Iran Threat Debated in Congress
In closed-door session, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, briefed the full membership of the House and then the Senate on the Trump administration’s escalating standoff with Iran. Before the private briefing, Shanahan told reporters that “we’ve put on hold the potential for attacks on Americans” by Iran, as
Politico’s Wesley Morgan
reports.
And, as the AP's Susannah George
reports, House Democrats received an additional closed-door Iran briefing from former CIA Director John Brennan and former State Department official Wendy Sherman, who negotiated the Iran nuclear deal.
Dive Deeper: “
Escalating U.S.-Iran Tensions,” by CSIS's Jon B. Alterman.
New UK Brexit Deal
On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced to Parliament they would hold a vote on whether to hold a second Brexit referendum and the possibility of a close customs arrangement with the bloc if they supported her “bold new” Brexit deal, as the
FT’s Laura Hughes, George Parker, and Sebastian Payne
report.
And, as the
WSJ’s Max Colchester
reports, the new referendum could give Labour MPs enough political cover to support the legislation, while many Tory politicians have already vowed to vote down the new deal.
U.S.-Japan Relations
On Saturday, President Trump will depart for Japan to discuss prospects for a bilateral trade deal and policy towards North Korea. The trip comes a week after the President delayed a decision for six months on whether to impose new tariffs of automobile and auto-part imports from Japan and other countries, as the
WSJ’s Alastair Gale
reports.
Dive Deeper: "
CSIS Press Call: President Trump's Visit to Japan," with CSIS's Mike Green, Matt Goodman, and Nicholas Szechenyi.
Enroll for Fall
Now enrolling for the Fall, CSIS & Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs offer a new Executive Master's in International Relations. Information
here.
Video Shorts
Check out CSIS’s new series of video shorts: “Testify” and “High Resolution.” In under 90 seconds, CSIS experts tell you what they told Congress in testimony, or use high-resolution satellite images and advanced mapping to break down national security issues. And don’t forget to
subscribe to the CSIS YouTube Channel!
In That Number
$126 billion
If Congress cannot come to a spending agreement, automatic spending cuts of $126 billion will take hold in mid-January: $71 billion to defense spending, and $55 billion to domestic.
Source:
Politico
Critical Quote
“The United States is playing a very, very dangerous game."
— Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of Iran
iDeas Lab
Chinese clam harvesters have returned to the South China Sea, destroying vast tracks of coral reef and pushing threatened fish stocks closer to collapse. New satellite imagery from CSIS's
Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative tracks their increase in activity since late 2018.
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: Kirsty Wigglesworth - WPA Pool/Getty Images). Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech detailing a new Brexit deal today in London.
Recommended Reading
“
Beyond Technology: The Fourth Industrial Revolution in the Developing World," from CSIS's Project on Prosperity and Development.
This Town Tomorrow
At 10:00 a.m., the International Institute for Strategic Studies will host a panel discussion to assess the Indo-Pacific region and its growing importance in the global geopolitical and economic order.
At 1:00 p.m., the American Enterprise Institute will host a conversation on the European parliamentary elections. Panelists will the role of populism, political fragmentation, and other factors that will affect EU governance following these elections.
Later, at 2:45 p.m., the Hudson Institute will hold a discussion exploring the interaction between internal and external developments in Turkey and how it might influence U.S.-Turkish relations.
Video
CSIS's Project on Prosperity and Development today hosted an event to launch a new report on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. New technologies will affect people, societies, various sectors and institutions, and governance systems. Watch the event
here.
Podcasts
Hosted by Bonnie S. Glaser, the ChinaPower Podcast dissects critical issues underpinning China’s emergence as a global power. In the latest episode, CSIS's James Lewis explores the growing concerns in the United States about Huawei as well as the decisions by countries like the United Kingdom to adopt Huawei technology.
Listen on
SoundCloud &
Apple Podcasts.
Smiles
If you enjoyed the John Lennon clip yesterday, I bet you’ll enjoy
this one too.