This week, Israeli forces killed Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani, Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban refused to lift his veto of a €90 billion loan for Ukraine at an EU summit in Brussels, and President Trump met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House.
Read more below.
Rising Leaders Class of 2026 Kick-Off in Washington, DC!
The Aspen Strategy Group hosted the Rising Leaders Program Class of 2026 for their kick-off event in Washington this week. Over the course of three days, the group participated in the Gildenhorn Rising Leaders Aspen Seminar, attended a reception hosted by Ambassador of Britain to the U.S. Sir Christian Turner KCMG at his residence, and took part in roundtable discussions with ASG Executive Director Anja Manuel, ASG Member and former Member of Congress Jane Harman, and Aspen Institute Vice President for Communications and Marketing Lorelle Atkinson. Follow us on social media for updates and read about the Class of 2026 below!
Join Us at the 2026 Aspen Security Forum!
Registration for the 2026 Aspen Security Forum will be opening soon! Save the dates of July 14–17 and follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for ASF. If you are interested or want to learn more, please contact Deb Cunningham at deb.cunningham@aspeninstitute.org.
This Week’s Content Highlights
Features from Aspen Strategy Group Members
Condoleezza Rice interviewed by Sharon McMahon for The Preamble podcast: “Condoleezza Rice on Democracy, Patriotism, and Why She Still Has Hope”
Nicholas Burns interviewed by Laurel Rapp at Chatham House: “U.S.-China: What Are the Two Superpowers Competing For?”
Anja Manuel interviewed by Doug McHoney for PwC’s Cross-Border Tax Talks podcast: “Tariffs, Tensions, and Tightropes: A Global Risk Tour”
Kurt Campbell quoted by Leo Lewis and Demetri Sevastopulo for the Financial Times: “Sanae Takaichi Set for High-Stakes Meeting With Donald Trump Over Iran”
Chris Coons interviewed by Jonathan Capehart, Eugene Daniels, and Jackie Alemany for MS NOW’s The Weekend: “‘Dangerously Disrespectful of the Basic Rules of War’ Sen. Coons on Sec. Hegseth’s War in Iran”
Mark Esper interviewed by Aishah Hasnie for Fox News: “Former Defense Secretary Lauds Trump for Efforts to ‘Internationalize’ Iran Conflict”
Michael Froman, Dan Poneman, and Jason Bordoff for the Council on Foreign Relations: “Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and an Unprecedented Energy Crunch”
Sam Nunn quoted by Patricia Murphy for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Sam Nunn on Iran, Congress, and Why He Never Ran for President”
Meghan L. O’Sullivan, Edward L. Morse, Brad W. Setser, and Karen E. Young interviewed by Edward Fishman for the Council on Foreign Relations: “The Geoeconomic Ripple Effects of the Iran War”
David Petraeus interviewed by Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland for the Unholy podcast: “General David Petraeus on the Iran War: Missile Math, Hezbollah, and No Clean Exit”
Dan Poneman and Clara Gillispie for the Council on Foreign Relations: “Japan’s Energy Picture Fifteen Years Post-Fukushima”
Penny Pritzker and Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson interviewed Brian Niccol for The CEO Signal podcast: “Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol on Leading Through Turnarounds”
David Rubenstein interviewed Rachel Reeves for The David Rubenstein Show
David E. Sanger and Karoun Demirjian for The New York Times: “Trump Says He Won’t Send Troops to Iran but Leaves Wiggle Room”
Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer interviewed Helima Croft for The Long Game podcast: “What Happens When Oil Stops Flowing?”
