Biden Vows to Expand U.S. Involvement in Africa

President Biden recommitted the United States to Africa on Wednesday in a keynote address to nearly 50 heads of state visiting from the continent, vowing to expand American involvement at a time of intense competition from China, Russia and other powers, as the NYT reports.

Fed Raises Rate by 0.5 Percentage Point, Signals More Increases Likely

The Federal Reserve approved an interest-rate increase of 0.5 percentage point and signaled plans to keep raising rates at its next few meetings to combat high inflation, as the WSJ reports.

Drones shot down over Kyiv

Ukraine fought off a swarm of drones over central Kyiv on Wednesday, shooting down more than a dozen, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukraine’s military identified the drones as Iranian-made, as The Washington Post reports.

Executive Education

Apply to CSIS's flagship leadership program, the AILA International Fellowship, which equips aspiring global leaders to be effective and ethical changemakers. Through an intensive and interactive week of seminars and experiential learning, AILA International Fellows will gain a deeper understanding of global policy and their own leadership skills.

CSIS and DINSN Announce 2022 U.S. National Security & Foreign Affairs Leadership List

CSIS, in partnership with the Diversity in National Security Network (DINSN), is pleased to announce the 2022 U.S. National Security & Foreign Affairs Leadership List. See the list of honorees here.

Video Shorts

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

In That Number

0.5

The Federal Reserve approved an interest-rate increase of 0.5 percentage point and signaled plans to keep raising rates at its next few meetings to combat high inflation on Wednesday afternoon.

Source: WSJ

Critical Quote

“We already have war in Europe. The last thing we need is a trade war.”

— Margrethe Vestager, European Commission Vice President

iDeas Lab

New satellite imagery from the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative shows that Vietnam has accelerated and expanded dredging and landfill work at several of its outposts in the Spratly Islands in the second half of 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: Diego Ramos/Getty Images.) Military members patrol the streets after the national emergency declaration made by Peru's new government in Arequipa, Peru, on December 14, 2022.

This Town Tomorrow

At 10:00 a.m., the Atlantic Council holds a conversation on investing in Africa's creative industries.

Also at 10:00 a.m., the Wilson Center hosts a discussion on economic competitiveness and cooperation in the context of the US-ROK alliance.

And, at 11:30 a.m., Brookings holds a conversation on the current state of Ukraine's economy and options for financing the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine.

Video

Gregory B. Poling testified before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation on Wednesday, December 7 about challenges in the Mekong Region. Watch him tell you what he told Congress—in 90 seconds.

Podcasts

CSIS's Kathleen McInnis sat down with Ambassador Julianne Smith, U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO. The pair discussed the future of the NATO alliance, and the current situation in Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

In case you missed it the last couple of days, check out The Rumble, from New Orleans. These are those guys.

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: Paige Montfort, Claire Dannenbaum, and Claire Smrt.