Good Evening,
It's Wednesday, September 18th. |
Act of War
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran on Wednesday of having carried out an “act of war” with aerial strikes on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, and he said the United States was working to build a coalition to deter further attacks. Meanwhile, President Trump said Trump said there were many options short of war with Iran and spoke of unspecified new sanctions, as the NYT’s Richard Perez-Pena and Edward Wong report.
Dive Deeper: “Iran, Yemen, and the Strikes on Saudi Arabia: The Changing Nature of Warfare,” by CSIS’s Anthony Cordesman.
“This Is the Moment That Decides the Future of the Middle East,” by CFR’s Steven Cook for Foreign Policy. |
New National Security Adviser
President Trump named Robert C. O’Brien as his new national-security adviser, picking a top hostage-affairs official for the high-profile White House role, as the WSJ’s Vivian Salama reports. |
Israeli Voters Deliver Deadlock
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to win a ruling majority in an election that produced a virtual tie between his right-wing bloc and a center-left grouping that would be led by former military chief Benny Gantz. And, as Reuters’ Jeffrey Heller reports, with coalition-building again key to forming a government, it could be days or even weeks before it becomes clear whether Netanyahu retains his office. |
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
0.25
The Federal Reserve voted to cut interest rates by a quarter-percentage point for the second time in as many months to cushion the economy against a global slowdown.
Source: WSJ |
Critical Quote
“It was an act of war.”
— Secretary of State Mike Pompeo |
iDeas Lab
Globally, 70.8 million people are considered forcibly displaced by armed conflict and nearly 132 million people need emergency humanitarian assistance. Read the CSIS Task Force on Humanitarian Access report on solving access challenges in humanitarian crises.
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: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images). President Trump with new national security advisor Robert O'Brien today at Los Angeles International Airport. |
Recommended Reading
“Why rigged capitalism is damaging liberal democracy,” by the FT’s Martin Wolf. |
This Town Tomorrow
At 8:30 a.m., CSIS will host the first annual Washington Humanitarian Forum, featuring expert panels that discuss openings for U.S. leadership in expanding humanitarian access.
And, at 9:00 a.m., the Brookings Institute will hold a panel discussion on the state of affairs in Libya after years of political, economic, and security instability created by the civil war.
Later, at 10:30 a.m., CSIS will host an expert panel discussion on the Yemen Civil War’s humanitarian crisis and potential avenues for aid relief from the United States and its global partners.
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Video
CSIS held a panel discussion with experts yesterday about developing the next generation of automotive innovation in the United States, including self-driving cars. Watch the event here. |
Podcasts
CSIS is out with a new podcast, "The Truth of the Matter." Each week, Bob Schieffer and I will break down the policy issues of the day with CSIS experts. No spin, no bombast, no finger pointing. Just informed discussion.
In our second episode, CSIS Harold Brown Chair and Director of the Transnational Threats Project Seth Jones breaks down the recent attack on Saudi Arabia's oil production facilities.
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts. |
Smiles
One more encore for the great Ric Ocasek, “Good Times Roll.” |
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I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz
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