In this eight-week series, participants gather to discuss key foreign policy issues facing the world today. Led by volunteer moderators, participants will engage in moderated discussions with their fellow citizens. This year’s series will be held in person at the Aspen Meadows.
Thursdays from 6:00-8:00 p.m. beginning Thursday, January 16, running through Thursday, March 6 in the Koch Building at the Aspen Institute.
Fee: $285, includes all sessions, readings, and light refreshments. Scholarships available. Registration will open in early November. Please subscribe to our newsletter for the latest information on our ACP programming and registration dates – sign up here.
For more information email acp@aspeninstitute.org.
Great Decisions 2025 Topics:
American Foreign Policy at a Crossroads
This chapter will explore the contours of the U.S. foreign policy debate as it is playing out in a world of multiple and escalating crises and domestic polarization.
U.S. Changing Leadership of the World Economy
Under President Biden, the U.S. has advanced new ideas about trade, technology, industrial policy, competition with China, and the organization of the world economy. For most of the postwar era, the U.S. has tied its global leadership to cooperative agendas aimed at creating a more open world trading system, but that has apparently come to an end. What are America’s options and opportunities as a leader of the world economy? How will America’s “foreign policy for the middle class” and strategic competition with China impact its leadership role? How can the postwar rules and institutions of the world economy be made safe for economic nationalism and great power competition?
U.S.-China Relations
Washington’s relations with Beijing have reached an ominous low ebb. Both American political parties have identified China as the country’s preeminent geopolitical challenger and, in the eyes of many, a systemic threat. What is driving this deterioration of Sino-American relations, and what are America’s strategic options in the face of Chinese power and ambition?
International Cooperation on Climate Change
The 2015 Paris Agreement established a UN-sponsored framework for negotiations on climate change and global warming. In subsequent COP meetings, experts and political leaders have come together seeking common cause of this growing global crisis. What is the future of these efforts, and what has it yielded? What is the U.S. role in fostering cooperation on climate change? In a divided country, what is the range of possible futures for American policy leadership?
The Future of NATO and European Security
European security is more uncertain than it has been for decades. Putin’s Russia has launched a war with Ukraine on its doorstep, and America’s uncertain role as leader of NATO and security provider has been called into question with the failure of Congress to pass supplemental military support for Ukraine. What are Europe’s options and how might developments on both sides of Western Europe – in Ukraine and across the Atlantic – impact its choices? What are America’s stakes in NATO and Europe’s strategic dilemmas?
AI and American National Security
The AI revolution is the leading edge of a larger high-tech revolution that promises to transform the world. Experts argue that international cooperation is needed to expand the opportunities that these new technologies hold while protecting societies from their dangers. What are the key policy debates in this area, and what are the opportunities and limits on global AI rules of the road? How will the AI revolution impact American national security? What are its policy options to secure the benefits of AI and guide against its dangers?
India: Between China, the West, and the Global South
India is an emerging major power in world affairs, occupying a pivotal position between China, the United States, and the Global South. Its population size, economy, and geopolitical location ensure that it will be an influential voice in debates and political struggles over global order. What are India’s choices and opportunities for regional and global leadership? How will it maneuver between China and the United States, and what is its role as a voice of the Global South? What opportunities exist for Washington to work with India?
After Gaza: American Policy in the Middle East
The war in Gaza has brought the region to a crossroads. What are the possible outcomes of the war, and how might the United States use its influence to shape a long-term settlement that leaves both Israel and the Palestinians in a better position? How might Arab states in the wider region be brought into a settlement? What are America’s interests in the Middle East and how can it advance them?