Biden at UN

President Biden outlined a U.S. foreign-policy vision rooted in global alliances during his first address to the United Nations as commander-in-chief, emphasizing the importance of diplomacy, as the WSJ reports.

Iran Fires Back

Iran’s new hard-line president delivered one of the most forceful and angry denunciations of the United States at the General Assembly on Tuesday, as the NYT reports.

U.S. Preparing to Double Deportations to Haiti

The United States is preparing to nearly double the number of Haitians being deported to this Caribbean state from Texas starting Wednesday, as the Washington Post reports.

Executive Education

Register now for CSIS's online course, Evolving Technologies: Innovation, Competition, and Change, to learn about the critical issues leaders must grasp as we move into a global environment increasingly reshaped by automation, connectivity, ubiquitous knowledge, and technological competition.

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

$11.4 billion

U.S. President Joe Biden told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday he would work with Congress to double funds by 2024 to $11.4 billion per year to help developing nations deal with climate change.

Source: Reuters

Critical Quote

“We are not seeking a new Cold War.”

— President Joe Biden

iDeas Lab

In this episode of Afghanistan Aftershocks, CSIS's Jacob Kurtzer discusses the effect the rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan may have on humanitarian efforts within the country.

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: Paul Ratje/AFP/Getty Images.) A United States Border Patrol agent on horseback tries to stop Haitian migrants from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas on September 19, 2021.

This Town Tomorrow

Tomorrow, at 9:00 a.m., join the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program for a discussion on Russia's strategic and military role in Afghanistan and Central Asia following the U.S. and NATO withdrawal.

Later, at noon, the CSIS Southeast Asia Program hosts an event marking the 5th anniversary of the U.S.-Laos Comprehensive Partnership, featuring opening remarks by the Lao Ambassador to the U.S., Khamphan Anlavan, and a keynote address by former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor, Ben Rhodes.

And, at 3:00 p.m., the Wilson Center's Canada Institute hosts a timely conversation unpacking the results of Canada's recent 44th general election.

Video

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates joined CSIS's Suzanne Spaulding today to discuss the importance of civic education as a national security imperative. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Dr. Monica Marks, a professor of Middle East politics at NYU Abu Dhabi. They discuss Tunisian President Kais Saied's recent moves to consolidate power, why Tunisians seem to support him, what's at stake for Tunisia's democracy, and what role Western donors and institutions can play in the country.

Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

"Noontime, and I'm still on the road on the darkest part / Into the narrow lanes, I can't stumble or stay put / Someone else is speakin' with my mouth, but I'm listening only to my heart / I've made shoes for everyone, even you, while I still go barefoot…"

I’m not going to move away from this new Dylan collection anytime soon. It’s astonishingly great. Produced by Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler, Dylan’s 22^nd studio album “Infidels” is known to Dylanologists as the bard’s return to secular music with lukewarm critical response at best. It’s also known, and I won’t bore you with the expansive Dylanology here, for all of the material that was left off the album—most notably the song “Blind Willie McTell.”

The band Dylan and Knopfler assembled for "Infidels" proved a strange brew as well. In addition to Dylan and Knopfler on guitar, Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor plays slide, and the reggae rhythm section of Sly and Robbie rounded out the group.

Side two of "Infidels," track three is the reggae tinged “I and I.” The phrase "I and I" comes from Rastafarian vocabulary and refers to the "oneness" between God and humans. Some of Dylan’s fans thought the song a masterpiece, others contrived. I never thought much about it. Either way, until now, no one has heard the alternate version contained on last weekend’s release of “Springtime in New York: the Bootleg Series Vol. 16, 1980-1985.” From the second I heard it, I just knew, this version of “I and I” would be one of my favorite Dylan tunes of all. I’m not kidding. youtu.be/AT4l9LhmeWI

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: Kendal Gee, Paige Montfort, and Chris Healey.