Good Evening,
It's Monday, March 17th. |
Trump-Putin Call Set for Tuesday
President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are set to speak in a phone call Tuesday to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin confirmed Monday, as the United States seeks Moscow’s support for a 30-day ceasefire proposal, as The Washington Post reports. |
Iran to Face ‘Consequences’ if Houthis Continue Attacks
President Trump said Monday he would hold Iran responsible for any future attacks by the Houthis in Yemen, threatening unspecified consequences against the Islamic Republic after ordering large-scale strikes in recent days against the Houthis, as the WSJ reports. |
Trade War will Damage Global Growth, OECD Warns
Donald Trump’s trade war is taking a “significant toll” on the global economy, the OECD has warned, as it cut growth forecasts for a dozen G20 countries, as the FT reports. |
Executive Education
Develop agile responses to unprecedented challenges. Join from April 8-11 to gain strategic foresight tools—from identifying drivers of change to modeling future scenarios—and learn to anticipate external challenges. by March 26. |
Audio Briefs
CSIS now offers audio versions of our latest analysis. Listen to the latest Commentary by CSIS's Cy McGeady, "Consequences of U.S.-Canada Electricity Tariffs." |
In That Number
1.6%
GDP growth in the US will decelerate to 1.6 percent in 2026 due to trade and economic policy uncertainty, the OECD said.
Source: FT |
Critical Quote
“Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!”
—President Donald Trump |
iDeas Lab

In a new age of U.S.-China competition, some of the most critical challenges are taking place in the smallest territories. An interesting case in point is China’s infiltration of Saipan, a U.S. territory in Micronesia, where an immigration loophole has led to a potentially massive security and counterintelligence threat. 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: Centcom/Handout/Anadolu Getty Images.) A screen capture from a video shows U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces carry out precision airstrikes in operations against Iranian-backed Houthi targets across Yemen, on March 16, 2025. |
Recommended Reading
"Understanding U.S. Allies’ Current Legal Authority to Implement AI and Semiconductor Export Controls" by CSIS's Gregory C. Allen and Isaac Goldston. |
This Town Tomorrow
At 9:30 a.m., the CSIS Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business discusses Paul Blustein's new book, King Dollar: The Past and Future of the World's Dominant Currency.
Later, at 10:00 a.m., AEI hosts a discussion on the impact that Trump's economic policies might have on the world economy.
And, at 11:00 a.m., the Atlantic Council unpacks the implications of economic warfare while launching Edward Fishman’s newest book, Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare.
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Video
Captain Luke Slivinski, U.S. Coast Guard fellow, sat down with a panel of experts for a discussion on the defense industrial base lessons learned from the Russia-Ukraine war for future potential U.S. conflicts. Watch the full video here. |
Podcasts

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Joel Wuthnow and Dr. Phil Saunders join CSIS's Bonny Lin to discuss their new book on the People’s Liberation Army, China’s Quest for Military Supremacy.
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts. |
Smiles
As we all know, Grateful Dead founding member Phil Lesh passed away in late October. Last weekend, Lesh’s son Grahame Lesh got together with some of the very best musicians in the jam band world to pay homage to Phil for four nights of shows at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. Here’s a bit of how it went. |
I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz |