The Evening: Drones in Russia, Diplomatic Push, Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around, and More

Drones Fly Deep Inside Russia; Putin Orders Border Tightened

Drones that the Kremlin said were launched by Ukraine flew deep inside Russian territory, including one that got within 100 kilometers (60 miles) of Moscow, signaling breaches in Russian defenses as Vladimir Putin ordered stepped-up protection at the border, as the AP reports.

Diplomatic Push

The Biden administration took its push to isolate Russia into the heart of the former Soviet sphere of influence on Tuesday, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken meeting with Central Asian leaders to urge them not to help Russia evade sanctions imposed by the West over its invasion of Ukraine, as the NYT reports.

Huawei Export Licenses Could Be Revoked by U.S.

The Biden administration is considering revoking export licenses issued to U.S. suppliers for sales to Chinese telecom company Huawei, part of a broader tightening of technology trade over national security concerns, as the WSJ reports.

Executive Education

CSIS's Understanding Washington course offers embassy, business, and nonprofit professionals the tools and knowledge necessary to better navigate the Washington policy ecosystem.

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

90%

The United Nations atomic agency confirmed Tuesday that its inspectors had found traces of near weapons-grade nuclear material at Iran’s underground Fordow facility but said Tehran continues to produce 60% enriched uranium at the site. Weapons-grade enriched uranium is generally considered to be from around 90%-enriched uranium.

Source: WSJ

Critical Quote

iDeas Lab

A new operational-level map of the Ukrainian battlefield from the CSIS Transnational Threats Project highlights the force disposition and territory that Ukraine has retaken throughout the war. 

The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.

Optics

​​​​U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen pays her respect at a Memory Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine in the Russian-Ukrainian War during her visit to Kyiv on February 27, 2023.

Recommended Reading

“Will Israeli-Palestinian Violence Spin Out of Control?” by CSIS’s Jon B. Alterman. 

This Town Tomorrow

At 9:30 a.m., CSIS’s Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative holds a conversation on the priorities of the U.S. Army with Secretary of the Army Christine E. Wormuth.

And, at 10:00 a.m., the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development and CSIS Humanitarian Agenda evaluate the humanitarian dilemma in Afghanistan.

Then, at 7:00 p.m., the Wesley Theological Seminary host a conversation with author Shaun A. Casey on his new book, Chasing the Devil at Foggy Bottom: The Future of Religion in American Diplomacy.

Video

Last week, CSIS's Seth G. Jones, Eliot A. Cohen, and Emily Harding were joined by Michael Vickers, former under secretary of defense for intelligence, to assess the state of the war in Ukraine. ​Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

CSIS's Mvemba Phezo Dizolele is joined by CSIS's Marti Flacks, Freedom House's Tiseke Kasambala, and Amnesty International USA's Kate Hixon to discuss the March 2023 Summit for Democracy.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

"This doesn't have to be the big get even/This doesn't have to be anything at all.”

Most rock fans know about Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks’ 1981 hit “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around." It’s one of the all-time great duets. But, have you ever heard the version where it’s just Petty and the Heartbreakers without Stevie? It’s pretty amazing too.

I invite you to email me at aschwartz@csis.org and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz