The Evening: Tariffs Suspended, EU Agrees on Defense Surge, Driver 8, and More

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Good Evening,

It's Thursday, March 6th.

Most New Tariffs on Mexico and Canada Suspended

President Trump said on Thursday that he would allow both Mexico and Canada to avoid tariffs on most exports to the United States for one month, saying he would exempt products that are traded under the rules of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, as the NYT reports

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Trump Envoy Floats U.S.-Israel Action Against Hamas

President Trump’s Middle East envoy floated the threat of joint U.S.-Israel action against Hamas if the terrorist group didn’t release all hostages from Gaza, as the WSJ reports

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EU Leaders Agree on Defense Surge

European leaders on Thursday backed plans to spend more on defense and pledged to continue to stand by Ukraine in a world upended by the Trump administration’s reversal of U.S. policies, as Reuters reports

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Executive Education

Washington thrives on relationships. Knowing who to work with—and when—can make all the difference in achieving your policy goals. Join Washington insiders from March 24-27, 2025, for Decoding D.C.: Policy, Power, and People

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to sharpen your strategy and learn how to build the right coalitions. Register here

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by March 12.

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: "Ukraine’s Future Vision and Current Capabilities for Waging AI-Enabled Autonomous Warfare

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" with CSIS's Kate Bondar.

In That Number

€800 billion

The EU’s executive branch has unveiled a proposal to unlock up to 800 billion euros of extra defense spending in the coming years to curb the bloc’s military dependence on the United States.

Source: The Washington Post

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Critical Quote

“Across a continuum, I’m not worried about inflation.”

—Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

iDeas Lab

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Ukrainian forces have widely adopted small FPV drones, which can be quickly adapted for diverse missions through modular design. This is one of several trends promoting the expansion of AI-enabled autonomous warfare. Read the full report here.

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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: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images.) President of the EU Council Antonio Luis Santos da Costa, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen talk prior to the start of an EU Summit on March 6, 2025, in Brussels, Belgium.

Recommended Reading

“Ukraine’s Future Vision and Current Capabilities for Waging AI-Enabled Autonomous Warfare

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” by CSIS’s Kateryna Bondar.

This Town Upcoming

On Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.

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, the CSIS Middle East Program launches its new report, The Thirst for Power: Overcoming the Politics of Water in the Middle East.

On Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.

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, the CSIS Aerospace Security Project hosts a virtual discussion with the authors of the new Routledge Handbook of Space Policy.

Later on Wednesday, at 2:00 p.m.

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, the CSIS Japan Chair and CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program hold a discussion with experts from Japan and the United States on deepening U.S.-Japan clean energy cooperation.

Video

Today, CSIS's Jon Alterman hosted a discussion about a recent Chatham House paper, Reshaping Iran's Axis: Navigating Adaptive Transnational Networks in the Middle East. An expert panel discussed Iran's resilience in the face of transnational challenges and explored more effective approaches to Iran and its allies. Watch the full video here.

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Podcasts

CSIS's Ryan C. Berg sits down with Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst for the Andes at Crisis Group, to discuss how the cutoff of U.S. assistance is impacting security and counter-narcotics efforts in Colombia.

Listen on Spotify

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& Apple Podcasts

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Smiles

Yesterday, I posted a clip of Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy covering R.E.M with the members of R.E.M. Here’s Shannon and Narducy covering R.E.M. on The Tonight Show

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. And yes, the bass player is John Stirrat from Wilco.

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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