The Evening: New ISIS Leader, NK Missile Launch, I Put a Spell On You and More

ISIS Names New Leader

Days after the Islamic State’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and his heir apparent were killed in back-to-back attacks by United States forces in northern Syria, the group broke its silence on Thursday to confirm their deaths, announce a new leader, and warn America: “Do not be happy,” as the NYT’s Rukmini Callimachi and Eric Schmitt report.

North Korea Fires Two Missiles, Warns U.S.

North Korea launched two missiles Thursday, marking its 12th test since May, in an apparent effort to pressure the United States to return to denuclearization talks with a better offer, as the Washington Post’s Simon Denyer reports.

U.S. and China Looking for New Site to Sign Trade Deal

President Trump said China and the U.S. are in the process of selecting a new site to sign what he has called phase one of a broader trade agreement between the two countries, as the WSJ’s Andrew Restuccia reports.

Dive Deeper : Check out the latest Trade Guys podcast, “APEC, China, and the USMCA

CSIS Executive Education

Join CSIS December 9-11 for our course, Unpacking the Defense Enterprise. Get a competitive advantage in analyzing the changes within the defense domain and better understand the future of the U.S. defense enterprise.

Video Shorts

Check out CSIS’s new series of video shorts: “Testify,” "What's Happening," "Preview," and “High Resolution.” And don’t forget to subscribe to the CSIS YouTube Channel!

In That Number

4.5 million

Since 2015, approximately 4.5 million Venezuelans have fled their country. The United Nations estimates the number to go up to over 6 million by the end of 2020.

Source: United Nations

Critical Quote

“Now the situation on the Korean Peninsula is at a critical crossroads of either moving toward a durable peace along with the trend of detente or facing again a touch-and-go crisis.”

— North Korean senior official Choe Ryong Hae

iDeas Lab

CSIS
Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative's Maritime Claims of the Indo-Pacific map captures the maritime claim lines and boundaries of 39 countries across the Indo-Pacific based on states’ domestic legislation, treaties, and submissions to international bodies.

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

Optics

CSIS
(Photo credit: Bob Levey/Getty Images). Nats Win World Series!!!

Recommended Reading

The United States Should Fear a Faltering China,” by AEI’s Michael Beckley for Foreign Affairs.

This Town Tomorrow

At 1:00 p.m., CSIS will host a discussion with leading Kazakh analysts on Kazakhstan’s direction under President Tokayev.

And, at 9:00 a.m., the Atlantic Council will hold a discussion on Iraq’s political and energy outlook in light of the recent protests in the country.

Later, at 10:45 a.m., the Hudson Institute will host a discussion with Australian minister for defence Linda Reynolds on the Australian-U.S. security cooperation.

Video

The CSIS Scholl Chair hosted a conversation yesterday with Scott Kirby, president of United Airlines, on how the airline industry can navigate future opportunities and challenges. Watch the event here.

Podcasts

Die Welt
In the first episode of Defense 2020, Kathleen Hicks, director of CSIS's International Security Program, asks several Democratic defense experts how the Democratic Party is approaching key national security and defense issues heading into the 2020 U.S. election.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

The scariest and best Halloween song I know comes from the incomparable Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, his classic “I Put A Spell On You.” Happy Halloween!