In looking ahead to the upcoming month, we’re excited to host two discussions in Washington, DC, on April 3. Former World Bank President Robert Zoellick will discuss Developments in the International Economy with the Peterson Institute for International Economics’ Steven Weisman. The lunchtime event is part of the Washington Ideas Roundtable series at the Aspen Institute.
Later that evening, at the National Archives, the Aspen Around Town Series will convene five former White House chiefs of staff for “An Inside View” of managing the Executive Office of the President. During a discussion moderated by CNN’s senior political analyst David Gergen, the former chiefs—Donald Rumsfeld, Ken Duberstein, Mack McLarty, John Podesta and Joshua Bolten—representing four presidents, will reflect on 38 years of the presidency. Read more about the discussion, and watch the full video on the Aspen Around Town website.
In anticipation of the events, we’ve gathered our top reads on several of our guests’ timely opinions.
Robert Zoellick: “Trans-Atlantic Trade, ‘We Need a New Structure for the Global System,'” Spiegel Online, March 25
“My view of governance is that the sole purpose is not to be re-elected. You are there to do things. Sometimes you have to take unpopular steps.”
John Podesta: “Obama Should Lift Secrecy on Drones,” Washington Post, March 13
“The Obama administration is wrong to withhold these documents from Congress and the American people. I say this as a former White House chief of staff who understands the instinct to keep sensitive information secret and out of public view. It is beyond dispute that some information must be closely held to protect national security and to engage in effective diplomacy, and that unauthorized disclosure can be extraordinarily harmful. But protecting technical means, human sources, operational details and intelligence methods cannot be an excuse for creating secret law to guide our institutions.”
Moderator David Gergen on our political system and what to do about it.
Minnesota Public Radio, March 1
“We must get back on track and show the world that the American model really works.”
We’ll post full videos after each event.