Post of the Week
Young Leaders Spotlight
Features from ASG Rising Leaders and Former Fellows
Clara Kaluderovic (’26) for the Atlantic Council: “The Coming Compute War in Ukraine”
Katherine Ntiamoah (‘26) via LinkedIn: “China’s Strategic Tariff Shift vs. U.S. Trade Policy Volatility”
Dale Swartz (‘21), Christian Rodriguez, and Ryan Brukardt for McKinsey Direct: “The State of U.S. National Security Innovation: A Report Card”
Things to Know
Content Relevant to Aspen Security Forum Discussions
Graham Allison interviewed by Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calakanis, David Sacks, and David Friedberg for the All-In podcast: “Graham Allison on the Global Realignment: Iran, China, Israel, Greenland”
David S. Cloud, Lara Seligman, and Michael R. Gordon for The Wall Street Journal: “U.S. War Planes and Helicopters Kick Off Battle to Reopen Hormuz”
Karen DeYoung and Adam Taylor for The Washington Post: “Rubio Says Cuba’s Efforts to Improve Its Economy Are Failing”
France 24: “EU Leaders Fail to Sway Hungary’s Orban on €90 Billion Ukraine Loan”
Le Monde: “Congo-Brazzaville’s Sassou Nguesso Reelected With Nearly 95% of Vote”
Sam Metz for AP News: “Israel Is Rapidly Killing Iran’s Top Leaders. Experts Warn the Strategy Could Backfire”
Rieko Miki for Nikkei Asia: “Trump Presses Takaichi on Hormuz Security, Says Japan ‘Unlike NATO’”
Saad Mohseni for the Financial Times: “War Between Afghanistan and Pakistan Has Much Wider Consequences”
Basillioh Rukanga for BBC News: “DR Congo and Rwanda Agree to Ease Tensions After Talks in U.S.”
Jim Tankersley, Tatiana Firsova, and Clay Risen for The New York Times: “In Some Areas of Germany, the Far Right Is Part of the Fabric”
Kathryn Watson for CBS News: “Top Trump Counterterrorism Official Joe Kent Resigns Over Iran, Saying It ‘Posed No Imminent Threat to Our Nation’”
Josh Wingrove and Hadriana Lokenkron for Bloomberg: “Trump Expects Xi Summit in ‘Five or Six Weeks’ as War Rages”
From the Archives
The ASG was delighted to welcome the 2026 cohort of our Rising Leaders Program to Washington, DC this week. Revisit our conversation with four members of the Class of 2025 from the 2025 Aspen Security Forum: DC Edition.
On the Rise: Perspectives on Foreign Policy with the ASG Rising Leaders
Colin Feiter, Associate, Carlyle
Krishna Gall, Portfolio Associate, UBS Financial Services
Natan Gorod, Assistant Director, American Jewish Committee (AJC) Center for a New Middle East
Akanksha Ray, Director of Global Policy, Credo AI
Moderator: Niamh King, Director, Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum
Podcast of the Week
Director of the Duke Program in American Grand Strategy and Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy Peter Feaver talks about the power of empathy in political landscapes with Tracey Tenme for Duke University’s Blue Chair Conversations: “Former White House Adviser Believes in the Power of Empathy”
Book of the Week
Money Beyond Borders: Global Currencies From Croesus to Crypto
By Barry Eichengreen
“Doubts about the international dominance of the dollar are only growing amid worries about tariffs, political dysfunction, and fraying international alliances. Will the dollar continue to reign supreme? In Money Beyond Borders, the leading authority on international currencies, Barry Eichengreen, puts the dollar’s prospects in deep historical perspective by chronicling the entire history of cross-border currencies, from the invention of coins in the seventh century BCE to the cryptocurrencies of today and the central bank digital currencies of tomorrow. Revealing important patterns in the life cycles of international currencies over the past 2,500 years, the book offers valuable lessons and insights about how currencies rise—and why they fall.”
Around the Institute
Dr. Luke Pardue, Policy Director of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group, testified before the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee alongside Mr. Daniel Di Martino, Dr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, and Mr. Jeremy Neufeld.
The hearing was entitled, “Keeping Our Promises: Labor Inflows, Maintaining Competitiveness, and Supporting an Aging Population.”
Join Our Team!
The Aspen Strategy Group is seeking a Scowcroft-Nye Fellow with a strong interest in foreign policy and national security. Join our small, fast-paced, collaborative team and contribute to the main pillars of our work, including the Aspen Security Forum, the Rising Leaders Program, and Track II Dialogues.
Thank you for sharing this opportunity with your networks.
