Aspen Ideas to Go

Instead of coming together during the pandemic, many Americans have grown farther apart. People are increasingly living in different realities of news, politics, and information, which is putting public health, elections, and democracy at risk. False and misleading information online are partly to blame, says Vivian Schiller, director of Aspen Digital. "Much of this stems from malign actors, some who are driven by profit and others, like foreign intelligence services, strategically weaponize our existing divisions against us." She speaks with Chris Krebs, former head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at the Department of Homeland Security, and Yasmin Green, director of research and development for Jigsaw, about the roots of our broken information ecosystem. aspenideas.org

Imagine a new kind of democracy — one that puts governance back in the hands of the people. This is the idea behind political theorist Hélène Landemore's book Open Democracy. Contemporary representative democracies, like in the United States, are broken, she says, so why not reinvent popular rule? In a conversation with Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, she describes a new paradigm of democracy where a randomly selected assembly of citizens could define an agenda for the polity and make laws. There's much more to it. Learn more from Landemore who's a professor of political science at Yale. aspenideas.org

Cryptocurrency is revolutionizing the global financial system and shaking up our perception of trust. Joseph Lubin, co-founder of Ethereum, says the digital currency’s open-source, decentralized system is the opposite of what we’re used to — a bank-led financial system built in backrooms. “It’s a new kind of trust foundation for the planet,” he says. In a conversation with Gillian Tett, US editor at large of the Financial Times, Lubin talks about the difference between Ethereum and Bitcoin, what Ethereum is doing about its carbon footprint, whether the system is vulnerable to cyber criminals, and why people should trust it. The conversation is wide-ranging and meant for for crypto neophytes and seasoned investors alike. aspenideas.org

As many of us know personally, the coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on mental health. As lockdowns were enacted, loneliness, isolation, and depression increased. Concerns of loved ones dying and fear of contracting the virus affected our well-being. Since April of 2020, about 40 percent of US adults have reported symptoms of depression and anxiety. In 2019, that figure was just 11 percent, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Arthur Brooks, a Harvard business professor and behavioral social scientist, says it's possible to turn post traumatic stress from pandemic into post traumatic growth. He shares how to emerge from the pandemic happier, stronger, and more resilient. aspenideas.org

The American Promise—that all men and women are inherently equal—is not being fulfilled because racism continues to corrode our society. Author and veteran Theodore R. Johnson says what’s need is a more multi-racial national solidarity, and the Black American experience has lessons on how to get there. In his book, When the Stars Begin to Fall: Overcoming Racism and Renewing the Promise of America, Johnson writes that a blueprint for unity can be found in Black Americans’ exceptional citizenship. Even when the Federal Government broke its end of the social contract by returning Black soldiers to slavery after they fought in the Revolutionary War, for example, Black Americans continued to serve their country. Johnson tells Eric Liu, co-founder and CEO of Citizen University, that Black Americans, like other groups that have been oppressed in the nation’s history, have picked up lessons about standing together and fighting back. Liu is also the executive director of the Citizenship and American Identity Program at the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

The emotionally charged trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd was a milestone case in a country whose legal system has historically been resistant to convict officers for alleged abuses. What did it take to break the blue wall of silence, the informal code among police officers protecting their own? Is it possible to get a fair trial and an impartial jury with this degree of pre-publicity? Was this a one-off victory, or a new beginning for increased accountability in law enforcement? In this episode, members of the prosecution team give insiders' views of this historic case. Keith Ellison, attorney general for Minnesota, and Neal Katyal, partner at Hogan Lovells, speak with Joshua Johnson, anchor of “The Week with Joshua Johnson” on MSNBC. aspenideas.org

Insanity can be defined as doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. As a nation, America has cycled through the same defense and intelligence issues since the end of the Cold War. In her book Insanity Defense, Congresswoman Jane Harman chronicles how four administrations have failed to confront some of the toughest national security policy problems and suggests achievable fixes to move America toward a safer future. She joins Nicholas Burns, President Biden's nominee for US Ambassador to China and former senior State Department official, to discuss the book and her experience on the frontlines of American foreign policy. aspenideas.org

Ransomware attacks on Colonial Pipeline and top meat producer, JBS, have catapulted malware into the mainstream. Ransomware isn't a new threat but it's getting significantly worse, say cybersecurity experts. In recent years, thousands of schools, government agencies, healthcare providers, and small businesses have fallen prey to it. The malicious software that's designed to block access to computer systems represents a direct threat to national security, physical and digital infrastructure, and individual wellbeing. Chris Krebs, former director of the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Sean Joyce, former deputy director at the FBI, Kemba Walden, assistant general counsel in Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit, and Raj Samani, chief scientist at McAfee, speak with Nicole Perlroth, cybersecurity reporter at The New York Times about how to combat ransomware attacks. aspenideas.org

People often talk about maintaining their physical health but brain health is an afterthought. It turns out brain fitness at any age heightens and protects brain function and can even prevent brain disease. Sanjay Gupta, author of Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age, Maria Shriver, founder of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, and Natalie Morales, West Coast anchor of NBC’s Today Show, all have personal stories about dementia. In this episode, they talk about why it's important to link lifestyle with brain health in order to live a longer, happier life. aspenideas.org

Award-winning author and playwright Ayad Akhtar grapples with identity and belonging just like the protagonist in his book Homeland Elegies. "In some ways being an outsider has given me a freedom to be able to withstand and bear some of the forced outsiderness. It gives me a perspective," he says. His fictional book, named one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by the New York Times, draws from Akhtar's personal experiences and the political climate in the United States. Through the story of an immigrant father and his son, the book responds to issues of our time like the rise of Donald Trump and the spread of Xenophobia. Akhtar talks with Washington Post book critic Ron Charles about the novel. aspenideas.org