Aspen Security Forum

Great power competition is back—and it's reshaping the global energy landscape. 🎧 On this week's episode of #ColumbiaEnergyExchange, host @JasonBordoff talks to @anjamanuel1 about how rising US–China and Russia tensions are rattling the international system 👉 energypolicy.columbia.edu/anja-manuel-on…

Asked about the feasibility of Phase 2 of President Trump's Peace Plan for the conflict in Gaza, @SenMcCormickPA shared that he believes "[Phase 1 of the deal] was a shocking success by any measure. I wouldn't bet against them on Phase 2. I think the groundwork has been laid. The president has unique credibility with the Gulf states and Israel."

.@SenMcCormickPA urges that U.S. leaders must extract lessons from the battlefield in Ukraine, where we are seeing a revolution in military technology, to "jump ahead of what's to come." China, Russia, and Iran are taking in these lessons, he says.

Asked by @continetti about the Trump administration's decision to release H200 chips, @SenMcCormickPA said, "I'm concerned. I'm not clear on why that is the right path for us. I want to be convinced, because I keep asking the question. The argument is, as I understand it...this will somehow slow China's capacity to develop its own [chips]. I don't think that's been the experience."

@SenMcCormickPA @continetti "We can be and should be in the lead…" added @SenMcCormickPA. He said there is no such thing as "Democratic or Republican AI" but that it's "what is required to lead."

It is "highly likely" that the emergence of AI is the most "significant, transformative" development in the world right now, said @SenMcCormickPA to moderator @continetti. He notes the importance of maintaining technological leadership in AI, which is inherently connected to energy.

.@SenMcCormickPA outlines the scale of the fentanyl crisis in the United States and the actions he says are needed to address it. We must stop the flow of fentanyl across our borders, and cartels should be designated as terrorist organizations. "I think we should thoughtfully deploy our military in pursuit of that."

.@SenMcCormickPA believes the U.S. needs to take a "cautious approach" to engaging with China. He is "more optimistic" about the prospects for engaging with Europe. While he posits that the "critique of Europe is well founded," he adds that "we [the U.S. and Europe] have a shared values system that offers lots of opportunities for cooperation."

On now, @SenMcCormickPA joins @continetti at the #AspenSecurity Forum: DC Edition for a fireside chat. Watch today’s livestream here: youtube.com/live/qr1wL7ZMi…

With a nod to the late Joseph Nye, @KironSkinner says soft power is the "most attractive part of who we are to the rest of the world." And it is something China won't replicate. She tells the #AspenSecurity Forum that the U.S. is "reordering the globe," with new regional partnerships and more.

.@KironSkinner onstage at ASF: DC: "We're in a huge fight within the Western family...Fights within the family are often the most bruising, but when they get resolved you come out stronger and better."

Based on his recent trip to China alongside ASG Executive Director @anjamanuel1, General David Berger notes, "They [China] are very confident of where they are right now...'We’re not second fiddle or behind you, we’re at least at parity with you.'"

When the United States builds new partnerships, @KironSkinner @pepperdineIDSI believes "China doesn’t stand a chance."

Kori Schake @AEI highlights that the National Security Strategy shows no intention to change the governments of China, Russia, and the Middle East, but mentions the governments of U.S. treaty allies.

Asked by @jimsciutto to unpack the National Security Strategy, General David Berger lauds the focus on mass migration as a global challenge, the "overdue" elevation of the Western hemisphere and of Africa as a concern beyond aid. He also highlights language that we "won't mess with" the Middle East unless it directly challenges our national interest.

@KironSkinner .@KoriSchake offered a different perspective. She said that the "[National Security] Strategy looks like vandalism on the policies that have made the U.S. strong, safe, and prosperous."

.@KironSkinner onstage at #AspenSecurity: The National Security Strategy allows us to think creatively about "trying to forge a new world" and asking our allies to help us do so. It gives more agency, she says, to the Global South and middle and regional powers, among others. "The rules-based international order has frayed."

On now, General David Berger, Kori Schake @AEI, and @KironSkinner @pepperdineIDSI @pepperdine join @jimsciutto at the #AspenSecurity Forum: DC Edition for a conversation on 'Great Power Competition and American Grand Strategy.' Watch today’s livestream here: youtube.com/live/qr1wL7ZMi…

"We are open for peace negotiations, but not for any price. It should be a long and lasting peace." -@yehorcherniev

Asked about security guarantees for Ukraine by @antontroian, @yehorcherniev says it is worth discussing the formats that may be used. Article V, for one, doesn't mean all NATO members have boots on the ground, for instance if Russia invades a Baltic state. It means that some have boots on the ground, there are weapons from others, and more. The central question is partners' "willingness and desire to be guarantors" of security in Ukraine. In turn, Ukraine can offer itself as the Eastern shield of Europe.