World
Diplomacy
![Global Affairs](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/44bccdbd-af20-4238-accc-18fd46aba397/GettyImages-959876146.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1423%2C0%2C2833%2C2832&w=290)
The war in Ukraine continues to reshape European security and global alliances, while the war in Gaza raises urgent questions about humanitarian aid and international intervention. Is there any end in sight to these conflicts? What strategies can be employed to uphold human rights and promote democratic values? How can trade policies and economic alliances be leveraged to...
![The African Century](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/bdb124db-886c-4221-854e-1e6893bfb3be/53824085325_aa02dd6d1f_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=0%2C775%2C3101%2C3101&w=290)
Africa is a rising giant. By 2050, one in four people on the planet will be African, and by 2060, Africa will have the largest labor force in the world. A former Nigerian presidential candidate, a South African political analyst, and a scholar on African economic development discuss what this demographic explosion means for the continent — and the world.
![Putin's Dark Ambitions](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/481f31c4-6bd2-406a-8490-b3d6e1256186/53821056506_5ddc4af828_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=808%2C0%2C3101%2C3101&w=290)
With the war in Ukraine in its third year, Putin shows no sign of tempering his military ambitions. Though global pressure on Russian investment has so far failed to crush the Russian autocrat, exiled anti-corruption crusaders and supporters of the late opposition leader Aleksei Navalny continue to expose the lies and thievery of the Putin regime.
![World On Fire: The Root Causes of Populism, Authoritarianism and The Whole Global Mess](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/4700f9bb-c301-465b-8b69-e45f7b40c4c4/53821548735_330bf43d6d_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=775%2C0%2C3101%2C3101&w=290)
Right-wing populism is surging worldwide, in places as diverse as India, the Netherlands, Argentina, France and the United States. What are the cultural and social forces driving this global storm? How can the forces of liberal democracy, diversity and pluralism reverse the tide?
![The Future of the Middle East: A Leader Reflects](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/0c13e8ec-4a83-4eda-a2ea-09918fd9b959/53818040274_b065f2a48f_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=2000%2C0%2C4000%2C4000&w=290)
The October 7 attack by Hamas and the devastating nine-month war in Gaza have shattered hopes for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and reduced the likelihood of expanding existing peace treaties. But with greater engagement from regional players and their allies, could progress be possible?
![Unfreedom of the Press](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/5fd59d79-ac11-435a-ad5a-ef27610dd2ac/53816160140_43f14d0363_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1961%2C0%2C3923%2C3923&w=290)
As repressive regimes clamp down on the press, they are now targeting media owners. China shut Hong Kong’s Apple Daily and locked up owner Jimmy Lai. Guatemala’s El Periódico founder José R. Zamora has faced lawsuits and been jailed for two years. The sons of Lai and Zamora and Lai’s attorney discuss the international campaigns to free these two courageous truth tellers.
![Israeli and Palestinian Voices of Peace](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/8f29aae5-8ee6-4f6e-8207-d17b6f926534/53817303164_89f02f2cd9_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=775%2C0%2C3101%2C3101&w=290)
Across the chasm of anger that is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, some families who have lost loved ones have found common cause in their grief. Hear from those who eschew revenge and are fighting for peace.
![Without Just Cause: Political Prisoners and the Fight to Free Them](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/ea2092ba-4963-4f06-b563-03dca82545a1/53815123515_70dd93c8a5_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1442%2C0%2C3101%2C3101&w=290)
Over 1 million people globally are held as political prisoners. Two of the leading human rights attorneys working to release captives of authoritarian regimes and the mother of an American journalist kidnapped and killed by terrorists raise awareness about the struggles to win freedom for prisoners often forgotten.
![U.S. and China: Edging Toward the Brink?](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/943730a2-8e34-4055-9c2c-0a5240fdbb66/53814688170_78f709527e_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C5504%2C5504&w=290)
Niall Ferguson, the celebrated historian who predicted Cold War II in 2018, has assembled the sharpest minds from both sides of the Bamboo Curtain for a discussion on the future of U.S.-China relations.
![Age of Uncertainty: Imagining a New World Order](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/7a70eaba-091b-47e7-ac08-db9065e35461/AIFStockHeroImages5.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1312%2C0%2C3375%2C3375&w=290)
The international community faces unprecedented threats. What will geopolitical arrangements look like going forward? Is it time to rethink America’s relationship with China? What are NATO’s strengths — and vulnerabilities? How can we protect free and independent press around the world?
