The Weekly Leaf
This week, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time since 2023, the European Union invited Canada to work toward being its first “associate member,” tens of thousands of refugees fled Yemen as Iran-backed Houthi rebels stormed the Red Sea coast, and Sweden’s center-left opposition won in the country’s national election.
Read more below.
This Week’s Content Highlights
Features from Aspen Strategy Group Members
Condoleezza Rice at The Pentagon: “Condoleezza Rice Recounts Her Memories From the 9/11 Attacks”
Nicholas Burns interviewed by David Gura for Bloomberg Radio: “U.S. Should ‘Deeply Value’ Friendship of Its Allies, Says Former NATO Ambassador”
Anja Manuel interviewed by Andrew Ross Sorkin for CNBC’s Squawk Box: “The Chinese AI Safety Community Shares Similar Concerns as We Do”
Stephen Biegun at Korea Risk Group’s West Coast Exchange conference: “Trump May Propose Kim Summit After APEC, Possibly in North Korea”
Antony Blinken interviewed by Joe Mathieu for Bloomberg’s Balance of Power: “The Iran War Could and Should Be Over Tomorrow”
Chris Brose quoted by Marc A. Thiessen for The Washington Post: “The AI Danger That Matters Most? Falling Behind China.”
Kurt Campbell, Greg Moriarty, Stephen Lovegrove, and moderator Charles Edel at the Center for Strategic and International Studies: “AUKUS at Five: Progress, Challenges, and the Way Forward”
Chris Coons interviewed by David Gura and Christina Ruffini for Bloomberg This Weekend: “Senator Chris Coons Urges Congress to Act on AI Risks”
Mark Esper interviewed by David Westin for Bloomberg Wall Street Week: “How Will Silicon Valley Rearm America?”
Jendayi Frazer quoted by Udeme Akpan for Vanguard: “Dangote Refinery IPO: Global Leaders Rally Behind Plan to Democratise Africa’s Industrial Wealth”
Michael Froman for the Council on Foreign Relations: “It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again: The Parallels of AI and Globalization”
Stephen Hadley and J.D. Crouch II interviewed by Marc A. Thiessen and Danielle Pletka for the American Enterprise Institute’s What the Hell Is Going On podcast: “WTH Live! Remembering 9/11 Twenty-Five Years Later With Stephen Hadley and J.D. Crouch”
David Ignatius for The Washington Post: “Can Washington Accept Yes From the AI Giants?”
Dina Powell McCormick interviewed by Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks, and David Friedberg for the All-In podcast: “The Case for Data Centers, Backlash, AI Job Boom & Meta’s Future”
Meghan O’Sullivan quoted by Rebecca F. Elliott and Keith Bradsher for The New York Times: “China Stockpiled Oil, and Now It Could Dominate the Energy Landscape”
David H. Petraeus for The Washington Post: “The Race to Make Putin’s Aggression Unaffordable”
Daniel Poneman and Paul J. Saunders for The National Interest: “Can America Build Enough Nuclear Reactors?”
David Rubenstein interviewed Mike Pence at The Economic Club of Washington, D.C.: “Former Vice President Pence on His Book, What Conservatives Believe”
David E. Sanger for The New York Times: “Is Iran Shaping Up to Be a ‘Forever War’?”
Anne-Marie Slaughter, Jason Crow, and Peter Welch at New America’s Future Security Forum
Jake Sullivan interviewed by Willie Geist, Joe Scarborough, Jonathan Lemire, and Mika Brzezinski for MS NOW’s Morning Joe: “‘No Good Way Out’ of Iran”
Philip Zelikow for the Hoover Daily Report: “American Energy: The Key to Success in the Digital Revolution”
Robert Zoellick interviewed by Nathan Kiker and George Bogden for the Clearer Than Truth podcast
Post of the Week
Features from ASG Rising Leaders and Fellows
Chris Herrmann for the European Council on Foreign Relations: “Life of the Party: Democrats and the Search for a Post-Trump Future”
Tina Huang (‘24) co-led and published Microsoft’s 2026 Responsible AI Transparency Report
Jessica Ji (‘26) interviewed by Kyra Phillips for ABC News: “AI Expert Weighs in on Tech CEO’s Warnings”
Clara Kaluderovic (‘26) interviewed by Jim Sciutto for CNN
Mari Manoogian (‘21) was selected as an Obama Leader for the 2026-2027 Obama Foundation Leaders USA Program
Rebecca Peters (‘26) et al. for Global Environmental Change Journal: “Integrating Science for Water Security Governance”
DJ Reed started a new position as Executive Assistant to the Deputy Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Helen Toner (‘21) interviewed by Bianna Golodryga for CNN’s Amanpour: “AI Companies ‘Recklessly Prioritizing Trying to Stay at the Cutting Edge,’ Says Analyst”
Camille Villafañe (‘26) started a new position as Associate Director, Policy & Sustainability Communications with Merck
Things to Know
Content Relevant to Aspen Security Forum Discussions
Yasir Abdallah and Samy Magdy for the Los Angeles Times: “Sudan Gold Mine Collapse Kills at Least 82 People, With Many More Missing”
Harry Bligh for Euronews: “Belarus Releases 25 Political Prisoners in Exchange for Lifting of U.S. Sanctions on Two Companies”
Steff Chávez and Abigail Hauslohner for the Financial Times: “Trump Administration Approves $24bn Sale of F-35 Jets to Saudi Arabia”
The Economist: “Xi and Modi Break Bread at BRICS”
Jon Gambrell, Summer Said, and Saleh al-Batati for The Wall Street Journal: “Debris Found in Yemen Suggests Saudi Arabia Fired Its First Chinese Missile”
Jeffrey Gettleman and Christina Anderson for The New York Times: “Sweden Swings Back Left, Bucking a Trend in Europe”
Jon Herrman for New York: “Why Everyone’s Talking About the AI Apocalypse”
Fatma Khaled for the AP: “Tens of Thousands Flee as Iran-Backed Rebels Draw Yemen Into the Wider War”
Jeffrey Kluger for TIME: “The U.S. Just Admitted It Has Weapons in Space. Why That’s a Big Deal”
Marwaan Macan-Markar for Nikkei Asia: “Thailand and Cambodia Begin UN-Backed Conciliation Over Maritime Claims”
Rémy Ourdan and Florent Georgesco for Le Monde: “War in Ukraine: International Outcry After Russian Drone Strikes Train Near Border With Poland”
Steve Thompson for The Washington Post: “Fed Raises Interest Rates by Quarter Point to Tackle Inflation”
Amy Walker and Nick Beake for BBC: “EU Chief Backs Plan for Canada to Become ‘Associate Member’”
From the Archives
Revisit our conversation on AI-enabled cyber threats, U.S.-China competition, and balancing AI regulation with innovation from the 2026 Aspen Security Forum.
What’s Next: How AI Is Impacting Safety and National Security
David van Weel, Minister of Justice and Security, The Netherlands
Anne Neuberger, General Partner and Head of Global Affairs, a16z; Distinguished Fellow, Stanford University; Former Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies
Robin Colwell, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Intel
Amber Miller, President, Hewlett Foundation
Moderator: Mary Louise Kelly, NPR
Book of the Week
Bytes and Bullets: Global Rivalry, Private Tech, and the New Shape of Modern Warfare
By Steven Feldstein
“Technology has always driven political competition. For decades, the U.S. set the international rules on innovation, standards, and export regulations, using soft power and federal funding to both develop cutting edge tech and prevent its rivals from acquiring it. But in the digital era, major breakthroughs in everything from AI systems to autonomous drones now come from private companies, not government labs. It is already too late for superpowers to stop the outward flow of research and expertise. The fallout from this shift could dramatically reshape our world, and America is running out of time to act.
Bytes and Bullets is an analytically rich account of how technology is upending global competition. Through engaging stories and original research, Carnegie Endowment senior fellow Steve Feldstein explains how America’s primacy is being undercut at every turn by commercialization, China’s growing capabilities, and new regional powers building their own spheres of influence. He offers eye-opening insights from modern conflicts and proposes concrete strategies that democracies must adopt to shape the future.”
Around the Institute
We are pleased to invite you to the 2nd edition of the Aspen European Strategic Forum – “European Security: Defense, Innovation and the Social Contract,” co-led by Aspen Institute Romania and Aspen Institute Kyiv, with the support of Aspen Institute Central Europe, Aspen Institute Germany, Aspen Institute France, Aspen Institute Italia, Aspen Institute UK, Aspen Institute Spain and Aspen Strategy Group, taking place on September 28–29, in Brussels.
The Forum strengthens Europe’s defense and resilience by uniting Eastern and Western policy leaders against escalating security threats. It convenes senior policymakers, defence industry leaders, strategic thinkers, and institutional stakeholders to confront the structural decisions, capability gaps, and industrial imperatives that will shape Europe’s defence posture for the decade ahead.
The full agenda of the Aspen European Strategic Forum 2026 Main Conference Day may be consulted here. Register here to join the Forum in Brussels.
Podcast of the Week
Ian Brown joined Aaron MacLean for The Free Press’ School of War Podcast: “Why John Boyd Still Matters
