Good Evening,
It's Monday, May 20th. |
Iran’s Presidential Void
The deaths of Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, and foreign minister leave the country without two influential leaders at a particularly tumultuous moment of international tension and domestic discontent, as the NYT reports. |
ICC Seeks Arrests of Netanyahu and Sinwar
The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s defense minister, and the leaders of Hamas, an unprecedented move against a close U.S. ally, as the WSJ reports. |
Biden, Lawmakers Blast ICC
President Biden and U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle sharply criticized news Monday that the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Israel-Hamas conflict, as The Washington Post reports. |
Executive Education
From production to procurement, explore the defense acquisition process with Mapping the U.S. DOD Acquisition Ecosystem. Join us at CSIS in-person or virtually on May 29 to dive into the requirements process, funding stages, and how the government acquires and maintains capabilities. Register here by May 21. |
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: "Nigeria's Evolving Outlook: New Politics, Old Outcomes" with CSIS's Cameron Hudson. |
In That Number
50
Following the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, must organize elections for a new president within 50 days.
Source: NYT |
Critical Quote
“The ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. And let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence—none—between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”
—U.S. President Joe Biden |
iDeas Lab
China is constructing and expanding hundreds of dual-use villages in the Himalayas along its disputed border with India. Recent satellite imagery of the village of Majiduncun shows newly constructed buildings, well-paved roads, helipads, and a likely PLA or PAP facility. Read the full analysis 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: Azin Haghighi/Moj News Agency/Anadolu/Getty Images.) Search and rescue teams reach the wreckage of the helicopter crash where Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian lost their lives in Iran on May 20, 2024. |
Recommended Reading
“The Impacts of Raisi’s Death” by CSIS's Jon B. Alterman. |
This Town Tomorrow
At 9:30 a.m., the CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program and the CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies join Brookings to unpack U.S.-China collaboration in addressing global food insecurity.
Then, at 12:30 p.m., the Atlantic Council discusses the authoritarian challenge that Russia and its allies pose to the United States, NATO, and the West.
Later, at 5:00 p.m., the Carnegie Endowment analyzes how Russia's neighboring regions have sought to rebalance their relationships with Moscow. |
Video
Today, the CSIS Australia Chair assessed the outcomes and implications of the 2024 Solomon Islands election both domestically and internationally. Watch the full video here. |
Podcasts
CSIS's Gregory C. Allen and Brielle Hill discuss the bipartisan AI policy roadmap led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the U.S.-China AI safety dialogue, and more.
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts. |
Smiles
In folk/roots rock, there aren’t many bands bigger than The Avett Brothers. Their new self-titled album began streaming last Friday, and by Saturday they were showcasing their first new studio album in five years on CBS’s Saturday Sessions. This tune, “Orion’s Belt,” works for me. |
| I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz |
