The 2026 Aspen Security Forum kicks off in 25 days! In this special edition of the Leaf, we are pleased to announce more speakers and share a selection of readings on topics that will be covered throughout the four days in Aspen.
Read more below.
MORE SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED
We are excited to announce additional speakers joining us in Aspen, Colorado for the 2026 Aspen Security Forum! A limited number of passes are still available. Find the list of speakers announced to date on our website, and apply to attend here.
This Week’s Content Highlights
Features from Aspen Security Forum Speakers and Moderators
Annalena Baerbock at the European Parliament: “PGA Remarks at the European Parliament, Strasbourg”
Fatih Birol interviewed by Shereen Bhan for CNBC-TV18: “‘Oil Markets Could Enter a Red Zone,’ Warns International Energy Agency Head Fatih Birol”
Christian Brose and moderator David Ignatius at The Washington Post’s Building America Summit: “Anduril President on the Changing Defense Industrial Base”
Steve Clemons interviewed by Taylor Popielarz for C-SPAN’s Washington Journal: “Steve Clemons on Trump Administration Foreign Policy”
Iván Duque Márquez interviewed by Luis Villegas for Diálogo Américas: “Security in the Americas Requires Intelligence, Cooperation, and Shared Responsibility”
Elizabeth Economy interviewed by Walter Isaacson for PBS’ Amanpour & Co.: “China vs. the G7: Who Runs the Global Economy?”
Salam Fayyad at Duke Program in American Grand Strategy: “The Past and Future of Palestine, According to Its Former Prime Minister”
Theo Francken at NATO Headquarters: “Belgium Steps Up at NATO: Francken Pledges F‑16s for Ukraine and Minesweeper for Hormuz”
Kim Ghattas for the Financial Times: “History Is Tragically Repeating Itself in Lebanon”
Mary Louise Kelly interviewed Daniel Shapiro for NPR’s All Things Considered: “Why Netanyahu May Want to Keep Fighting Iran”
Eirik Kristoffersen interviewed by Shaun Walker for The Guardian: “Norway Defence Chief Says Russia Could Invade to Protect Nuclear Assets”
Leopoldo López for The Wall Street Journal: “Delcy Rodríguez Invades My Home”
Belén Martínez Carbonell, Rashad Mohamed Ali Al-Alimi, Kao Kim Hourn, Chan Chun Sing, and moderator Mina Al-Oraibi at the 2026 Munich Security Conference: “Spotlight on Maritime Security”
Lisa Monaco, Henna Virkkunen, Willemijn Aerdts, Micael Johansson and moderator John Allen at the 2026 GLOBSEC Forum Prague: “Europe’s Tech Power Gap: Can the Continent Finally Scale?”
Kaupo Rosin interviewed by Sebastian Shukla for CNN: “Estonia’s Spy Chief Tells CNN the Kremlin’s Mindset on Ukraine Is Changing”
David E. Sanger for The New York Times: “Trump Demanded Iran’s ‘Unconditional Surrender.’ He Got a Surprise Instead.”
Post of the Week
Things to Know
Recommended Reading on Aspen Security Forum Topics From Aspen Strategy Group Members
Condoleezza Rice for The Wall Street Journal: “What the U.S. Has Accomplished in Iran”
Nicholas Burns interviewed by James M. Lindsay for the Council on Foreign Relations’ The President’s Inbox podcast: “What Trump and Xi Didn’t Settle in Beijing”
Anja Manuel quoted by Lingling Wei for The Wall Street Journal: “U.S. and China Pursue Guardrails to Stop AI Rivalry From Spiraling Into Crisis”
Kay Bailey Hutchison interviewed by Marc Lotter and Sharla McBride for Newsmax’s Wake Up America: “We Need More Sanctions on Russia”
Antony Blinken on LinkedIn: “Thoughts on the ‘Ceasefire’ with Iran”
Mark Esper interviewed by Sara Eisen and David Faber for CNBC’s Squawk on the Street: “Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Potential Iran Deal to End the War”
Richard Falkenrath for the Financial Times: “Tech Giants Need Oversight to Protect National Security”
Michael Froman for the Council on Foreign Relations: “What Is the Future of U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade?”
Jane Harman for The Hill: “How Trump Could Stop Losing in Iran”
David H. Petraeus for The Wall Street Journal: “America’s Success Against Iran May Prove a Distraction”
Daniel Poneman interviewed Susan Eisenhower for the Nuclear Energy and National Security Coalition’s Atomically Speaking podcast: “From Atoms for Peace to the New Nuclear Era: A Conversation With Susan Eisenhower”
Susan Schwab interviewed by Joe Mathieu for Bloomberg’s Balance of Power: “Susan Schwab on Expectations of Tariffs After Supreme Court Ruling”
Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer interviewed Jen Easterly for The Long Game podcast: “America’s Cybersecurity Crisis Starts With Software”
Philip Zelikow for The Hoover Institution’s Freedom Frequency: “Is There a U.S. Strategy for the ‘Western Hemisphere’?”
Sneak Peek: Featured Book Talks at the Forum
We are pleased to announce the titles featured at the 2026 Aspen Security Forum book talks:
The Party’s Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping by Joseph Torigian
Project Maven: A Marine Colonel, His Team, and the Dawn of AI Warfare by Katrina Manson
The Mission Generation: Reclaim Your Purpose, Rewrite Success, Rebuild Our Future by Arun Gupta and Thomas J. Fewer
Podcast of the Week
Join us this summer for a live recording of the American Enterprise Institute’s What the Hell Is Going On? podcast hosted by Danielle Pletka and Marc Thiessen. Check out one of their episodes here.
