Europe Ramps Up Crisis Diplomacy

Efforts by French president Emmanuel Macron to defuse the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine yielded little visible progress Tuesday, as he hopped from Moscow to Kyiv to Berlin with no tangible assurance tensions would ease, as the Washington Post reports.

Ukrainian Military Exercises

Ukraine’s armed forces geared up for military exercises in response to Russia’s troop buildup along its borders, as the WSJ reports.

North Korea Builds ICBM Base Near China

In a report published Monday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said they had located an underground, regiment-size military base used for housing North Korean ICBMs just 15 miles from the border with China. The location, according to the CSIS analysis, was chosen to deter pre-emptive strikes from the United States against North Korea’s most important weapons as the country continues to expand and modernize its arsenal, as the NYT reports.

Executive Education

Drawing on insights from leading experts and the CSIS Reconnecting Asia Project, CSIS's “Belt, Road, and Beyond” executive education course explains what China's Belt and Road Initiative is, what it is not, and how it is impacting commercial and strategic realities on the ground.

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

$859.1 billion

Consumer preference for overseas goods has pushed the U.S. trade deficit to a record level of $859.1 billion in 2021.

Source: WSJ

Critical Quote

“No one is naïve. I don’t think we can settle this crisis with a few hours of discussion.”

— Emmanuel Macron, President of France

iDeas Lab

Based off polling of the audience conducted during CSIS's Asia Forecast 2022 event, 38% of viewers—a plurality—predicted that a Russian attack on Ukraine was the potential external shock most likely to rattle leaders in Asia in 2022.

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: Chris McGrath/Getty Images.) French president Emmanuel Macron (L) and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky (R) participate in a joint press conference after their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 8, 2022.

This Town Tomorrow

At 8:00 a.m., the Atlantic Council holds a virtual event to explore what might lay ahead following the U.S.-EU Energy Council meeting.

And, at 10:00 a.m., Brookings hosts a panel discussion on Iraq-Saudi Arabia relations. Both countries have taken steps to improve bilateral relations, which remain crucial for regional order and for Iraqi domestic politics.

Also, at 10:00 a.m., the German Marshall Fund holds a discussion to facilitate transatlantic exchange and address important questions on how the U.S. government and the European Union are raising awareness about anti-discrimination.

Video

Earlier today, CSIS's Nikos Tsafos spoke with EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson to discuss her visit to the United States, the meeting of the U.S.-EU Energy Council, and the prospects for transatlantic collaboration on energy and climate. Watch the full interview here.

Podcasts

Today's episode is the first of the Department of Defense mini-series. It features Joint Staff Surgeon Major General Paul Friedrichs, who discusses how DoD has overcome challenges from the pandemic.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Last week, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the nominees for the class of 2022, and the list includes Eminem, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, Judas Priest, A Tribe Called Quest, the New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, and Duran Duran.

In the early 1980s, there was no bigger band than Duran Duran. To date, they’ve sold over 100 million records and are one of the world’s top-selling recording artists. And, they dominated MTV. My bet is they get in this year.

Riding on the coattails of the Rock Hall nomination, they have a new album coming out this Friday called “Future Past,” and late last month they recorded an Austin City Limits episode. Maybe it’s the '80s kid in me, but these guys still sound really good!

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.