Good Evening,
It's Wednesday, September 27th. |
American Soldier in U.S. Custody After Release From North Korea
An American soldier who fled to North Korea in July was released to U.S. officials in China and flown to a U.S. military base in South Korea, as the WSJ reports. |
Russia’s Frozen Assets
Russian sovereign assets frozen by the west “ought to” be used for Ukraine’s post-war recovery, U.S. president Joe Biden’s special representative for the country’s rebuilding has said, backing one of Kyiv’s central demands, as the FT reports. |
Wagner Back in Ukraine Action
Mercenaries from the Russian Wagner Group are back fighting on the front line in Ukraine, as Politico 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, on the European continent, 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: “Whose Water Is It Anyway” with CSIS's Natasha Hall. |
In That Number
$2.24 trillion
Global military spending rose in 2022 to a record high of $2.24 trillion, due in part to the United States and European nations sending billions of dollars worth of equipment to Ukraine.
Source: WSJ |
Critical Quote
“Fundamentally, if I were to say not from a legal standpoint, but from an ethical and moral standpoint, given the destruction that the Russians have caused to Ukraine, you know, they ought to be contributing to the recovery of Ukraine.”
—Penny Pritzker, U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery |
 iDeas Lab
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Congress passed four spending packages, totaling $113 billion in economic, humanitarian, and military aid.
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: CSIS.) Carlos Garcia Ottati, Founder and CEO of Kavak, Adolfo Babatz, Co-Founder and CEO of Clip, and David Velez, CEO of Nubank, discuss Latin America’s entrepreneurial landscape at CSIS in Washington, DC, on September 27, 2023. |
Recommended Reading
"Modernizing Spectrum Allocation to Ensure U.S. Security in the Twenty-First Century" by CSIS's James Andrew Lewis and Clete Johnson. |
This Town Tomorrow
At 8:45 a.m., the CSIS International Security Program welcomes Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA) for a conversation on the approach Congress has taken to address Chinese political warfare.
Then, at 9:00 a.m., the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development and the CSIS Economics Program host Congressman Andy Kim (D-NJ) for a keynote address on the reauthorization of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and updates to the BUILD Act.
Later, at 3:00 p.m., the CSIS Renewing American Innovation Project analyzes strategies to address the emerging shortage of skilled workers in the semiconductor industry. |
Video
Last week, Secretary Penny Pritzker, U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery, provided keynote remarks as part of the CSIS "Doing Business in Ukraine" conference. Watch her full remarks here. |
Podcasts
Conflict and instability hinder water data collection in the Middle East, which complicates water management strategies that could contribute to more equitable development and sustainable peace.
Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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Smiles
Country star Chris Stapleton’s music often veers toward southern rock. Maybe that’s why I love it so much. Here’s a great cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” by Stapleton and Kings of Leon. |
| I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz |
