Kremlin Says Putin Will Take His Time

The Kremlin warned on Thursday that there was “not much cause for optimism” that the West would satisfy Russia’s demands in the showdown over Ukraine, but said that Vladimir Putin would take his time to study the written responses that the United States and NATO submitted a day earlier before deciding how to proceed, as the NYT reports.

U.S. Economic Growth Surges

The U.S. economy grew rapidly in the fourth quarter of last year, advancing to a 6.9% annual rate, capping the strongest year of growth in nearly four decades as the country rebounded quickly from the pandemic-induced recession, as the WSJ reports.

Risk of Botching Future Health Crisis

The Department of Health and Human Services repeatedly ignored recommendations to improve its pandemic response and is at “high risk” of mismanaging a future crisis, the Government Accounting Office (GAO) warned on Thursday, as the Washington Post reports.

Executive Education

Register for CSIS's “Navigating U.S. Foreign Assistance” course to participate in an in-depth, hands-on study of the latest trends and techniques today’s international development and humanitarian leaders need to maximize their impact.

Call for Applications: Strategy and Statecraft Fellowship

CSIS is launching the inaugural year of its Strategy and Statecraft Fellowship, an exclusive, world-class program of approximately 15 leaders. Fellows will grapple with the challenges of developing strategy and conducting effective statecraft, focusing on one of the most pressing challenges facing the United States: how to best compete with China.

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

95%

Covid-19 vaccine booster shot cuts Omicron death risk by 95%, a U.K. study shows.

Source: WSJ

Critical Quote

“We can and will improve upon efforts to protect civilians.”

— Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III

iDeas Lab

In Kenya, many children living with HIV face challenges with disclosure, stigma, understanding, and adherence to treatment upon learning they are HIV positive. But education, peer mentorship, and efforts to better tailor medicines and services to fit children’s unique needs can enable and inspire young people living with HIV to enjoy safe, healthy lives.

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: AFP/Getty Images.) Female members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) deploy outside Ghwayran prison in Syria's northeastern city of Hasakeh on January 26, 2022.

This Town Tomorrow

At 8:30 a.m., join the CSIS Africa Program for a discussion on Sub-Saharan Africa's common goals with its foreign partners, and why these partnerships should be prioritized and strengthened.

Then, at 1:00 p.m., the CSIS Trustee Chair and Australia Chair host Representative Young Kim (R-CA) and to discuss the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

And, at 9:30 a.m., the Atlantic Council hosts a virtual discussion on enhancing NATO’s collective defense.

Video

Yesterday, the CSIS Korea Chair hosted Mr. Mark Lambert for a special conversation on Korea-Japan relations, the U.S.-ROK alliance, and North Korea.

Podcasts

This week, CSIS's Suzanne Spaulding was joined by Liz Schrayer, President and CEO of U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, to discuss the value of bipartisanship and the role of the U.S. in foreign policy issues.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

There is nothing like watching legendary musicians get together and jam. In this case, Joe Walsh got together in his basement back in December with brother-in-law Ringo Starr, keyboardist Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, guitarist Waddy Wachtel (who has played with everyone from Linda Ronstadt to Keith Richards), bassist Leland Sklar, and drummer Russ Kunkel to prepare for the streaming concert “VetsAid 2021: The Basement Show.”

This is a unique window into their jam session. And how great to Ringo and Joe Walsh look? Living in Malibu can do wonders…

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 Christopher Healey.