Talks On the Brink

Israel and Hamas are “on the brink” of agreeing to declare a cease-fire in Gaza and release hostages held there, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Tuesday, as the NYT reports.

Yoon Detained

South Korean police and prosecutors surrounded the presidential residence in Seoul in a huge predawn operation Wednesday as they sought to execute a warrant to arrest President Yoon Suk Yeol, as The Washington Post reports.

Europe Accuses China of Unfairly Blocking EU Companies

The European Union said Tuesday that a monthslong probe into China’s procurement markets found that it unfairly discriminates against European medical devices. China favors domestic suppliers and restricts the procurement of imported devices, the bloc said, leaving European companies at a disadvantage, as the WSJ 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 February 11 for a deep dive into the requirements process, funding stages, and how the government acquires and maintains capabilities. Registration closes January 31.

Audio Briefs

CSIS now offers audio versions of our latest analysis. Listen to the latest commentary by CSIS's William Alan Reinsch, "Things Are Not Always What We Are Told: Lessons from the First Tariff War."

In That Number

42

Qatar said Tuesday that Israel and Hamas are nearing the final stages of negotiating a 42-day ceasefire deal, which would involve the release of dozens of Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Source: The Washington Post

Critical Quote

“It’s right on the brink, it’s closer than it’s ever been before.”

—Secretary of State Antony Blinken

iDeas Lab

CSIS has updated the fighter plane cost growth dataset that forms the basis of Augustine's Law with the available figures in 2024. The figure above shows an updated Augustine’s Law and what low-cost autonomous fighter aircraft could mean for the future of U.S. air power. 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: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg/Getty Images.) Demonstrators protest against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during impeachment proceedings outside the Constitutional Court of Korea in Seoul, South Korea, on January 14, 2025.

This Town Tomorrow

At 11:00 a.m., the CSIS Africa Program welcomes U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield to discuss the state of U.S.-Africa relations.

Then, at 1:00 p.m., the CSIS Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group unpacks how the Department of Defense adapts and scales cutting-edge technology to enhance modernization.

Earlier, at 9:00 a.m., Brookings provides an overview of the state of the U.S. economy and highlights the outgoing administration’s economic policy goals.

Video

Today, the CSIS Wadhwani AI Center hosted Alan Estevez, Under Secretary of Commerce, to discuss recent export control updates and reflect on the Biden administration’s AI and semiconductor export control strategy. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

This week, the Trade Guys look at recent Chinese export controls on critical minerals and entity listings of U.S. companies, in addition to President Biden's blocking of the Nippon Steel acquisition of U.S. Steel and the recent controversy surrounding H1-B visas.

Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

There were some tremendous live performances last December but this one stands out. As discussed in this space, Goose is at the very top of the jam band scene and have developed a cult following. Leading up to Christmas, they did a series of shows where they took audience requests. Here’s their extraordinary take on the Grateful Dead’s “Help on the Way/Slipknot!/Franklin’s Tower.”

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.