The Weekly Leaf
This week, incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the Brazilian presidential election as opponent Flávio Bolsonaro fled to the U.S., Israeli elections resulted in political gridlock, President Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat in the Serbian election to a student-led opposition movement, and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela after ten months in exile.
Read more below.
2027 Rising Leaders Program | Now Accepting Applications
We are pleased to share that applications for the Rising Leaders Class of 2027 are now open! Throughout the year-long program, Rising Leaders learn from key decision-makers—and most importantly, each other—under the aegis of the Aspen Strategy Group. Apply now or share this opportunity with your networks.
This Week’s Content Highlights
Features from Aspen Strategy Group Members
Nicholas Burns interviewed by Nadja Ruzica for the American Foreign Service Association’s Service Disrupted series: “Navigating Diplomacy in the Upside-Down”
Anja Manuel, Christopher Ahlberg, Lucy Cronin, Christian Garrett, and moderator Lucinda Creighton at the 2026 Center for European Policy Analysis Tech & Security Conference: “AI & What It Means to Be Sovereign”
Chris Coons interviewed by Major Garrett for CBS News’ The Takeout: “Sen. Chris Coons Speaks Out Against Trump’s Ukraine Policy”
Mark Esper and Jeff Thramann interviewed by Brian Brenberg for Fox Business: “We Have to Continue to Lead AI Race Against China, Former Defense Secretary Warns”
Jendayi Frazer, Zeine Zeidane, and Ken Opalo at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research: “Africa’s Next Growth Chapter”
Michael Froman and moderator Shannon K. O’Neil at the Council on Foreign Relations: “Insights on Geopolitics Around the World”
Robert Gates and Katherine A. Rowe at William & Mary: “Statecraft and Preparing America’s Next Generation of Leaders”
David Ignatius for The Washington Post: “The White House Sees an Iranian Hard-Liner as the Best Hope for Peace”
David Petraeus at the NDTV World Summit: “AI Is Transforming Warfare Faster Than Ever”
David M. Rubenstein received the 2026 George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award
David E. Sanger, Julian E. Barnes, Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman, Farnaz Fassihi, and Eric Schmitt for The New York Times: “A New Level of Threat and Fear Risks Pushing the U.S. and Iran Back to Full War”
Anne-Marie Slaughter for the Financial Times: “Can We Restore Morality to World Politics?”
Jake Sullivan interviewed by Scott Detrow for NPR’s All Things Considered: “Former National Security Adviser Breaks Down New U.S.-Iran Threats”
Robert Zoellick quoted by Li Xin for Caixin Global: “A Weaker Trump May Be a Louder Trump”
Registration Open | Aspen Security Forum: DC Edition
Please join us for an afternoon of conversations on the most pressing national security and foreign policy challenges of our time. The Forum will feature an array of decision-makers and thought leaders from Washington, DC and around the world. A light lunch will be included in programming, followed by an evening cocktail reception.
If you are interested in attending, apply at the link below.
Post of the Week
Features from ASG Rising Leaders and Fellows
Liana Fix (‘23) and Daniel Fiott for the Council on Foreign Relations: “Europe’s Defense Dilemma”
Shelley Greenspan (‘22) was appointed to the Board of Peace
Steph Guerra (‘22) interviewed by Deanna Lee for RAND’s Policy Minded: “Biosecurity in the AI Era”
Jessica Ji (‘26), Colin Shea-Blymyer, Kelly Beavan, and Evelyn Yee for the Center for Security and Emerging Technology: “Systematizing the Reporting of AI Red-Teaming”
Things to Know
Content Relevant to Aspen Security Forum Discussions
Tighisti Amare for Chatham House: “Russia-Africa Summit: Moscow Is Engaging More With Africa, but Its Delivery Is Limited”
Matt Bradley for NBC News: “Israel’s Election Has No Clear Winner — But Benjamin Netanyahu Looks Far From Defeated Again”
Rachel Chason, Suzan Haidamous, and Mohamad El Chamaa for The Washington Post: “Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Send Envoys to Iran in Push to End War”
Matt Ford and Shakeel Sobhan for DW: “Spain Mourns Train Crash Victims as Rail Safety Questions Loom”
Carlotta Gall and Oleksandr Chubko for The New York Times: “A Rare Rescue, Announced by Melania Trump, Begins in a Besieged Ukrainian City”
George Hammond, Ryan McMorrow, and George Steer for the Financial Times: “‘Bold but Sane’: What We Learnt From Anthropic’s 240,000-Word IPO Filing”
Eléonore Hughes, Mauricio Savarese, and Anna-Catherine Brigida for the AP: “Lula Is Declared Winner of Brazil’s Election as Bolsonaro Rejects Results”
Joyce Lee and Eduardo Baptista for Reuters: “North Korea’s Kim Crosses New Bridge Into China as Trade Ties Warm”
André Rhoden-Paul, Jaroslav Lukiv, and Paul Kirby for BBC: “Celebrations in Serbia After Veteran Ruler Vučić Loses Election to Student-Led Protest Movement”
Sebastian Strangio for The Diplomat: “Hegseth Seeks to Reassure Southeast Asia of U.S. Security Commitment to the Region”
Patrick Wintour for The Guardian: “JD Vance Letter May Offer Last Chance to Avert Fresh Conflict Between U.S. and Iran”
Chun Han Wong for The Wall Street Journal: “China’s Xi Demands More Loyalty as Purges Trim Party Elite”
From the Archives
Revisit our conversation on Israel’s standing in the United States and the future of the bilateral relationship, regional security across the Middle East, the potential for a two-state solution, and more from the 2026 Aspen Security Forum.
