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The Weekly Leaf

October 3, 2025

This week, President Trump proposed a peace deal to end the war in Gaza, European leaders gathered in Copenhagen to discuss defense initiatives, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth assembled U.S. military leaders at Quantico, and the U.S. government shut down. 

Read more below.

A Celebration of Life for Joseph S. Nye, Jr.

This weekend, the Nye family and Harvard Kennedy School will host a celebration of life for Joseph S. Nye, Jr.

One of the ASG’s “founding three,” Joe Nye, along with Brent Scowcroft and Bill Perry, created the Strategy Group over forty years ago. Joe gave us our organization’s mission, led us through complex times, and times of great triumph for the country and the world. We are poorer for his loss, but infinitely richer for his life.

Saturday, October 4
11:00 AM – 12:15 PM ET
Cambridge, Massachusetts & Online

Attend Virtually.

This Week’s Content Highlights
Features from Aspen Strategy Group Members

Condoleezza Rice interviewed by Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims for The Wall Street Journal’s Bold Names series: “Condoleezza Rice on Beating China in the Tech Race: ‘Run Hard and Run Fast’”

Nicholas Burns spoke at Trinity University: “National Security Challenges for America and the World in 2025”

Anja Manuel co-authored a Center for European Policy Analysis report: “Tech 2030: A Roadmap for Europe-U.S. Tech Cooperation”

Kay Bailey Hutchison interviewed by Joe Mathieu and Kate Davidson for Bloomberg: “We’re Not Taking It Anymore”

Antony Blinken interviewed by Preet Bharara for the Stay Tuned With Preet podcast: “Trump’s Plan for Gaza”

Kurt Campbell and Rush Doshi interviewed by Demetri Kofinas for the Hidden Forces podcast: “Why America Needs a New China Strategy”

Chris Coons interviewed by Joe Mathieu for Bloomberg: “Dems Fighting for Healthcare”

Peter D. Feaver and Heidi A. Urban for Foreign Policy: “How Military Leaders Should Respond to Trump’s Norm-Busting”

David Ignatius for The Washington Post: “Trump and Hegseth’s Backward-Facing Message to the Generals”

David Petraeus interviewed by Liz Perkins for The Telegraph: “Unmanned Killer Submarines Can Win War for Ukraine, Says Gen Petraeus”

Jack Reed quoted by Brian Bennett, Rebecca Schneid, and Richard Hall for TIME: “Trump Signals Greater Use of Military in U.S. Cities, Warning of ‘War From Within’”

Lawrence Summers interviewed by David Westin for Bloomberg: “Summers Says Shutdown Is All About Healthcare”

Robert Zoellick featured in China Daily’s “Open China” series: “A New Paradigm of Modernization”

Post of the Week

Former Fellow Spotlight

Former Scowcroft-Nye Fellow, Mathilda Silbiger, started a new position as a Research Assistant for the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution.

Things to Know

Content Relevant to Aspen Security Forum Discussions

Wedaeli Chibelushi for BBC News: “Former Congolese President Sentenced to Death for War Crimes”

Dan Diamond and Paige Winfield Cunningham for The Washington Post: “Trump Announces Deal With Pfizer to Lower Drug Prices, New ‘TrumpRX’ Website”

Jennifer Eaglin for The National Interest: “Nuclear Energy in Brazil’s Clean AI Campaign”

Yuan Gao for Bloomberg: “Huawei to Double Output of AI Chip as Nvidia Wavers in China”

Michael R. Gordon and Alistair MacDonald for The Wall Street Journal: “Trump’s Drone Deal With Ukraine to Give U.S. Access to Battlefield Tech”

Javier C. Hernández and Hisako Ueno for The New York Times: “What to Know About Japan’s Leadership Election”

Rishi Iyengar for Foreign Policy: “How a U.S. Government Shutdown Could Impact Washington’s Foreign Policy”

Jeffrey Prescott and Julian Gewirtz for Foreign Affairs: “China Goes on Offense: Beijing’s Plan to Exploit American Retreat”

Heba Saleh for the Financial Times: “Young Moroccans Join Wave of Anti-Government Protests”

Brett Samuels for The Hill: “Trump Signs Order to Protect Qatar After Israeli Strike”

Charlie Savage and Eric Schmitt for The New York Times: “Trump ‘Determined’ the U.S. Is Now in a War With Drug Cartels, Congress Is Told”

Alice Tidey for Euronews: “Rattled Denmark Hosts EU Summit to Talk Drone Wall, Defence, and Ukraine”

Marc Weller for Chatham House: “Can the Trump Peace Plan for Gaza Succeed?”

From the Archives

Revisit our conversation on the history of conflict in the Middle East and what may come next from the 2025 Aspen Security Forum.

A Conversation on the Middle East

David Petraeus, Partner, Chairman of the Global Institute, and Chairman of KKR Middle East; Former Director, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency

Kim Ghattas, Financial Times Contributing Editor; Author of Black Wave

Moderator: David Ignatius, The Washington Post

Book of the Week

Asia’s Aging Security:

How Demographic Change Affects America’s Allies and Adversaries

By Andrew L. Oros

Andrew L. Oros offers an expert analysis of how rapid aging and population shifts are transforming the military strategies and capabilities of regional powers in Asia. Examining sixteen states, he provides a comparative view of the developing landscape and explores ways to address the consequences. Oros demonstrates that, contrary to what many have claimed, states with shrinking populations will continue to be formidable military powers….Oros considers how technological change and health care advances are mitigating the drawbacks of aging populations as well as how factors such as autonomous defense systems and artificial intelligence present new challenges. Rigorous and timely, Asia’s Aging Security makes a forceful case that adjustment to demographic change is a necessity for twenty-first century foreign policy.

Featured Partner Event: FT Africa Summit

 

Join over 500 senior figures from government, finance, and business at the FT Africa Summit in London or online. Be part of the continent’s defining conversations that will shape policy, investment, and sustainable growth in the years ahead.

Hear first-hand insights from leading voices including President Brice Oligui Nguema, Hodan Osman, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and many more.

Weekly Leaf subscribers can save 20% on their pass with the code ASPEN20. Can’t make it in person? Register for a digital pass here.

Podcast of the Week

Natalie Andrews joined Ryan Knutson for The Wall Street Journal’s The Journal podcast: “Why This Government Shutdown Is Different”

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.

Apply Here

The Weekly Leaf

This week, President Trump proposed a peace deal to end the war in Gaza, European leaders gathered in Copenhagen to discuss defense initiatives, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth assembled U.S. military leaders at Quantico, and the U.S. government shut down.
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