Kurdish Fighters Withdraw from Syrian Border

The last remaining Kurdish fighters exited Syria’s northern border area as a ceasefire period ended on Tuesday, Moscow said, clearing the way for Russia and Turkey to secure the area, as the WSJ’s Sune Engel Rasmussen reports.

ISIS Quiet

Islamic State supporters have responded with silence and disbelief days after the death of their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, suggesting a breakdown in the command structure of the Sunni militant group trying to agree on a successor, as Reuters reports.

Dive Deeper: “After Baghdadi: How the Islamic State Rebounds,” by the Washington Institute’s Katherine Bauer, Matthew Levitt, and Aaron Y. Zelin.

“After Baghdadi: What Hurts the Islamic State May Help Al-Qaeda,” by CFR’s Bruce Hoffman.

UK Heads for December General Election

The UK is heading for a December general election after prime minister Boris Johnson won the backing of the opposition Labour party for a poll designed to break the deadlock over Brexit, as the FT’s George Parker, Sebastian Payne, and Laura Hughes report.

Dive Deeper: “A December Brexit Election to Remember,” by Heather Conley.

Rising Seas Will Erase More Cities By 2050

Rising seas could affect three times more people by 2050 than previously thought, according to new research, threatening to all but erase some of the world’s great coastal cities, as the NYT’s Denise Lu and Christopher Flavelle report.

Dive Deeper: Visit the CSIS Stephenson Ocean Security Project microsite.

CSIS Executive Education

Join CSIS December 9-11 for our course, Unpacking the Defense Enterprise. Get a competitive advantage in analyzing the changes within the defense domain and better understand the future of the U.S. defense enterprise.

Video Shorts

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

In That Number

25%

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows into the United States dropped by more than a quarter from the latter half of 2018 to the first half of 2019, to $151 billion, while flows into the European Union dropped by 62 per cent to $107 billion. By contrast, flows to China increased by 5 per cent to $82 billion.

Source: FT

Critical Quote

“It is time for us to have a big shock to face the crisis.”

— Saad al-Hariri, on resigning today as Lebanon’s prime minister

iDeas Lab

The 2018 NDAA mandated three separate studies of the Air Force’s current and future force structure. A new report from CSIS's Aerospace Security Project compares, contrasts, and critiques the three studies of the Air Force’s future force structure while providing an independent assessment of the current state of the service.

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: Patrick Baz/AFP via Getty Images). Lebanese anti-government protesters celebrate the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

This Town Tomorrow

At 9:00 a.m., CSIS will host Senators Murkowski (R-AK) and Manchin (D-WV) for a discussion on the opportunities and challenges of harnessing U.S. energy resources to foster economic opportunities and innovation for U.S. businesses, workers, and communities.

Later, at 11:00 a.m., CSIS will hold a discussion with Scott Kirby, president of United Airlines, on issues ranging from infrastructure modernization to the impact of the trade war to emerging sustainability initiatives for the industry.

And, at 1:00 p.m., CSIS will hold a panel discussion on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals SDG #4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable education and to promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Video

In the second episode of Bob Schieffer’s Green Room, Bob sits down with the commissioners of the CSIS Trade Commission on Affirming American Leadership for a discussion about trade policy and America's role in the world. Watch the video here.

Podcasts

In the latest episode of "Truth of the Matter," Bob and I talk with Judd Devermont, CSIS’s Africa expert, who breaks down the recent Russia-Africa Summit and what it means for U.S. policy on the African continent.

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Smiles

This one is for our family, friends and all Californians who are dealing with the Getty and Kincade fires. Just a few inspirational songs by some guys who live up in Laurel Canyon...

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 Brad Honigberg.