator: // ZANNY MINTON BEDDOES, Editor-in-Chief, The Economist
The View from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

The View from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

JOHN AQUILINO, Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command // Moderator: // DAVID IGNATIUS, Associate Editor and Columnist, The Washington Post
Silk Road to Global Highway: China’s Rising Global Influence

Silk Road to Global Highway: China’s Rising Global Influence

ELIZABETH ECONOMY, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution // SUSAN SHIRK, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State (East Asian Bureau) // STEPHEN BIEGUN, Former Deputy Secretary of State // MATT POTTINGER, Former Deputy National Security Advisor // Moderator: // JOSEPH NYE, Dean Emeritus, Harvard Kennedy School
The Road to COP26

The Road to COP26

ALOK SHARMA, President, COP26 // Moderator: // AL ROKER, Co-Host, the Today Show
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