Aspen European Dialogue
The project, launched in the early 1990s, aims to develop proposals for Europe’s political future. Over the years it has addressed such strategic issues as the enlargement of the economic union and has launched the search for a common language in such areas as federalism, the single currency, market flexibility and exchange rate stability. Over time, the debate has tended to focus more directly on the governance of the continent, on energy transition and, on a broader level, on Europe’s strategic autonomy.
Aspen Transatlantic Dialogue
The Aspen Transatlantic Dialogue, another keystone in the Institute’s international activities, concentrates on relations between the two sides of the Atlantic, with particular reference to global balances and to economic, security and defense scenarios. The program, which was set up in 2000, focuses on the historical development of relations between the United States and Europe and on the structure of the global political system’s governance. Another crucial focal point in the transatlantic relationship is the debate on NATO, not simply as a military alliance but as a set of values that defines the West.
Assessing risk: business in global disorder
Geopolitical risk is a key theme in an increasingly interconnected and global world in which businesses and institutions need to boost their awareness of change in international balances.
Marta Dassù, Pier Carlo Padoan, Giulio Tremonti
Disruptive events such as the recent spate of financial and political crises illustrate the speed at which the status quo can deteriorate and trigger knock-on effects worldwide. Major shocks such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine spark profound crises in international relations and have a devastating impact on trade, on value chains and on supply security. The Assessing Risk series is devoted to these themes, and serves to analyze in considerable depth both the risks involved and their implications for the economic and financial world from the standpoint of both large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises.
Ilaria Capua
The European destiny of Ukraine
Aspen Forum Italy-France
The relationship between Italy and France is built on a shared history and on strong economic and cultural ties. Recent proof of this is provided by the Quirinale Treaty which, among other things, also opens up new opportunities for cooperation in such strategic areas as energy, telecommunications and defense. The Aspen Forum provides an opportunity to create bilateral cooperation in the financial and industrial sectors, with a view to generating economies of scale and to boosting both countries’ ability to compete at the European and global levels.
Aspen-China Dialogue
Ten years after the conclusion of the “China, Europe, US Trialogue” project, the Institute revived the exchange of ideas and knowledge with the Chinese Party School – now the School of Public Administration – in 2020. The debates focus on future generations’ interests and on the need for broader cooperation in order to develop a global economy that is not only fairer but also more sustainable and more environmentally friendly.
The launch of this multiannual program includes cooperation with Peking University’s Public Policy Forum International. The aim is to analyze the impact of such disruptive events as war, pandemic and climate change on global balances.
Aspen and science
Aspen Global Initiative in Favor of Pure Science
This initiative, launched in 2020, consists of a joint, shared effort involving all the Aspen Institutes in the world. The goal is to place pure science at the heart of public and private policies, alerting political and economic decision-makers to the importance of investment in this field.
Research and debate in each country’s Aspen Institute has spawned a report entitled “The Aspen Global Report in Favor of Pure Science”. This document sets out to enhance the current status of basic science worldwide by establishing a forum for discussion involving scientists, experts and institutions and by offering suggestions as to how to sustain and promote research at the international level.
Ethics and Artificial Intelligence
Aspen Institute Italia’s long-term project on the theme of Ethics and Artificial Intelligence led, in 2021, to the organization of a major annual meeting in Venice. These conferences are held in conjunction with Italian and international research institutes and businesses as well as with other institutes in the Aspen Network. The project aims to define, alongside research and industrial policies and activities, a guaranteed, reliable and efficient ethical approach to the use of AI. The underlying conviction is that ethics is the factor that can facilitate this industrial transformation while averting social conflict.
Women Empowerment
While women have made progress in most walks of life, from education and health to access to employment, the path to financial and economic equality in political governance is still a long and arduous one. Women responsible for decisions at the global level remain only a small percentage of the world’s decision-makers, yet at a time of epic social challenges they represent a crucial resource for managing the changes taking place. The goal of this program, set up in 2012, is to focus on women’s role in politics, in diplomacy and in society as an indispensable piece of the puzzle in the drive for fairer and more sustainable growth.
