Good Evening,
It's Thursday, August 22nd.
Note: The Evening will be “gone surfin’” until after Labor Day. We’ll see you back here then! |
Ukraine, EU Oppose Suggestion of Readmitting Russia to G7
Ukraine’s president backed leading European powers on Thursday in opposing the readmission of Russia to the Group of Seven advanced economies, saying Moscow still occupied Crimea and was frustrating peace in eastern Ukraine, as Reuters reports.
And, as Reuters’ Jeff Mason reports, President Trump will highlight U.S. economic policies under his stewardship at meetings with other G7 leaders this weekend in France and encourage allies to follow the American model to stave off problems with the global economy.
Dive Deeper: “Previewing the G7 Summit,” the CSIS press briefing.
“Trashing Friends Puts America Last,” by the Atlantic Council’s Daniel Fried. |
Hidden Zika Outbreak in Cuba
A previously unknown outbreak of the Zika virus swept across Cuba in 2017, a year after the global health emergency was declared over, scientists said on Thursday, as the New York Times’ Carl Zimmer reports. |
South Korea Ends Pact with Japan
South Korea said it would withdraw from a pact with Japan to share classified military intelligence, weakening the U.S. alliance network in East Asia and exacerbating tensions that have flared between Seoul and Tokyo in recent weeks over trade and wartime history, as the WSJ reports.
Dive Deeper: “The Meaning of GSOMIA Termination: Escalation of the Japan-Korea Dispute,” by CSIS’s Victor Cha. |
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
10.3 million tons
The Ilimaussaq complex on the southwestern coast of Greenland holds the largest quantities of rare earth elements in the world, with an inventory of 10.3 million tons of rare earth oxide. This same complex also holds 575 million pounds of uranium concentrates as well as 2.21 million tons of zinc, which would meet a great deal of global demand for the next 50 years.
Source: “We already have a Greenland. It’s called Alaska,” by CSIS’s Heather Conley for the Washington Post. |
Critical Quote
“The Amazon is bigger than Europe, how will you fight criminal fires in such an area? We do not have the resources for that.”
— Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro |
iDeas Lab
Since 2014, China has substantially expanded its ability to monitor and project power throughout the South China Sea. CSIS's Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative is tracking China's dual civilian-military bases in the disputed Spratly and Paracel Islands.
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: Christophe Petit Tesson/AFP/Getty Images). Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with French President Emmanuel Macron today at Elysee Palace in Paris. |
Recommended Reading
“We already have a Greenland. It’s called Alaska,” by CSIS’s Heather Conley for the Washington Post. |
This Town Tomorrow
At 7:00 p.m., Politics and Prose bookstore will host Jason DeParle, an award-winning reporter for the New York Times, for a discussion on his new book, A Good Provider Is One Who Leaves: One Family and Migration in the 21st Century, which follows three generations of a Filipino family as they undergo upheavals of migration.
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Video
CSIS's Jonathan E. Hillman evaluates China's Belt and Road Initiative six years after its inception and outlines how the United States can manage both the opportunities and threats it presents. Watch the full video here. |
Podcasts
In the second episode of Hong Kong on the Brink, Jude and I discussed last Sunday’s mass migration of Hong Kong protesters in a peaceful march and the growing role of social media within the conflict.
Listen on SoundCloud & Apple Podcasts. |
Smiles
One of my favorite songs, and favorite performances, ever, is “Hollywood Nights” by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. It warms my heart and makes me smile every time. |
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I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz
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