![Aif Stock Hero Images 6](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/25b71c5a-ab30-475e-8a99-5a088acb9f9e/AIFStockHeroImages6.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=400&mono=4b7780&q=80&rect=1099%2C0%2C3377%2C3375&w=400)
![Aif Stock Hero Images 6](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/25b71c5a-ab30-475e-8a99-5a088acb9f9e/AIFStockHeroImages6.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=400&q=80&rect=1099%2C0%2C3377%2C3375&w=400)
Populations around the world have been electing more and more autocratic leaders in the past couple decades, via supposedly free, fair, and democratic elections. The freedom of the press is being impinged upon in many places, and fear, outrage and misinformation are often taking the place of reasoned debate. Minority populations in some countries are increasingly oppressed...
![Best of the Fest 2023](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/6c08dbbd-baac-4551-ba58-5a85fbde876b/52998635322_8bfd619a41_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1808%2C0%2C4640%2C4640&w=290)
At the 2023 Aspen Ideas Festival, we dug into some of the most important and fascinating issues of our time, from rebuilding trust in our institutions and the promise and peril of A.I. to the ingredients of a good life and the emerging geopolitical order — plus so much more!
![Wicked Problem: The Challenge of China](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/903695eb-0859-441e-b93e-b17f6411a050/53014373973_4704681ee8_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1376%2C0%2C5504%2C5504&w=290)
In this new Aspen Ideas format, all attendees gather each morning to kick off the day by exploring a current issue of deep complexity. With heightened political tensions and an ongoing trade war, some experts argue that new ways of thinking about America’s relationship with China are necessary. Business leaders point out that we are deeply invested in China, such that n...
![Israel and Palestine: One State or Two?](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/78f16c98-8f9f-49eb-829f-49d54f3fb239/53013905571_4364f58c05_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=843%2C0%2C3984%2C3984&w=290)
With the dream of the Oslo Accords long in the rear-view mirror and no prospect of an agreement between Israelis and Palestinians ahead, is it time to give up on the two-state solution?
![The Cold War in Africa](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/7964b4a8-087c-4d3c-8ec7-073964870e47/53011911914_fa6f2ed236_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1808%2C0%2C4640%2C4640&w=290)
The war in Ukraine has once again highlighted the importance of international alliances, and that is certainly evident on the African continent, where the world’s superpowers are actively engaged in a competition for support and resources. How will this contest play out, what are the stakes, and who stands to gain -- and lose?
![The Future of Israeli Democracy](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/58cbefb5-a092-4096-9db2-a4c1dbb13be0/53012170923_2023f576e0_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=935%2C0%2C3510%2C3510&w=290)
As Israel marks its 75th birthday, the existential challenges it faces don’t only come from geopolitical vulnerabilities. How will the Jewish state confront internal divisions and divergent opinions about threats to its democratic institutions?
![The Dilemmas of Hostage Diplomacy](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/aeffe362-12cf-489e-8e95-b6fd9e7b0cde/53008893562_75b393a9ae_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1376%2C0%2C5504%2C5504&w=290)
Hostage-taking presents nations with a conundrum: How can governments bring their citizens home while also preventing further captures? The United States’s top hostage negotiator, a leading scholar, and a former hostage discuss navigating the difficult waters of hostage diplomacy.
![Afternoon of Conversation](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/a24851c3-3b9b-40cf-8ed0-159d2463a9a3/53006438722_b768442f01_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1376%2C0%2C5504%2C5504&w=290)
The Afternoon of Conversation is the Aspen Ideas Festival's pinnacle programming moment. Over 2,000 people gather in the Benedict Music Tent, an open-air venue with acoustics that mimic an amphitheater, to hear from global leaders, community change-makers, journalists, politicians, and more. Doors open at 2 p.m.
![The Global Swing State: India’s Role in the New World Order](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/a765e2ce-3bae-4062-bab9-5cb7a6e20465/53004430071_7feb26fe36_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1376%2C0%2C5504%2C5504&w=290)
With renewed conflict on the international stage, India’s decades-long policy of nonalignment, together with its surpassing China as the most populous nation, have arguably positioned it to become the world’s newest superpower. To what ends is it harnessing its growing influence and geopolitical independence?
![The Meaning of Friendship: NATO in the Wake of Ukraine](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/7e22c8e9-634b-4b0b-b658-37365c5acf26/53003393567_285d8eef98_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=959%2C0%2C3738%2C3738&w=290)
Ongoing war in Ukraine and the resulting tensions between the West, Russia, and China have made the NATO alliance all the more significant, and yet perhaps more vulnerable. What lies ahead as the alliance’s member nations assess each other’s commitments to their mutual security?