The Evening CSIS: Response to Syria, China Summit, Link Wray and More
April 6, 2017
Good Evening,
It's Thursday, April 6.
Response to Syria
Senior Defense Department officials are developing options for a military strike in response to the Syrian government’s chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians on Tuesday, as the New York Times ’ Michael Gordon and Michael Shear report late this afternoon.
And, as the Washington Post’s Louisa Loveluck reports, the chemical used in an attack that killed scores of Syrian civilians was most likely the deadly nerve agent sarin, the Turkish Health Ministry said.
Dive Deeper: See CSIS’s Anthony H. Cordesman’s new commentary: “Assad: The Real ‘Butcher's Bill’ in Syria.”
And, from the Washington Institute’s Dennis Ross: “America Must Send a Strong Message to Syria That Using Chemical Weapons in War Is Not Acceptable.”
Plus, CFR’s Richard Haass: “Syria’s Assad Must Pay a Price for Using Chemical Weapons.”
China Summit
President Trump and Chinese President Xi have any number of reasons to disagree, but none are more volatile or potentially deadly than North Korea, as CNN’s Nicole Gaouette reports.
Dive Deeper: CSIS has compiled a resource page of analysis on issues surrounding the US-China Summit.
Also see Brookings’ David Dollar’s commentary published today: “Is Trump wise to take on China over trade?”
South China Sea Shuffle
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he would stake his country’s claim to disputed islands in the South China Sea by ordering Filipino troops to occupy and fortify all ocean features controlled by Manila, a move that appeared to be aimed at China, as the Wall Street Journal’s Jake Maxwell Watts reports.
And, as Reuters’ David Brunnstrom reports, according to CSIS’s Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative satellite photos, a Chinese fighter plane has been spotted on a Chinese-held island in the South China Sea, the first such deployment seen this year.
In That Number
100
Today marks the 100th anniversary of America's entrance into World War I.
The Atlantic's Alan Taylor compiled a photo essay commemorating the centennial.
Critical Quote
“The lack of US and international action has already made the world an accessory to Assad's actions. Simply condemning him, or pushing him from power in ways that get Syria's suffering out of the headlines, will make us an accessory after the fact.”
—CSIS’s Anthony H. Cordesman authored a new commentary today, “Assad: The Real "Butcher's Bill" in Syria.”
iDeas Lab
The CSIS International Security Program recently released Deterring Iran After the Nuclear Deal, a report that seeks to better understand Iran’s strategy and capability development and provides a recommended Iran deterrence strategy for the United States. This screenshot comes from a CSIS original video that captures the report’s key findings and recommendations and debuted at the report launch last Friday.
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: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe.)
A Chinese J-11 fighter jet is pictured on the airstrip at Woody Island in the South China Sea on March 29, 2017, as the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative reported today.
Recommended Reading
Easternization: Asia’s Rise and America’s Decline from Obama to Trump and Beyond, a new book by the FT’s Gideon Rachman.
This Town Tomorrow
Join CSIS’s Missile Defense Project at 9:00 a.m. for the launch of the new report, Missile Defense 2020: Next Steps for Defending the Homeland.
Join the East- West Center at 12:30 p.m. for “Australia Debates the American Alliance.”
And join GWU’s Elliott School of International Affairs at 6:30 p.m. for a discussion with Ambassador John Negroponte on US national security.
On Demand
Today, CSIS’s Technology Policy Program hosted “Foreign Investment and National Security: Does CFIUS Need Expanded Powers?”
Sounds
The ChinaPower podcast released “The Future of U.S.-China Economic Ties” today, featuring a discussion with Erin Ennis, senior vice president of the US-China Business Council.
Smiles
Link Wray deserves an encore…and this is one smile of a clip.
I invite you to email me at aschwartz@csis.org and follow me on twitter @handrewschwartz
