Good Evening,
It's Monday, November 20th.
Note: The Evening will be “gone fishin’” until Monday, November 27th. We wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! |
Israel Shifts to Tougher Phase
Israel is shifting the focus of its military campaign to southern Gaza, where it will likely face the hardest stage of the six-week-old war as it seeks to crush Hamas and recover hostages amid a deepening humanitarian crisis, as the WSJ reports. |
Right-Wing Populist Milei to Lead Argentina
What many deemed impossible just months ago is reality: Right-wing populist Javier Milei resoundingly won Argentina’s presidency, as the AP reports. |
OpenAI’s In Chaos
The future of OpenAI was thrown into chaos Monday after nearly all employees at the artificial intelligence company threatened to quit and join ousted chief executive Sam Altman at Microsoft, as The Washington Post reports. |
Executive Education
Taiwan in the Balance is an opportunity to gain a comprehensive framework for understanding the dynamics at play in one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints. With this 1.5 day course, go beyond the headlines to explore the latest trends and developments impacting cross-Strait relations and heightened tensions in the region. Register by January 25. |
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: "Methane Reductions in Oil and Gas, Agriculture, and Waste" with CSIS's Allegra Dawes. |
In That Number
$40 billion
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Kyiv on Monday offering reassurance to Ukrainian leaders that American aid—which currently totals over $40 billion—will continue despite mounting opposition from Congress and battlefield setbacks against Russian troops.
Source: The Washington Post |
Critical Quote
“Today is the end to Argentine decadence.”
—Javier Milei, Argentinian president-elect |
iDeas Lab
Last week, CSIS's Noam Unger discussed the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE) with representatives from The White House, the U.S. Department of State, USAID, and the private sector. Watch the ReCap here.
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: Tomas Cuesta/Getty Images.) Newly elected President of Argentina Javier Milei of right-wing party La Libertad Avanza celebrates with his sister, Karina Milei, after the polls closed in the presidential runoff on November 19, 2023, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. |
Recommended Reading
“Submarine Diplomacy: A Snapshot of China's Influence along the Bay of Bengal” by CSIS’s Matthew P. Funaiole, Brian Hart, Aidan Powers-Riggs, and Jennifer Jun. |
This Town Next Week
On Tuesday, at 1:00 p.m., CSIS hosts Rep. French Hill for a House Intelligence Committee Beyond the SCIF discussion on Chinese economic forecasting and its relevance to understanding China's foreign policy.
On Friday, at 8:30 a.m., the CSIS Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies unpacks how integrating renewable energy and energy efficiency measures can help India meet 2030 energy goals.
Also on Friday, at 10:30 a.m., the CSIS Americas Program and Project on Prosperity and Development discuss democratic backsliding in Nicaragua and the role of the Catholic Church and faith-based society. |
Video
The CSIS Scholl Chair in International Business discussed the upcoming WTO's 13th Ministerial Conference with Deputy United States Trade Representative and Chief of Mission in Geneva María L. Pagán and former United States Trade Representative Susan Schwab. Watch the full video here. |
Podcasts
Israeli Brigadier General Asssaf Orion, who served in the IDF for over 30 years and is now on reserve duty, joins the podcast to discuss the events of October 7 and the Israeli response.
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts. |
Smiles
A couple of days ago, Bob Dylan released “The Complete Budokan 1978,” which chronicles Dylan’s historic concerts at Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo. Of course, this is an expanded version of Dylan’s almost universally panned double album “Bob Dylan at Budokan,” which came out in 1979. To be honest, I didn’t understand why Dylan wanted to revisit this live material. Far from the barrelhouse live Dylan recordings such as “Hard Rain” and “Before the Flood,” or the Bootleg Series releases like “Rolling Thunder Review” and “Trouble No More,” “Dylan at Budokan” is a tame album that most critics hated. It’s Dylan dramatically reinterpreting many of his standards with a jazzy backing band that featured the late LA session man Steve Douglas on saxophone and flute. I’ll say that again, “flute.” For me, a version of “All Along The Watchtower” performed
with a flute doesn’t cut it.
So, when my cousin called me the other day to ask if I had leaned into “The Complete Budokan 1978,” I told him I hadn’t but planned to. Normally, I am awaiting new Dylan drops anxiously, but this one was something I was lazy about.
Eventually, as in today, I did start listening. I’m glad that I did. While “Complete Budokan” isn’t a record that I am going to go back to again and again (I still don’t dig “Watchtower” complete with flute), the arrangements that Dylan reworked are at times striking and powerful. A couple of tracks stand out to me. “Going, Going, Gone” from ’74’s “Planet Waves” is excellent with a different arrangement. But the track that really moved me is Dylan’s redo of the sacred “Blonde On Blonde” tune “One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)”. |
| I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz |
