Turkey Runoff

Turkey’s nail-biter election will go to a runoff, election officials announced on Monday, extending a pivotal vote that has demonstrated that the incumbent, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is still a formidable political force, despite his failure to secure a first-round victory, as the NYT reports.

Thailand Stunner

Following a stunning election victory in which they together captured a majority of seats in the House of Representatives, Thailand’s top two opposition parties began planning Monday for the next stage in their bid to replace the military-dominated government, as the AP reports.

China Sentences American to Life in Prison for Espionage

Chinese authorities said they sentenced an American citizen to life in prison on espionage charges, in a case that could further strain relations between Beijing and Washington, as the WSJ reports.

Executive Education

Expand your knowledge of American trade policy and politics with Crash Course: Trade Policy with the Trade Guys. This Crash Course is a two-day, online seminar for public and private sector professionals interested in learning more about international trade matters.

Video Shorts

Check out CSIS’s new series of video shorts: “The Recap,” “Data Unpacked,” “Testify,” “What's Happening,” “Preview,” and “High Resolution.” And don’t forget to subscribe to the CSIS YouTube Channel!

In That Number

49.5%

Ahmet Yener, the chairman of the Supreme Election Board, said that as of Monday morning, Erdogan had received 49.5 percent of the vote, to Kilicdaroglu’s 44.9 percent, Turkish media outlets reported. Neither candidate had passed the 50 percent threshold needed to win in the first round.

Source: The Washington Post

Critical Quote

“In my political life, I’ve always respected your decision. I expect the same democratic maturity from everyone.”

—Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

iDeas Lab

While policymakers in the United States commit to strengthening production of the most advanced chips, they risk overlooking another major vulnerability in the country's supply of less advanced, “legacy" chips.

The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.

Optics

(Photo credit: Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images.) Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky talk during a joint press conference in the garden at Chequers, northwest of London, on May 15, 2023.

This Town Tomorrow

At 10:00 a.m., the CSIS Freeman Chair and the CSIS Economics Program discuss how Chinese scholars and policymakers assess the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions.

Also, at 10:00 a.m., Carnegie hosts a discussion on the changing geopolitics and new security challenges in the Middle East and North Africa.

Later, 1:30 p.m., the Atlantic Council holds a conversation on the state of development within U.S.-German and transatlantic relations.

Video

Today, the CSIS Australia Chair held a conversation on Australia's recently released Defence Strategic Review. Watch the event here.

Podcasts

Tatsuya Terazawa, chairman and CEO of The Institute of Energy Economics Japan, joins CSIS's Jane Nakano to discuss key energy and climate issues on the G7 agenda.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

May 8, 1977, is an important date for Grateful Dead fans, marking perhaps their most famous concert. The performance that day at Cornell University’s Barton Hall is just one of some 2,300 shows the Dead played during their 30 years on tour but it stands out for its superior audio quality, set list, and spirited musicianship. It’s so good that in 2011, the recording was selected for inclusion in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.

Last Monday, Dead & Company returned to Barton Hall to play a benefit concert for MusiCares and the Cornell 2030 Project. The show wasn’t a recreation of Cornell ’77, but the band did perform seven songs from the set list 45 years ago. Here’s one of the best from Cornell ‘23.

I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz

The Evening is my daily guide to key insights CSIS brings to the events of the day. It is composed with the External Relations team: Paige Montfort, Claire Dannenbaum, and Ava Rose.