The Weekly Leaf
This week, Russian troops withdrew from Chernobyl as the turmoil continued in Ukraine, President Biden authorized the release of an unprecedented amount of oil from the U.S. strategic reserves, President Putin announced a halt to gas exports not paid for in Rubles, and the 2022 Aspen Security Forum opened for registration.
Read more below.
The Aspen Strategy Group will be hosting the 13th annual Aspen Security Forum on July 19-22, 2022 in Aspen, Colorado.
This Week’s Content Highlights
Features from Aspen Strategy Group Members
Madeleine Albright posthumously in The Washington Post: “Resilience of Spirit, More Than Intellect, Is the Key to Life”
Stephen Biegun and David Kramer in Foreign Affairs: “How the West Can Weaken Putin”
Susan Glasser on CNN’s State of the Union: “Experts Sound Off on Reported Russian Plot for Korea-Like Divide in Ukraine”
Jane Harman on the Doha Forum panel: “Aggression Against Ukraine: Geopolitical Implications for the Middle East”
Kay Bailey Hutchison on Bloomberg’s Balance of Power
Anja Manuel on National Security Institute: “How the U.S. Can Win the Tech Competition With China”
Meghan O’Sullivan and Jason Bordoff in The Economist: “On Maintaining Energy Supply While Still Hitting Climate-Change Goals”
Jack Reed on NPR: “Biden's Regime Change Comment Should Have Been More Nuanced, Sen. Reed Says”
David Rubenstein interviewed Ron Klain on Bloomberg’s Peer-to-Peer Conversations
Lawrence Summers on Bloomberg’s Wall Street Week: “Fed Corrects the Record”
Tweet of the Week
Things to Know
Content Relevant to Aspen Security Forum Discussions
Matt Apuzzo and Benjamin Novak for The New York Times: “In Hungary, Viktor Orban Remakes an Election to His Liking”
Gleb Garanich and Natalia Zinets for Reuters: “Russia Reframes War Goals as Ukrainians Advance Near Kyiv”
Asma Khalid for NPR: “President Biden Is Ordering an Unprecedented Amount of Oil Be Released From Reserves”
Dina Khrennikova for Bloomberg: “Putin Says Gas Exports to Be Halted If Ruble Payments Not Made”
Claire Parker for The Washington Post: “Tunisian President Dissolves Parliament, Escalating Political Crisis”
Stella Yifan Xie for The Wall Street Journal: “Shanghai Lockdown Adds to China’s Economic Woes”
Book of the Week
Line of Advantage: Japan’s Grand Strategy in the Era of Abe Shinzō
By Michael J. Green
"No other country has devised a grand strategy for managing China’s rising economic and military power as deliberately or successfully as Japan. Seeking to counter Chinese ambitions toward regional hegemony, Japan has taken an increasingly assertive role in East Asia and the world. During the tenure of Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, the country pursued closer security cooperation with the United States and other democracies, established a more centralized national defense system, and advanced rules and norms to preserve the open regional order in the Indo-Pacific that is crucial to its prosperity and survival—all while managing an important economic relationship with China.
In Line of Advantage, Michael J. Green provides a groundbreaking and comprehensive account of Japan’s strategic thinking under Abe. He explains the foundational logic and the worldview behind this approach, from key precedents in Japanese history to the specific economic, defense, and diplomatic priorities shaping contemporary policy toward China, the United States, the two Koreas, and the Indo-Pacific region. Drawing on two decades of access to Abe and other Japanese political, military, and business leaders, Green provides an insider’s perspective on subjects such as how Japan pursued competition with China without losing the benefits of economic cooperation. Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of Japan’s new active role, Line of Advantage sheds new light on a period with profound implications for the future of U.S. competition with China and international affairs in Asia more broadly."
Program Assistant
The Program Assistant is a critical position that will provide high-quality support for the ASG across all its efforts. The ideal candidate is a multi-talented, early career- professional who is interested in and knowledgeable about U.S. foreign policy, national security, and international affairs; has a passion for handling a wide range of administrative, communications, operational, and logistical tasks; is creative, enterprising, and eager to learn on the job; is excited about balancing multiple, often simultaneous, activities; and has extremely high standards for the quality of their work.
Brent Scowcroft Award Fellow
Named in honor of ASG Chair Emeritus Lieutenant General Brent Scowcroft, the fellowship program provides the first stepping-stone for young professionals with an interest in U.S. foreign policy to forge careers inspired by General Scowcroft’s expertise and ethos of service. Scowcroft Fellows typically join the ASG team for a period of 6 months, during which time they are encouraged to develop practical skills and build knowledge in the field of foreign policy and national security. Applications are now open for this temporary, full-time, paid position.
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