The Evening: Iran, UNGA, Radiohead and More
September 24, 2018
Good Evening,
It's Monday, September 24th.
Iran’s Vow of Retaliation
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said separatists who killed at least 25 people at an Iranian military parade are linked to the U.S., U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia, and he threatened that those responsible "will certainly be severely punished." He also threatened Israel, as the New York Times’ Rod Nordland reports.
Plus, as the Hill’s Michael Burke reports, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said today that he will not meet with President Trump during his visit to New York City for the United Nations General Assembly session, citing sanctions the president has placed on Iran.
Dive Deeper: “In Search of an Iran Strategy,” by CSIS’s Jon Alterman.
UNGA
World leaders streamed into New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly gathering this week, planning to confront persistent global problems as well as a burgeoning debate over two competing world views: national sovereignty and multilateralism, as the Wall Street Journal’s Farnaz Fassihi and Valentina Pop report.
129 countries at the United Nations today signed on to a U.S.-drafted pledge to fight the global drug problem President Trump warned presented a public health and national security threat, as Reuters’ Michelle Nichols and Jeff Mason report.
Dive Deeper: “CSIS Press Conference Call: Preview of the 2018 United Nations General Assembly,” featuring CSIS’ Heather Conley, Mike Green and Jon Alterman.
“Trump comes to leverage the UN, not to bury it,” by the Middle East Institute’s Paul Salem.
“UN Prepares for Donald Trump—and a Second Helping of ‘America First,’” by CFR’s Stewart Patrick.
Russia to Equip Syria
Russia said today it would equip Syria with sophisticated air defense systems, a move that could worsen a rift with Israel by limiting its ability to bomb across its northern border, as the Washington Post’s Anton Troianovski, Loveday Morris and Liz Sly report.
CIA Director Skeptical of NK
CIA director Gina Haspel said today that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will not give up his nuclear weapons easily, seeing them as crucial leverage, as the New York Times’ Julian Barnes reports.
Your Questions
Do you have any questions about trade and how a changing U.S. trade policy may affect your life? If you do, please email me your question(s) to aschwartz@csis.org. We’ll publish some of the best questions and get our experts to answer them on an upcoming CSIS podcast.
Enroll for Spring 2019
Now enrolling for the Spring, CSIS & Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs offer a new Executive Master's in International Relations. Information here.
In That Number
70,000
An estimated 70,000 opposition militants with legitimate grievances against the Assad regime are positioned for a low-level insurgency that could last for years to come.
Source: A new CSIS brief, “Idlib Province and the Future of Instability in Syria.”
Critical Quote
“I’m the president of the United States — I’m not the president of the globe.”
—President Donald Trump
iDeas Lab
CSIS's Beyond Parallel aims to bring more transparency and understanding to Korean unification. See the Project's latest feature on North Korea's fishing industry.
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: Spencer Platt/Getty Images.) President Trump attends a meeting on the global drug problem at the United Nations today.
Recommended Reading
"The Sixth Service: What the Reorganization of Special Operations Forces Can Teach Us About Space Force," by CSIS’s Alice Hunt Friend and Kaitlyn Johnson.
This Town Tomorrow
At 2:00 p.m., join CSIS for a discussion on the CFIUS reforms recently signed into law through the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA).
Also, at 8:30 a.m., the Inter-American Dialogue will host a panel to discuss upcoming Brazilian elections and country’s outlook.
And at 12:30 p.m., Georgetown University's Center for Latin American Studies will host a conversation on Latin American political trends and conservative inroads in Latin American politics.
Video
Back in April 2018, CSIS hosted the 4th Annual Global Development Forum. Featuring over 50 policymakers and high-level experts, the conference examined the role and purpose of official development assistance against a backdrop of rising incomes, economic growth, youth unemployment, and other continued complex challenges in many parts of the world. Watch the key points from the conference summarized in a video here.
Podcasts
Hosted by CSIS's Colm Quinn, The Readout dissects the big (and soon-to-be big) stories of the week in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs.
On the latest episode, CSIS's Seth Jones previews his new book A Covert Action, on the previously classified story of QRHELPFUL, the CIA's program to support the Solidarity movement in Poland. Listen on Apple Podcasts or SoundCloud.
Smiles
One more from the collaboration between Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, because it’s a smile.
I invite you to email me at aschwartz@csis.org and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz
