Good Evening,
It's Wednesday, May 18th. |
Soldier’s Trial and Mariupol Surrender
The Russian Defense Ministry said that nearly 1,000 fighters had surrendered to Kremlin custody at the Azovstal steel plant. In Kyiv, a Russian soldier pleaded guilty to killing a civilian and violating a Ukrainian law on the rules of war, as the NYT reports.
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Turkey Blocks Finland and Sweden
Turkey blocked the start of Finland and Sweden’s accession talks to NATO on Wednesday shortly after the Nordic nations submitted their formal applications, a signal of what could be a bumpy process to expand the alliance, as the Washington Post reports.
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North Korean Covid Outbreak
North Korea, battling its first major Covid-19 outbreak, has reached out for help to its closest ally, China, while ignoring offers of vaccines from South Korea, as the WSJ reports.
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Executive Education
The CSIS Accelerator Series is a comprehensive training program for rising professionals who wish to develop their leadership, management, communication, and other professional skills to help advance their career.
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Video Shorts
Check out CSIS's YouTube Channel for the latest releases in our “Crisis Crossroads: Ukraine” video series.
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In That Number
$90 billion
A report by SIGAR found that the U.S.'s 20-year, $90 billion dollar training mission created a local security force that could not operate on its own and relied on U.S. and allied airstrikes to combat the Taliban.
Source: WSJ
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Critical Quote
“NATO’s enlargement is meaningful to us to the extent that it respects our sensitivities.”
— President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey |
iDeas Lab
 There has been a significant rise in the number of domestic terrorist attacks and plots at demonstrations in the United States, according to new CSIS data.
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: Olga Maltseva/Getty Images.) A Russian serviceman stands guard at the destroyed part of the Ilyich Iron and Steel Works in Ukraine's port city of Mariupol on May 18, 2022. |
Recommended Reading
"The First Biden and Yoon Summit" by CSIS's Ellen Kim and Victor Cha.
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This Town Tomorrow
At 9:00 a.m., join the CSIS Economics Program and the Ghadar Family Foundation for the second of three public events on major issues for a potential digital dollar.
Then, at 11:00 a.m., tune in for a discussion between Dr. John Hamre, CSIS president and CEO, and Albert Bourla, Pfizer chairman and CEO, on Dr. Bourla's new book “Moonshot: Inside Pfizer’s Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible.”
Earlier, at 9:00 a.m., Atlantic Council holds a conversation on the effects of the war in Ukraine on transatlantic economic relations. |
Video
Earlier today, CSIS hosted a conversation with Lieutenant General Michael A. Guetlein on the future focus of the Space Systems Command. |
Podcasts
CSIS expert Dr. Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Haider al-Abadi, an Iraqi politician who served as prime minister from 2014 to 2018, about his decision making as prime minister.
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.
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Smiles
One more from Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country—this one’s an as of yet unreleased original “Gotta Get Southbound.” My kind of song!
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| I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz |
