Global Voices Take Center Stage at Aspen Security Forum
Plus: A few announcements -- and can I mail you a sticker?
I’m just back from the Aspen Security Forum. The big news out of the forum was that several senior American military officials were slated to speak, but at the last minute, Pete Hegseth barred their participation, calling the forum a platform that promotes “the evils of globalism.”
This decision had a knock-on effect: several senior Trump administration officials and leading Republicans also backed out, leaving the forum largely devoid of the high-level executive branch participation that typically characterizes Aspen.
To me, this is a real shame. This was my fourth year attending, and one of the reasons I derive both personal and professional value from the Aspen Security Forum is that it gives me the opportunity to hear directly from senior military leaders. In my world, I’m more used to rubbing shoulders with diplomats, UN officials, and NGO leaders—so I really value hearing the perspectives of the U.S. military.
Still, I found this year’s forum extremely valuable.
One consequence of the Trump administration essentially pulling out was that it created more space for foreign officials. And in my view, some of the most interesting and thoughtful panels were those that offered international perspectives on the massive foreign policy shifts underway in the United States—and their global impact. The panel I most recommend (and I’d urge any foreign policy aficionado to take 45 minutes to watch) is this conversation featuring:
Elbegdorj Tsakhia, former President and Prime Minister of Mongolia
Claudia Ruiz Massieu, Mexican Congresswoman and former Foreign Minister of Mexico
Balázs Orbán, Political Director for the Prime Minister of Hungary and MP
Hina Rabbani Khar, former Foreign Minister of Pakistan
They brought a geographically and ideologically diverse lens to the rising geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China. It was fascinating.
A few other things!
🎙️ New Episode: I released my conversation from Aspen with Thordis Gylfadottir, who served as Iceland’s Foreign Minister until last year and now serves as the Special Envoy for the Council of Europe on the situation of children in Ukraine. We discussed Russia’s systematic kidnapping of Ukrainian children (for which Putin was indicted by the ICC) and the efforts underway to reunite those children with their families. We also explored Europe’s evolving response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)
🎧 Coming Later This Week: My conversation with Comfort Ero, President of the International Crisis Group, on how the sudden withdrawal of foreign aid by the U.S. and other traditional donors is reshaping conflict dynamics around the world. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)
🎤 Guest Appearance: I was a guest on the excellent Rational Security podcast from Lawfare, alongside host Scott Anderson, Alex Ward of The Wall Street Journal, and Shane Harris of Politico. We shared our key takeaways from Aspen—and I have to say, it was a welcome relief to not be the one hosting for once!
🆕 New Podcast Series Coming Soon
I can’t announce it just yet, but I’m really excited about an upcoming podcast series launching in a couple of weeks. I can’t say more right now, but it will feature some heavy hitters and unique perspectives from across Africa.
📦 Stickers!
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More soon!
- Mark