This week, Hamas released all 20 living hostages and Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the first phase of the Gaza peace deal, President Trump spoke on the phone with President Putin and met with President Zelenskyy at the White House, protests spread across Madagascar resulting in a military coup, and President Trump authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.
Read more below.
New ASG Publication
Meeting China Anew: Rethinking Assumptions and Redefining U.S.-China Strategy in a Shifting Global Landscape
On October 29, the Aspen Strategy Group will release our annual collection of papers emanating from the 2025 ASG Summer Workshop on the evolving U.S.-China relationship. Authored by our members and invited experts, this compilation questions underlying assumptions about the relationship, examining areas of competition such as technology, trade and economics, military power, and more. Stay tuned for the collection out later this month!
This Week’s Content Highlights
Features from Aspen Strategy Group Members
Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton interviewed by Norah O’Donnell for CBS News: “Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice Discuss Israel-Hamas Peace Deal”
Nicholas Burns interviewed by Masahiro Okoshi for Nikkei Asia: “U.S. Allies Must Come First Amid Trump Dealmaking: Ex-China Ambassador”
Kay Bailey Hutchison delivered a lecture at the University of Iowa
Antony Blinken delivered a keynote address at the 80th Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner
Christian Brose interviewed by Jordan Schneider for the China Talk podcast: “Serious or Not: Anduril’s Christian Brose on American Defense”
Kurt Campbell interviewed by Vivek Chilukuri for the Center for a New American Security: “Countering China’s Digital Silk Road”
Chris Coons interviewed by Steve Inskeep for NPR: “Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware Talks About the Ongoing Government Shutdown”
Elizabeth Economy interviewed Chenjian Li for the Hoover Institution’s China Considered podcast: “Bottom-Up vs. Top-Down: Inside the U.S. and Chinese Innovation Systems With Chenjian Li”
Peter Feaver quoted by Jen Kirby for Aerospace America: “Next-Generation ‘Doomsday Planes’ Move Closer to Reality”
Michael Froman for the Council on Foreign Relations: “China, the United States, and the AI Race”
Susan B. Glasser for The New Yorker: “Donald Trump’s Dream Palace of Puffery”
Jane Harman at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations: “Is Bipartisanship Dead?”
David Ignatius for The Washington Post: “Superpower Brinkmanship Gives Way to an Uncertain Resolution”
David Petraeus met with President Nechirvan Barzani of Kurdistan
Anne-Marie Slaughter for New America: “New America CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter Reflects on the National Gathering for State AI Leaders”
Jake Sullivan interviewed by Dana Bash for CNN: “Top Biden Advisor Jake Sullivan: ‘Of Course’ Trump Deserves Credit for Gaza Ceasefire Deal”
Lawrence Summers interviewed by David Westin for Bloomberg: “U.S. Rescue of Argentina Is ‘Unconventional,’ Summers Says”
Philip Zelikow for the Hoover Institution’s Freedom Frequency: “The Tariff Powers Case: The Fissure that Led to the Quake”
Robert B. Zoellick interviewed by Alexander Gabuev for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Carnegie Politika podcast: “How to Handle Russia’s Frozen Assets in the EU, With Robert Zoellick”
Post of the Week
Rising Leaders Program
Features from ASG Rising Leaders
Liana Fix (‘23) quoted by Luke Broadwater and Eric Schmitt for The New York Times: “Trump Says He May Give Tomahawks to Ukraine. Is He Bluffing?”
Reed Kessler (‘25) quoted by World of Showjumping: “Farewell to Reed Kessler’s Olympic Partner Cylana”
Daniel Lippman (‘22) and Caitlin Oprysko for POLITICO: “The Ugly Fight Over ‘Litigation Finance’”
Felicia Schwartz (‘24) and Paul McLeary for POLITICO: “Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Pakistan in Talks to Provide Troops for Gaza Stabilization Force”
Things to Know
Content Relevant to Aspen Security Forum Discussions
Bloomberg: “China Blames U.S. for Trade Tensions, Warns Against Decoupling”
Robbie Gramer and Meridith McGraw for The Wall Street Journal: “Trump Says He’d Rather End War Than Send Tomahawks to Ukraine”
Alex Horton and Samuel Oakford for The Washington Post: “U.S. Special Operations Helicopters, B-52s Near Venezuela Expand Caribbean Mission”
Le Monde: “Macron Is Risking a Regime Crisis”
Monica Mark for the Financial Times: “How the World’s Latest Gen Z Revolt Ended in a Coup”
David Miliband at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs: “The Future of International Aid”
Ahmad Mukhtar and Sami Yousafzai for CBS News: “Afghanistan’s Taliban Announces Ceasefire With Pakistan After Unprecedented Cross-Border Violence”
Brad W. Setser for the Council on Foreign Relations: “Will Trump’s $20 Billion Backing Help Milei Change Argentina’s Fortunes?”
Liam Stack for The New York Times: “Where Does the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Stand?”
Todd Young for Foreign Affairs: “How America Can Win the Biotech Race”
Gabriella Wangmu Zhaxi for The Diplomat: “What China and Russia Gained From North Korea’s Parade”
From the Archives
Revisit our conversation on the Russian threat, European defense, and the role of NATO from the 2025 Aspen Security Forum.
Fireside Chat with Commissioner Andrius Kubilius
Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space, European Commission; Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania
Moderator: Jonathan Martin, POLITICO
Book of the Week
1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History–And How It Shattered a Nation
By Andrew Ross Sorkin
“In 1929, the world watched in shock as the unstoppable Wall Street bull market went into a freefall, wiping out fortunes and igniting a depression that would reshape a generation. But behind the flashing ticker tapes and panicked traders, another drama unfolded—one of visionaries and fraudsters, titans and dreamers, euphoria and ruin.
With unparalleled access to historical records and newly uncovered documents, New York Times bestselling author Andrew Ross Sorkin takes readers inside the chaos of the crash, behind the scenes of a raging battle between Wall Street and Washington and the larger-than-life characters whose ambition and naivete in an endless boom led to disaster. The dizzying highs and brutal lows of this era eerily mirror today’s world—where markets soar, political tensions mount, and the fight over financial influence plays out once again…More than just a history, 1929 is a crucial blueprint for understanding the cycles of speculation, the forces that drive financial upheaval, and the warning signs we ignore at our peril.”
Around the Aspen Institute
Taking place October 20–21 in Newark, New Jersey, Aspen Ideas: Economy will bring together leaders and innovators to explore the profound economic transformations reshaping our world, from seismic shifts in technology and trade to the evolving roles of policy and politics.
Designed to tackle questions that go to the heart of the role of the economy in society, this convening will foster meaningful dialogue around vital issues: What really drives economic growth, and how can more people have a real stake in the upside of economic prosperity? What should we measure to define success in an economy? And how do economic choices shape broader societal outcomes?
A full list of speakers, the agenda, and other updates can be found on the Aspen Ideas: Economy website.
Podcast of the Week
Shewit Woldemichael, Alan Boswell, and Yasmine Farouk joined Richard Atwood for the International Crisis Group’s Hold Your Fire! podcast: “Can a U.S.-Arab Roadmap Stop Sudan’s War?”
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.
