Ramadan Begins with No Cease-Fire

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan started Monday without the cease-fire deal in Gaza that the White House had hoped would be in place. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was committed to his country’s plan to attack the southern Gazan city of Rafah, after President Biden said that such an offensive would cross a “red line,” as The Washington Post reports.

India Adds Firepower

India has successfully conducted the maiden flight test of an indigenously developed ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday, a development that enhances the country’s nuclear deterrence against rivals China and Pakistan, as the WSJ reports.

Blinken to Meet on Haiti

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to meet with Caribbean leaders in Jamaica on Monday as part of an urgent push to solve the spiraling crisis in Haiti, while pressure grows on Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign or agree to a transitional council, as the AP reports.

Executive Education

Looking to unpack the defense priorities of FY25 without needing to decrypt complicated jargon and dig through lengthy reports? Join CSIS experts on April 16 for Inside DOD’s FY 2025 Budget to explore the most important strategic priorities, acquisition program changes and major budget movements for your organization. Register here by April 2.

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: "China Outpacing U.S. Defense Industrial Base" with CSIS's Seth G. Jones.

In That Number

2 million

A ship set sail on Sunday carrying equipment to build a floating pier on Gaza’s coast, part of a Biden administration effort that could deliver as many as two million meals a day for the residents of Gaza.
Source: NYT

Critical Quote

“The more we allow the gang members to take over the country and be successful in their plans, the bigger security risk that we have to our country.”

—U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL)

iDeas Lab

China’s mounting influence in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has raised concerns in U.S. policy circles, particularly regarding the possibility that Chinese activities could be contributing to democratic backsliding in the LAC. Watch the full video 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: Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu/Getty Images.) A Ukrainian soldier crouches in a trench in his infantry position as the Russia-Ukraine war continues toward Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine on March 10, 2024.

This Town Tomorrow

At 10:30 a.m., the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program unpacks the future of investment in critical minerals.

Later, at 2:00 p.m., the CSIS Renewing American Innovation Project discusses the National Semiconductor Technology Center called for under the CHIPS Act.

Earlier, at 9:30 a.m., Brookings reflects on the past decade and the uncertain future of European defense policy.

Video

Today, the CSIS Australia Chair welcomed Australian, British, and U.S. army chiefs for a conversation on land power's contribution to AUKUS Pillar 2. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll chairman Mark Penn joins the podcast to discuss the results of his February poll on U.S. attitudes toward Israel and Hamas.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

I loved seeing the Tedeschi Trucks Band last Thursday at the Warner Theatre here in D.C. Derek Trucks, the band’s guitarist, is the nephew of the late Butch Trucks, drummer and a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. It was astonishing watching Derek play the guitar live. At one point, I sent friends a text saying, “this must have been what it was like seeing Duane Allman.” I know some of my friends who actually saw Duane may disagree, but any way you look at it, Derek Trucks is a guitar master.

The biggest moment of the night came when opening act Duane Betts took the stage with Tedeschi Trucks. Duane Betts, son of Allman Brothers guitarist and founding member Dickey Betts, is a serious guitarist in his own right. Named after his fathers’s late bandmate Duane Allman, Duane Betts is a force.

Watch this audience video clip of Derek Trucks and Duane Betts trading guitar parts on the Allman Brothers classic, “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” a song written by Dickey Betts. There is real alchemy and family history here.

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 by Lauren Adler, Ava Rose, and the External Relations team.