The Evening: POTUS at UN, Saudi Arabia, Robert Hunter and More

President Trump’s UN Speech

President Trump delivered a sharp nationalist message and assailed “globalists” in a speech to the UN on Tuesday, as the NYT’s Michael Crowley and David Sanger report.

Meanwhile, as the FT’s Demetri Sevastopulo reports, the President told the UN that he would “never fail” to defend U.S. interests as he castigated Iran’s “repressive” regime for an attack on Saudi Arabia, yet held out the prospect of friendship.

And, as Reuters reports, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday he was open to discuss small changes, additions or amendments to a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers if the United States lifted sanctions.

Dive Deeper : “American Bluster and Blunders Have Made Iran its Fourth Long War,” by CSIS’s Anthony Cordesman.

“Trump’s Iran-Saudi Arabia Dilemma,” by CFR’s Philip Gordon.

Saudi Arabia To Consider “All Options”

Saudi Arabia believes Iran conducted the recent attacks on its oil facilities and will consider a military response once its investigation is complete, the kingdom’s minister of state for foreign affairs said on Tuesday, as Reuters reports.

China’s Central Bank Won’t Follow Others in Easing

The head of China’s central bank said that the country’s interest rates were appropriate and that it wouldn’t aggressively ease monetary policy, even as other central banks lower borrowing rates in a bid to spur growth, as the WSJ’s Chao Deng reports.

CSIS Executive Education

Join us for our next course – Understanding Washington October 15-18. Explore how government entities, legal structures, and informal networks come together to impact policy decisions in Washington. Open to professionals who are new to D.C. or those seeking a better understanding of the policy ecosystem.

Video Shorts

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

In That Number

1.9 Million

China shed five million industrial jobs, 1.9 million of them directly because of U.S. tariffs between the beginning of the trade conflict and the end of May this year.

Source: WSJ

Critical Quote

“The future does not belong to globalists. The future belongs to patriots.”

— President Donald Trump

iDeas Lab

Several factors are hampering access to humanitarian aid in Syria, including the planned withdrawal of U.S. troops from the region, limited cross-border assistance, and safety & security threats to local humanitarian organizations.

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: Drew Angerer/Getty Images). President Trump addresses the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City.

Recommended Reading

“U.S. Military Forces in FY 2020: The Struggle to Align Forces with Strategy,” by CSIS's Mark Cancian.

This Town Tomorrow

At 9:00 a.m., CSIS will hold a panel discussion with experts on climate change’s effect on food security and political stability in Africa, following a speech by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA).

And, at 10:30 a.m., CSIS will host a panel discussion with American business executives operating in China on the state of American business interests there and paths to build a mutually beneficial relationship.

Later, at 2:30 p.m., CSIS senior experts will have a discussion on the state of U.S.-China trade relations today and roll out a major CSIS report on escalation dynamics in economic conflict.

Video

Yesterday, CSIS and Northeastern University held a half-day conference titled Implementing Innovation: The 21st Century National Security Innovation Partnership Conference. Watch the event here.

Podcasts

On a new episode of Babel, CSIS Middle East Program director Jon Alterman discusses U.S.-Iran negotiations with Ambassador Wendy Sherman, who led the U.S. delegation in developing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Smiles

“Let it be known there is a fountain that was not made by the hands of men.”

Bob Dylan is widely known as the greatest American lyricist. Robert Hunter, who wrote scores of the Grateful Dead’s most memorable lyrics died Monday night at 78 “peacefully at home in his bed” according to his family. No cause of death was provided. His family announced Hunter’s passing this afternoon in a statement which said in its final sentence, “Let there be songs to fill the air.”

To name just a few of the songs Hunter wrote lyrics for to Jerry Garcia’s musical counterpoint: Brokedown Palace, Casey Jones, China Cat Sunflower, Dark Star, Eyes of the World, Franklin's Tower, Friend of the Devil, Jack Straw, Playing in the Band, Rubin and Cherise, Scarlet Begonias, St. Stephen, Sugaree, Sugar Magnolia, Terrapin Station, Truckin’ and Uncle John’s Band.

There are so many other powerful songs. And then, there’s the song Hunter co-wrote with Garcia in 1970, “Ripple.”