Secret Talks on Iran

The United States is participating in secret talks between the United Arab Emirates and Israel to confront threats posed by Iran, a shared adversary among the three countries, as the NYT’s Lara Jakes and Edward Wong report.

And, as the FT reports, Gibraltar has released an Iranian tanker at the center of a dispute between Britain and the Islamic republic after a court set aside a last-minute U.S. legal bid to seize the vessel.

U.S. Reassures Afghani Military

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan sought to reassure Afghan forces that they still had the full backing of the United States after senior Pentagon officials claimed that the support was being dialed back in preparation for an imminent peace deal with the Taliban, as the NYT’s Mujib Mashal reports.

Dive Deeper: “The State of the Fighting in the Afghan War in Mid-2019,” by CSIS’s Anthony Cordesman.

Israel Bars U.S. Members of Congress

Israel on Thursday barred U.S. Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar from entering the country following pressure from President Trump, prompting backlash from Democrats and American Jewish organizations, as the WSJ’s Felicia Schwartz reports.

China Warns Hong Kong Protestors

Hong Kong braced for more mass protests over the weekend, even as China warned it could use its power to quell demonstrations and President Trump urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet personally with the protesters to defuse weeks of tensions, as Reuters’ Farah Master and Tony Munroe report.

Dive Deeper: “A Tiananmen Solution in Hong Kong?” by Dr. Minxin Pei of Claremont McKenna College.

“The Crisis in Hong Kong: What to Know,” by CFR’s Jerome Cohen.

Enroll for Fall

Now enrolling for the Fall, CSIS & Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs offer a new Executive Master's in International Relations. Information here.

Video Shorts

Check out CSIS’s new series of video shorts: “Testify” and “High Resolution.” And don’t forget to subscribe to the CSIS YouTube Channel!

In That Number

6

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Thursday that six EU countries had agreed to take in some 150 migrants from a rescue ship that Italy had blocked from docking, resolving the latest standoff over immigration to Europe across the Mediterranean.

Source: Reuters

Critical Quote

“If President Xi would meet directly and personally with the protesters, there would be a happy and enlightened ending to the Hong Kong problem.”

— President Donald Trump

iDeas Lab

Since joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, China has been one of the organization’s most active members. Yet, Beijing's mixed compliance with WTO dispute rulings has at times challenged the WTO’s underlying norms. Check out this interactive from CSIS's China Power Project to learn more about Beijing's impact on international trade.

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

Optics

(Photo credit: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images). Japan's Emperor Naruhito (R) and Empress Masako (L) bow during a memorial service marking the 74th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II at the Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo today.

This Town Next Week

On August 19 at 4:30 p.m., the Atlantic Council will have a conversation with Manuel Domingos Augusto, minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Angola, on the U.S.-Angola partnership.

And, on August 20 at 12:00 a.m., the East-West Center will host Dr. Pek Koon Heng, the director of the ASEAN Studies Initiative at American University, to discuss Malaysia's leadership succession and future elections.

Later, on August 22 at 12:30 p.m., the Arab Center will hold a book discussion featuring University of Maryland Professor Sahar Khamis on her new book ,Arab Women's Activism and Socio-Political Transformation: Unfinished Gendered Revolutions.

Video

With the significant costs of engaging the United States in combat, and the growing range of indirect and non-military tools at their disposal, rivals are finding avenues for threatening U.S. interests without triggering escalation. Their approaches lie in the contested arena between routine statecraft and open warfare, the "gray zone." Learn more here.

Podcasts

Gunilla Carlsson, the acting executive director for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) joined CSIS for the newest episode of AIDS 2020. She discussed the process of finding a new executive director for UNAIDS, the fast track goals coming due on World AIDS Day 2020, and the state of the global HIV pandemic.

Listen on SoundCloud, Spotify, & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Thanks for your notes about the incomparable David Crosby. I haven’t seen the new movie about Croz yet, “David Crosby: Remember My Name,” but I am jazzed for it.

Croz turned 78 yesterday and is still rocking hard. Born in Los Angeles, he is the ultimate LA rock star. As a founding member of two groundbreaking bands, the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, he’s written and recorded some of the most important and influential tunes of our times and sold over 35 million albums. Croz is best known for his distinctive voice, but I love his guitar playing too. Here, with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young he displays that guitar work on one of his signature songs “Almost Cut My Hair.”

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 with the External Relations team: Emma Colbran, Caleb Diamond, and Brad Honigberg.