The Evening: Lighthizer in Charge, Yellow Vests, 8 Miles High and More
December 3, 2018
Good Evening,
It's Monday, December 3rd.
Lighthizer in Charges
President Trump has named U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, a hard-liner on China, to head trade negotiations with Beijing following a weekend summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the WSJ ’s Bob Davis and Vivian Salama report.
And, as Reuters’ David Lawder and Jeff Mason report, the Trump administration expects immediate action by China on trade issues after a deal reached by the countries’ leaders, including lower tariffs on automobiles and measures against intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers.
Meanwhile, as the FT’s James Politi reports, the U.S. and China are facing hurdles in building on the fragile truce they reached in their trade war, after the two countries left many thorny issues unresolved and offered different interpretations of the agreement.
Dive Deeper : “Critical Questions: Trump and Xi: From Ceasefire to Lasting Deal?” by CSIS’s Stephanie Segal and Matt Goodman.
“In the U.S.-China Dinner Episode, Trump Wins by a Hair,” by CSIS’s Scott Kennedy.
“Saturday Night, Saturday Night. We All Get Together on Saturday Night!” by CSIS’s Bill Reinsch.
“Trump’s Trade War Timeline: An Up-to-Date Guide,” by the Peterson Institute’s Chad Bown and Melina Kolb.
Qatar Withdraw from OPEC
Qatar announced today that it will withdraw from OPEC in January, as the Persian Gulf state faces a prolonged regional clash with rival Saudi Arabia, as the Washington Post’s Hamza Shaban reports.
French Yellow Vest Crisis
France’s prime minister met with opposition leaders today as President Emmanuel Macron sought a way to defuse nationwide protests over high living costs that led to widespread rioting in Paris at the weekend and are hurting the economy, as Reuters’ Richard Lough and Simon Carraud report.
And, as France 24 reports, dozens of French "yellow vest" demonstrators blocked access to a major fuel depot and several highways today on the third week of anti-government protests which led to major riots in Paris at the weekend.
Dive Deeper: “The French ‘Yellow Vest’ Movement and the (Current) Failure of Representative Democracy,” by the Peterson Institute’s Olivier Blanchard.
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
20
An audit of the Department of Defense identified 20 “material weaknesses” that “could adversely affect DoD’s financial operations.”
Source: Independent Auditor’s Report of the Department of Defense FY 2018 and FY 2017.
Critical Quote
“I am certain that, at some time in the future, President Xi and I, together with President Putin of Russia, will start talking about a meaningful halt to what has become a major and uncontrollable Arms Race. The U.S. spent 716 Billion Dollars this year. Crazy!”
— President Donald Trump
iDeas Lab
D360’s Bad Ideas in National Security series features short articles from our scholars on recently considered and not too obvious bad ideas in the defense and foreign policy space.
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: David J. Phillip - Pool/Getty Images). Joint services military honor guard carry the flag-draped casket of the remains of President George H.W. Bush during a departure ceremony to Washington D. C at Ellington Field today in Houston.
Recommended Reading
“George H.W. Bush and the Price of Politics,” by Jon Meacham for the NYT.
Plus, “The Patrician President and the Reporterette: A Screwball Story,” by the NYT’s Maureen Dowd.
This Town Tomorrow
At 8:00 a.m., CSIS will host the third conference in the 2018-2019 PONI Conference Series, featuring presentations and conversations covering topics such as nuclear policy and strategies, arms control and proliferation challenges, and deterrence.
Later, at 1:00 p.m., CSIS will hold a public forum focused on how the international development community, governments, and the private sector can work together to help developing countries provide affordable and clean energy (Sustainable Development Goal#7).
Video
Syria's Idlib Province encapsulates the brutal intricacies of the Syrian Civil War. 70,000 militants still reside in Idlib, a humanitarian crisis still rages across Syria, and outside military actors continue to rattle the already shaky ceasefire. Find out "What's Happening" in Syria's Idlib Province.
Podcasts
The Smart Women, Smart Power biweekly podcast features powerful, in-depth conversations with women leaders from around the globe who are experts in foreign policy, national security, international business, and international development.
Listen on SoundCloud or Apple Podcasts.
Smiles
There are great music festivals all over these United States. I always write about the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, but there are a bunch of great ones that I would love to visit. One of them is the Lowell Summer Music Series in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Last summer was the Series’ 29th year in existence. On June 14th, the Series kicked off with a performance by the great David Crosby and Friends. Crosby’s “friends” included the Byrds’ and Flying Burrito Brothers’ Chris Hillman on mandolin, Herb Pedersen on guitar and lap steel genius Greg Leisz. The big, layered sound these three created with their performance of “Eight Miles High” is mesmerizing—I can’t believe it only has 400 views on YouTube. It’s a gem.
I invite you to email me at aschwartz@csis.org and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz
