The Evening: UN Votes on Gaza, Shipping on Edge, Run Rudolph Run, and More

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Good Evening,

It's Tuesday, December 19th.

Security Council Searching for a Gaza Vote that U.S. Won’t Veto

The UN Security Council struggled Tuesday to come up with a resolution that will stop the fighting in Gaza—at least for long enough to implement an effective flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave—but that would not be vetoed by the United States, as The Washington Post reports

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U.S. Leads Bid to Secure Red Sea, but Shipping Firms Remain on Edge

Hours after the U.S. announced a multinational task force to protect commercial traffic through the Red Sea, shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk said it would send its vessels around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa instead. And, as the WSJ reports

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, the message was clear: Shipping firms, oil companies and insurers remain jittery about a possible snarl to one of the world’s most crucial trade routes.

Zelensky Confident in U.S. Support

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday he’s certain the United States will make good on its promise to provide billions of dollars in further aid for Kyiv to continue its fight against Russia, and he bluntly replied “No,” to a question about whether his country might lose the war, as the AP

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reports.

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: "Experts React: Decoding COP28's Impact and Outcomes

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" with CSIS's Joseph Majkut, Ben Cahill, Gracelin Baskaran, Jane Nakano, Mathias Zacarias, Cy McGeady, and Janet M. Whittaker.

In That Number

40 percent

40 percent of Asia-Europe trade normally passes through the Red Sea, giving cargo ship attacks by anti-Israel Houthi militants the potential to cause major economic impacts.

Source: AP

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Critical Quote

“Many of the largest shipping companies in the world have elected to avoid the Red Sea entirely.”

—Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III

iDeas Lab

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As Congress argues about funding aid to Ukraine, Ukrainian military capabilities decline. New CSIS analysis

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of U.S. aid to Ukraine shows the monthly drawdown authority provided by Congress alongside equipment acquisition funding from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

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

Optics

(Photo by Kristinn Magnusson/AFP/Getty Images.) Molten lava coming out from a fissure on the Reykjanes peninsula, 3 kilometers north of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland, on December 19, 2023.

Recommended Reading

“North Korea Warns with the Fifth ICBM Test

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” by CSIS’s Victor Cha and Ellen Kim.

This Town Upcoming

Tomorrow, 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.

On January 16, at 8:00 a.m.

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, the CSIS Asia Program hosts the 2024 Indo-Pacific Forecast to preview of economic, political, and security developments across the region.

On January 18, at 10:00 a.m.

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, the CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues welcomes Pranay Vaddi, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Arms Control, Disarmament, and Nonproliferation at the National Security Council.

Video

Today, the CSIS Africa Program was joined by H.E. Ali Lamine Zeine, Prime Minister of Niger, for a discussion on how Niger is managing great power competition, the government’s plan to stabilize the economy and return to democracy, and the role of the Prime Minister in the military government. Watch the full video here.

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Podcasts

CSIS's Mariana Campero speaks with General Atlantic's Martín Escobari and Luis Cervantes about the factors that have contributed to the emergence of an important entrepreneurial ecosystem in Latin America and what barriers are still hindering its future potential.

Listen on Spotify

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& Apple Podcasts

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Smiles

It’s the time of year when Christmas music is booming from sound systems everywhere you go. I LOVE IT. Over the next couple of days, I’ll play some of my favorites, starting with this

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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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Connect w/ H. Andrew Schwartz



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