The Evening: Hostage Talks, Protecting Civilians, Cat Power, and More

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Good Evening,

It's Monday, December 18th.

Hostage Talks

The C.I.A. director, William J. Burns, met in Warsaw on Monday with Israeli and Qatari officials for talks aimed at restarting hostage and prisoner exchanges, as the NYT reports

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Protecting Civilians in Gaza

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin—in a joint news conference in Tel Aviv with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant—said Monday that “protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza is both a moral duty and strategic imperative,” as The Washington Post reports

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Suez Canal

Many of the world’s biggest shipping lines, oil producers, and other cargo owners are diverting vessels from transiting through the main route to the Suez Canal, citing security concerns from Houthi rebel attacks in the area, as the WSJ reports

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Executive Education

Taiwan in the Balance

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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.

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: "On Track: Space and Airborne Sensors for Hypersonic Missile Defense

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" with CSIS's Masao Dahlgren.

In That Number

2 percent

The price of a barrel of Brent crude was up more than 2 percent after the announcement Monday by BP that the company would pause all shipments through the Red Sea due to attacks on oil ships by anti-Israel Houthi militants.

Source: The Washington Post

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Critical Quote

“We’re concerned about the tyranny of the clock. Every minute that passes … is a minute that they’re in harm’s way. … We have to assume that these people are being held in horrific conditions. … We are absolutely mindful of the sense of urgency here.”

—John Kirby, National Security Council spokesman

iDeas Lab

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A new CSIS report, Deep Blue Scars: Environmental Threats to the South China Sea

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, unpacks a hidden crisis unfolding in the South China Sea. Commercial satellite imagery analysis by the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative reveals the approximate total area of coral reefs destroyed by China, Vietnam, and other claimants in the region.

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: Anatolii Stepanov/Getty Images.) Local residents clean debris in a courtyard of a house destroyed as a result of a drone attack in Tairove, Odesa region, Ukraine, on December 17, 2023.

Recommended Reading

“What Does Destroying Hamas Mean?

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” by CSIS's Daniel Byman and David Aliberti.

This Town Upcoming

Tomorrow, at 2:00 p.m.

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, the CSIS Africa Program hosts a conversation with the Prime Minister of Niger to discuss managing great power competition and the government’s plan to return to democracy.

​​​​​​Earlier tomorrow, at 10:00 a.m.

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, Brookings holds a discussion on the foreign policies of key global actors to analyze the international aspects of the Middle East crisis.

On Wednesday, at 1:00 p.m.

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, the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program discusses the status of further Western military and financial aid to Ukraine, and the impact a lack of additional assistance would have on the battlefield.

Video

This afternoon, the CSIS Missile Defense Project hosted a launch of their new report, Getting On Track: Space and Airborne Sensors for Hypersonic Missile Defense

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, with a panel discussion featuring John D. Hill, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space and Missile Defense. Watch the full video here.

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Podcasts

CSIS’s Jon Alterman and Washington Post columnist Jason Rezaian, who serve as executive directors of the CSIS Commission on Hostage Taking and Wrongful Detention, join the podcast to discuss the ongoing hostage situation in Gaza, lessons from the Israel-Hamas hostage deal, and how global thought and policymaking regarding hostage situations should evolve.

Listen on Spotify

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& Apple Podcasts

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Smiles

Last week while I was writing about Bob Dylan’s rare and unreleased tracks, I got wise to a new record by Chan Marshall, who goes by the stage name “Cat Power.” Marshall is an alt-rock star from the 1990s who continues to make interesting music. So, I was interested to learn that she has a new live record out, “Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert.” This is not a project without ambition. After all, Dylan’s May 17, 1966 performance was among the most seminal of his career. It’s the famous show where an audience member yells “Judas” at Dylan, for betraying his folk rock audience and pursuing electric rock and roll.



Marshall recreates the ’66 show and Dylan’s set list song by song, culminating with “Like a Rolling Stone.” I love what Marshall’s done. No one could recreate the power of Dylan’s snarling 1966 assault on the folk generation. But Cat Power has assembled a terrific band, her vocals are cool, and the music is exciting again in a fresh new way

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I invite you to email me at [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz

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The Evening is my daily guide to key insights CSIS brings to the events of the day. It is composed by Lauren Adler, Ava Rose, and the External Relations team.

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