This week, the UN General Assembly met in New York; President Trump indicated a shift in his position on Ukraine by announcing he believes it can win back occupied territory; the UK, Canada, France, Australia, and others formally recognized a Palestinian state; President Trump announced new tariffs on pharmaceuticals, home goods, and heavy trucks; and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the U.S. is in talks to provide $20B in economic support to Argentina.
Read more below.
This Week’s Content Highlights
Features from Aspen Strategy Group Members
Nicholas Burns quoted by Drew Harwell and Eva Dou for The Washington Post: “Trump Turns Biden’s TikTok Law Into a Big Win”
Anja Manuel interviewed by Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz for Bloomberg’s Balance of Power podcast: “NATO Weighs Russia Response”
Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Butler for The Dallas Morning News: “Can AI Replace Humans? Workforce Needs Are Evolving With New Technology”
Chris Coons interviewed by Joe Kernen for CNBC: “Sen. Chris Coons on Avoiding a Government Shutdown”
Thomas Donilon mentioned by Jacob Gu for Bloomberg: “China and U.S. Should Be Friends, Xi’s No. 2 Tells American CEOs”
Peter Feaver, Thomas Wright, Rebecca Lissner, and Mara Rudman for the Atlantic Council: “How to Write a U.S. National Security Strategy”
Jendayi Frazer interviewed Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah at the Council on Foreign Relations: “A Conversation With President Nandi-Ndaitwah of Namibia”
Michael Froman interviewed by Tracy Alloway and Joe Weisenthal for Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast
Michael J. Green interviewed Kurt Campbell for the Center for Strategic & International Studies’ The Asia Chessboard podcast: “Reflections on Indo-Pacific Strategy”
David Ignatius for The Washington Post: “Trump Gave Russia a Dotted Red Line. Is He Serious?”
Sam Nunn, Smriti Keshari, Rachel Whitlark, and moderator Rose Scott discussed nuclear threats at the Georgia Institute of Technology‘s screening of “The Bomb”
Meghan L. O’Sullivan, Ernest J. Moniz, and Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar co-chaired a Task Force on Nuclear Proliferation and National Security that included Stephen Hadley, Sam Nunn, and Susan Rice: “Preventing an Era of Nuclear Anarchy: Nuclear Proliferation and American Security”
David Petraeus interviewed Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Concordia Annual Summit: “A Conversation With H.E. Ahmed al-Sharaa, President of the Syrian Arab Republic”
Jake Sullivan interviewed by Helene Cooper at the 2025 Climate Forward Conference: “When Climate Becomes a Security Threat”
Post of the Week
Rising Leaders Program
Features from ASG Rising Leaders
Marcus Coleman (‘23) joined Laura Cirillo Edwards for the Careers & Coffee Talk podcast
Liana Fix (‘23) joined Edward Alden, Steven A. Cook, Heidi Crebo-Rediker, Alice C. Hill, Shannon K. O’Neil, and presider Esther Brimmer for the Council on Foreign Relations: “UN General Assembly 2025: Unpacking President Trump’s Speech”
Daniel Lippman (‘22), Daniel Barnes, and Caitlin Oprysko for POLITICO: “SKDK Jettisons Israeli Government”
Helen Toner (‘21) quoted by Joseph Menn for The Washington Post: “AI Firm DeepSeek Writes Less-Secure Code for Groups China Disfavors”
Former Fellow Spotlight
Former Scowcroft-Nye Fellow, Georgiy Kent, is cycling the TransAmerican Bike Trail to raise money to send NAFO trucks and a drone bus to Ukraine.
Things to Know
Content Relevant to Aspen Security Forum Discussions
Aslı Aydıntaşbaş for the Brookings Institution: “A Bromance Revived: Erdoğan Returns to the White House After 4 Years”
Gavin Blackburn for Euronews: “Russia to Respect Nuclear Arms Limits With U.S. for One More Year, Putin Says”
CBS News: “U.S. to Impose Tariffs on Pharmaceutical Drugs, Kitchen Cabinets, Furniture, and Heavy Trucks”
Daniel Flatley and Patrick Gillespie for Bloomberg: “U.S. Readies $20 Billion Rescue to Help Milei Win in Argentina”
France24: “From Power to Prison: The Stunning Downfall of France’s Former President Nicolas Sarkozy”
Philip H. Gordon for The New York Times: “In the West Bank, Trump Is Not Standing In Israel’s Way”
John Hudson, Susannah George, and Claire Parker for The Washington Post: “Netanyahu Tells U.N. That War Will Continue Amid Global Backlash”
International Crisis Group: “Ten Challenges for the UN in 2025-2026”
Ma Tong, Bai Yunyi, and Chen Qingrui for the Global Times: “China Won’t Seek New Special, Differential Treatment in WTO Negotiations; Decision Will Not Change China’s Developing-Country Status”
James Marson, Jane Lytvynenko, and Alexander Ward for The Wall Street Journal: “How Zelensky’s Charm Offensive Reversed Trump’s Skepticism on Ukraine”
Friedrich Merz for the Financial Times: “A New Financial Impetus for Peace in Ukraine”
Oliver Moody for The Times: “NATO States Should Shoot Down Intruding Russian Jets, Says Mark Rutte”
Kelly O’Donnell, Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst, and Megan Lebowitz for NBC News: “Secret Service Agents Dismantle Network That Could Shut Down New York Cellphone System”
Daniel B. Poneman interviewed Faith Birol at the Council on Foreign Relations: “A Conversation With International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol”
Mitch Shin for The Diplomat: “Kim Jong Un Says Denuclearization Is Off the Table for North Korea”
Vivian Wang for The New York Times: “In Rare China Visit, U.S. Lawmakers Call Lack of Military Talks ‘Dangerous’”
From the Archives
Revisit our conversation on conflicts around the world, peacekeeping, and the future of the UN from the 2024 Aspen Security Forum: DC Edition.
Fireside Chat with Amina Mohammed
Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations
Moderator: Alex Marquardt, Then Chief National Security Correspondent, CNN
Book of the Week
The World’s Worst Bet: How The Globalization Gamble Went Wrong
(And What Would Make It Right)
By David J. Lynch
“The triumphant globalization that began in the 1990s has given way to a world riven by conflict, populism, and economic nationalism. In The World’s Worst Bet, David J. Lynch offers a trenchant, fast-paced narrative of the rise and fall of the greatest engine of prosperity the world has ever known. Lynch explains what went right, what went wrong, and what needs to change to preserve the benefits of global integration and to build prosperity for all Americans.”
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Podcast of the Week
Radek Sikorski joined Dan Kurtz-Phelan for The Foreign Affairs Interview podcast: “Poland’s View From the Frontline of Europe”
Aspen Institute Highlights: The Win Challenge
Launched by Aspen Digital and Supported by Pivotal
This week, the Aspen Institute launched the Workplace Innovation Now (WIN) Challenge. The $60 million grant competition is a new initiative to discover and scale bold ideas to help women thrive and everyone win in a rapidly changing workplace. Aspen Digital will leverage its expertise in emerging technology and narrative change to unlock new opportunities and partner with the Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program, drawing on its long experience helping people thrive in a changing economy. Supported by Pivotal, a group of organizations funded by Melinda French Gates, the challenge will seek applicants to offer novel or breakthrough solutions with high-impact potential on three key pillars: Culture & Practices, AI, and Narrative.
Check out more information on the Challenge, FAQs, and the Challenge’s socials at winchallenge.org.
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.
