Germany, France and Italy are the latest to suspend use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine.

Germany, France and Italy temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine on Monday, joining a growing list of nations that paused use of the vaccine in recent days over concerns that it might be tied to blood clots, as the NYT reports.

No Response from NK

The Biden administration has reached out to North Korea to launch a dialogue on Pyongyang’s nuclear-weapons and ballistic-missile programs but has yet to receive a response, the White House said Monday, as the WSJ reports.

Khalilzad to attend Afghan peace conference in Moscow

U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad plans to attend a Thursday conference in Moscow on accelerating the Afghanistan peace process, the State Department said on Monday, as Reuters reports.

Executive Education

Navigating U.S. Foreign Assistance features a hands-on study of the latest trends and techniques today’s international development and humanitarian leaders need to successfully maximize their impact. Through seminars, case studies, and a culminating crisis simulation, participants will join a diverse network of industry professionals and pair their own unique experience with CSIS’s rich array of coaching resources. Register here.

Coronavirus Crisis Update

The Coronavirus Crisis Update podcast brings you the latest updates and analysis from CSIS experts and the leaders directing the global response. Past guests include NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, IHME Director Dr. Chris Murray, Covid-19 Advisory Group members Dr. Luciana Borio and Dr. Celine Gounder, chef Jose Andres, and more. Listen on Apple Podcasts & Spotify.

Video Shorts

Check out CSIS’s new series of video shorts: “Data Unpacked,” Testify,” “What's Happening,” “Preview,” and “High Resolution.” And don’t forget to subscribe to the CSIS YouTube Channel!

In That Number

1.36 million

Airports screened nearly 1.36 million people Friday and more than 1.34 million people on Sunday, two of the busiest days since March of 2020.

Source: WSJ

Critical Quote

"Each of these countries has had nadirs like we are having now, and each took an upward trend after they disregarded no mitigation strategies. They simply took their eye off the ball. I’m pleading with you for the sake of our nation’s health. These should be warning signs for all of us."

— Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control on Europe’s potential third wave

iDeas Lab

The Kal-gol missile operating base is the sixth of thirteen undisclosed missile operating bases in North Korea that the CSIS Korea Chair has identified. CSIS’s Victor Cha and Joe Bermudez use satellite imagery to better understand North Korea’s missile narrative.

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: Oliver Douliery/ AFP/Getty Images.) U.S. President Joe Biden, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meets virtually with members of the "Quad" alliance of Australia, India, Japan and the US, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 12, 2021.

This Town Tomorrow

Tomorrow at 9:00 a.m., examine the state of peacebuilding in Africa with the Wilson Center.

Then, at 12:00 p.m., the Hudson Institute hosts a conversation with Iranian dissident immigrant Roya Hakakian on her new book, “A Beginners Guide to America: for the Immigrant and the Curious.”

Later, at 5:00 p.m., the Atlantic Council inspects the road ahead for US-Latin America relations and COVID-19 recovery in 2021, featuring keynote remarks from Representative Albio Sires (D-NJ).

Video

On Friday, CSIS was joined by FBI Director Christopher Wray and a panel of and national security lawyers to get their perspectives on why civic education is a national security issue. Watch the recording here.

Podcasts

This week's episode takes a closer look at North Korean cyber threats and the upcoming “2+2” meetings in Japan and South Korea.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

It took just three hours for Stevie Wonder to write and record “Higher Ground,” the 1973 funk anthem that would ignite side two of “Innervisions,” Wonder’s masterpiece album. It is ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as the number 34 LP of all-time.

This cover of “Higher Ground” by Playing for Change probably took much longer than three hours to put together as it had such a high standard to live up to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAcVpaNZ6W4.

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 with the External Relations team: Emma Colbran, Caleb Diamond, and Kendal Gee.