This week, Israeli forces killed Hamas leader and architect of the October 7 attacks Yahya Sinwar, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined his victory plan, President Joe Biden visited Germany, and the DHS independent review panel released its report on the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.
Read more below.
This Week’s Content Highlights
Features from Aspen Strategy Group Members
Chris Brose quoted by Noah Robertson for Defense News: “As Ukraine Builds Better Drones, Do American Firms Still Have a Role?”
Chris Coons quoted by Olivier Knox for U.S. News & World Report: “A Different Kind of Crisis for Released American Hostages”
Mark T. Esper interviewed by Kaitlan Collins for CNN: “Why Former Defense Secretary Fears Trump Would Try to Utilize Military Against U.S. Citizens”
Michael Froman interviewed Janet Yellen at the Council on Foreign Relations
Jane Harman mentioned by Karl Rove for The Wall Street Journal: “The Policy Elephant in the 2024 Election”
David Ignatius for The Washington Post: “Yahya Sinwar’s Death Ushers in an Uncertain ‘Day After’ for Gaza”
Nicholas Kristof for The New York Times: “‘Are We Not Humans?’”
Meghan O’Sullivan interviewed Wendy Sherman at the Belfer Center
David Petraeus interviewed for The New Voice of Ukraine: “Former CIA Head Petraeus on Russia’s Key Advantages Over Ukraine”
Susan Rice and Mondaire Jones interviewed by Tim Miller for The Bulwark Podcast: “The Dictator Hugger”
David E. Sanger and Michael Crowley for The New York Times: “U.S. Warns Israel to Increase Aid to Gaza or Face Consequences”
Frances Townsend, Janet Napolitano, Mark Filip, and David Mitchell issued the Report of the Independent Review Panel on the July 13, 2024 Assassination Attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania
Book of the Week
Intelligent Defense: Navigating National Security in the Age of AI
Released by the Aspen Strategy Group
“The Aspen Strategy Group is proud to release a series of original papers and op-eds authored by ASG members and distinguished experts who joined us for the 2024 ASG Workshop. This collection examines the nexus of AI and national security and its real-world implications for decision-makers.
AI-powered developments in unmanned weapons, biological weapons, and more are transforming the global threat environment in ways we are only beginning to understand. The authors address the strategic need for U.S. leadership on AI against the sobering backdrop of accelerating U.S.-China competition and offer a variety of recommendations for the path forward.
Preeminent leaders from government, industry, academia, and media critically assess AI’s risks and benefits for U.S. national security. Grounded in the most recent learnings from the public and private sectors, the authors examine how AI can and will disrupt defense innovation and acquisition, intelligence, cybersecurity, and more.
Thank you to Yoshua Bengio, Kent Walker, Secretary Mark T. Esper, David Ignatius, Senator Chris Coons, Eileen O’Connor, General David Petraeus, Steve Bowsher, Jennifer Ewbank, Daniel Poneman, Nicholas Kristof, Graham Allison, Joseph S. Nye, Jr., and Anja Manuel
for contributing to this collection.”
Rising Leaders Program Highlights
Features from ASG Rising Leaders
Liana Fix (‘23) and Sophia Winograd for the Council on Foreign Relations: “How Far-Right Election Gains Are Changing Europe”
Dillon Taylor (‘24) interviewed by Eric J. McNulty for the Harvard NPLI LeaderReadyCast podcast
Things to Know
Content Relevant to Aspen Security Forum Discussions
Rosie Birchard for DW: “EU, Gulf States Seek Give and Take on Ukraine, Middle East”
Jason Bordoff and Jared Dunnmon for Foreign Policy: “America’s AI Leadership Depends on Energy”
Kathrin Hille for the Financial Times: “China’s Show of Force in Massive Military Exercises Alarms Taiwan”
International Crisis Group: “Georgia: How to Tread Carefully and Preserve the EU’s Diplomatic Role”
Tendai Marima for Foreign Policy: “A New Leader Rises in Mozambique”
Tamsin Paternoster for Euronews: “Zelenskyy Talks Up Ukraine’s NATO Membership Bid in Long-Awaited ‘Victory Plan’ Reveal”
Juan Diego Quesada For El País: “UN Accuses Maduro Government of Crimes Against Humanity During Venezuela Elections”
Jeffrey Reeves for The National Interest: “Beyond Deterrence: U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s Strategic Shift”
Tom Rogan for The Washington Examiner: “U.S. Air Defenses Are Full of Holes for Chinese Drones to Exploit”
Michael D. Shear and Jim Tankersley for The New York Times: “Biden, in Germany, Urges Unwavering Support for Ukraine”
Dasl Yoon and Matthew Luxmoore for The Wall Street Journal: “Ukraine Says North Korean Role in Russia’s War Is Growing”
From the Archives
Revisit our conversation on European defense, hybrid warfare, and the path forward for Ukraine from the 2024 Aspen Security Forum.
General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander, United States European Command
Jens Plötner, Foreign and Security Policy Advisor to the Chancellor, Germany
Stefano Sannino, Secretary General, European External Action Service
Jonatan Vseviov, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Estonia
Moderator: Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor, The Economist
Tweet of the Week
Podcast of the Week
“The Peril of American Neglect in the Pacific”
Join Our Team
Brent Scowcroft Award Fellowship
The ASG launched the Brent Scowcroft Award Fellowship (BSAF), a paid, temporary, and full-time fellowship program, in recognition of ASG Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus Lieutenant General Brent Scowcroft’s long-time dedication to the group, as well as his legacy of distinguished public service. Now in its 20th year, the six-month fellowship is designed to provide an important professional stepping-stone for recent graduates with a keen interest in foreign policy and national security by way of direct exposure to the types of critical, thoughtful, and bipartisan discussions that characterize the ASG’s dialogues. Scowcroft Fellows are integral members of our team and their work contributes across all of our programs and initiatives at the Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum.
Anticipated Start: November 2024
Learn more about the role and apply here.
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