Ted Deutch, CEO, American Jewish Committee; Former Member of Congress (2010–2022)
Dahlia Scheindlin, Fellow, Century International, The Century Foundation
Dan Shapiro, Former, U.S. Ambassador to Israel; Distinguished Fellow, Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, Atlantic Council
Moderator: Jacqui Heinrich, Fox News Channel
Book of the Week
Undersea War: The Battle to Control the Cables and Pipelines That Connect Our World
By Elisabeth Braw
“The world depends on a tangle of underwater tubes on the ocean floor. Every day undersea cables transmit nearly all the world’s data, while intercontinental pipelines convey two-thirds of the world’s oil and gas. They do their jobs so reliably that few would guess that “the cloud” is actually underwater, or that global economic stability relies on pipelines on the seafloor. But as award-winning security expert Elisabeth Braw reveals, an invisible battle over those cables and pipelines is ramping up.
Undersea War tells the story of the underwater infrastructure that supports everyday life. In 2022, after decades of seeming undersea harmony, two pipelines in the Baltic Sea mysteriously exploded. Within months, the cutting of the data links between Taiwan’s Matsu Islands’ and the world along with the subsequent destruction of additional Baltic cables and a pipeline signaled that the harmony in the ocean depths was over. Superpowers are now racing to protect themselves as the seabed itself becomes a battlefield.
Blending engrossing historical narrative with acute strategic analysis, Undersea War shows that the next battle for global supremacy may unfold on the ocean floor.”
Around the Institute
Join the Aspen Economic Strategy Group (AESG) for the launch of The New American Frontier: Job Training for the Next Technological Age with author and AESG Resident Scholar Rachel Lipson. The conversation will be moderated by AESG Policy Director Luke Pardue at The Aspen Institute, followed by a panel discussion with education and workforce development leaders from across the country.
In The New American Frontier, Lipson explores how a new wave of technological innovation is creating opportunities for good-paying jobs that do not require a four-year degree. Drawing on examples from across the country—from battery plants in Michigan to AI data centers in Virginia to small modular nuclear reactors in Idaho—Lipson examines how educators, employers, and policymakers can adapt to help American workers thrive in a rapidly changing economy.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026
Program: 3:30–5:00 PM ET
Reception: 5:00–6:00 PM ET
Podcast of the Week
Hannah Hartig and Jessica Huseman joined James Lindsay for the Council on Foreign Relations’ The President’s Inbox: “Foreign Policy and the 2026 Midterms”
Join Our Team!
The Aspen Strategy Group is seeking a Program Manager to oversee and manage our main leadership initiatives: the Rising Leaders Program (RLP), which is now in its sixth year, and the Albright International Leaders Program (AILP) which will be launched in 2027. While the focus of the role will be on these leadership programs, the Program Manager will also contribute across the other pillars of our work including the Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum.
This position is set in a very collaborative, ambitious, dynamic-team, and fast-paced environment. As the ASG team prepares for each new cohort/class of leaders, meeting, program, and project, the Program Manager is given a high level of responsibility and ownership to manage the responsibilities and portfolio assigned to them. We seek candidates with the ability to work both efficiently as part of a team and independently to ensure the success of the ASG’s various activities.
Thank you for sharing this opportunity with your networks.
