Gaining Ground

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that Kyiv’s counteroffensive is “gradually gaining ground” as Ukrainian troops fight to reclaim territory from entrenched Russian forces in the country’s east and south, as The Washington Post reports.

Mexico’s Moment

Mexico’s governing party chose Claudia Sheinbaum, a former mayor of Mexico City, as its candidate in next year’s presidential election, creating a watershed moment in the world’s largest Spanish-speaking country, with voters expected to choose for the first time between two leading candidates (the opposition’s candidate is Xóchitl Gálvez) who are women, as the NYT reports.

Dive Deeper: If you want to listen to the best podcast you will ever hear about key developments in Mexico and their impact on the U.S., check out the CSIS podcast “Mexico Matters with Mariana Campero.”

Record Shattering Heat Everywhere

During this summer of dangerous, record-shattering heat, almost no one on Earth escaped climate change-fueled temperatures. Researchers from climate research group Climate Central found that between June and August, 98% of the global population—7.95 billion people—experienced high temperatures made at least twice as likely by climate change, as CNN reports.

Executive Education

Beyond the Battlefield: Global Implications of Russia's War in Ukraine breaks down how the February 2022 invasion and concomitant sanctions have been altering national and regional security in Russia, Europe, and the United States.

Audio Briefs

CSIS experts give short, spoken-word summaries on the biggest takeaways from their latest reports, white papers, and commentaries—in their own words.

Listen here: "A Wolf in Ship’s Clothing" with CSIS's Alexander Palmer

In That Number

4

China’s exports to the rest of the world have dropped for four straight months as of August, bringing little relief to the country from a deepening economic malaise and weighing on the global trade outlook.
Source: WSJ

Critical Quote

“Putin right now, shows no evidence that he is interested in any meaningful diplomacy.”

—Secretary of State Antony Blinken

iDeas Lab

The European Union has already met its November energy security target, as European natural gas inventories have reached 90 percent of capacity.

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: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images.) U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmygal during a visit to a hydroelectric plant in Kyiv, Ukraine, on September 7, 2023.

This Town Next Week

On Monday, at 1:00 p.m., the CSIS Korea Chair hosts its annual strategic dialogue with the Korea National Diplomatic Academy to discuss the next 70 years of the U.S.-ROK alliance.

On Tuesday, at 10:00 a.m., the CSIS International Security Program hosts Dennis Eger, OSINT Defense Intelligence Senior Leader, and Shawn Nilius, Director, Army OSINT Office, to discuss a rigorous approach to open source.

Also on Tuesday, at 2:00 p.m., the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development holds a discussion on water access and security, in partnership with United States Agency for International Development.

Video

Last week, CSIS hosted NSC Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Dr. Kurt Campbell, Ambassador Tomita Koji of Japan, and Ambassador Cho Hyundong of South Korea to discuss the recent trilateral summit at Camp David. Watch the full video here .

Podcasts

CSIS’s Gracelin Baskaran and Joseph Majkut join the podcast to discuss why the U.S. should elevate the role of critical minerals for achieving the energy transition, spurring economic development, and strengthening national security.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Thanks for all of your notes about Jimmy Buffett and Robbie Robertson. A bunch of you also wrote me about the Scorsese film of The Band’s last performance with its original members, “The Last Waltz.” There were so many outstanding performances during this show by The Band and their famous friends. And the concert footage was captured with a dramatic flair that I don’t think has ever been equaled. It’s hard to say which is my favorite part of the film—The Band with Muddy Waters, The Band with Van Morrison, and The Band with Neil Young and Joni Mitchell stand out. But for me, Bob Dylan and The Band stands above.

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, Ava Rose, and Lauren Adler.