The Evening: Public Health Emergency, Think Tank Rankings, End Is Not In Sight and More
January 30, 2020
Public Health Emergency
The World Health Organization announced Thursday that it was declaring the coronavirus outbreak a “public health emergency,” setting in motion a plan for global coordination to stem the spread of the virus, as the Washington Post’s Simon Denyer, Lena H. Sun, Miriam Berger, and Adam Taylor report.
Dive Deeper: “Critical Questions: The Novel Coronavirus Outbreak,” by CSIS’s Steve Morrison, Jude Blanchette, Scott Kennedy, and Stephanie Segal.
Easing Humanitarian Trade to Iran
The Trump administration announced Thursday the completion of the first transactions under a new program meant to allow humanitarian trade to Iran, while leaving in place broader sanctions on the country’s economy, as the WSJ’s Ian Talley and Laurence Norman report.
U.S. Will Not Completely Withdraw Forces From Africa
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Thursday the United States would not be removing all its forces from Africa, as he carries out a global troop review meant to free up more resources to address challenges from China’s military, as Reuters reports.
UPenn Think Tank Rankings
The University of Pennsylvania released its annual think tank rankings today. CSIS was ranked the #1 think tank in the United States. Read the full rankings here.
Climate Check
This week on the Energy 360° podcast, CSIS’s Sarah Ladislaw and Andrew Schwartz discuss how and why climate change has become a top priority for global leaders and its implications for energy, government, civil society, and the private sector.
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
2.3%
Gross domestic product—the value of all goods and services produced across the economy—grew 2.3% last year.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Critical Quote
“The Chinese Communist Party presents the central threat of our times.”
— Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
iDeas Lab
In late December, reports of a Chinese fishing fleet operating in the country’s waters dominated Indonesian media for weeks, but reporting from public officials left the story incomplete. CSIS's Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative tracked signals of Chinese law enforcement vessels to figure out just what happened and when.
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: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images). A traveler wearing a protective mask sits at the gate at the Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station.
Recommended Reading
“Getting to Less? The Progressive Values Strategy,” by CSIS's Kathleen H. Hicks, Joseph Federici, Seamus P. Daniels, Rhys McCormick, and Lindsey R. Sheppard.
This Town Tomorrow
At 11:00 a.m., CSIS will host a panel discussion on the international community’s response to Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis and why international aid is crucial for the country.
And, at 9:00 a.m., the Atlantic Council will host an event to explore the role of irregular armed groups in Venezuela and how to strengthen international cooperation and its effectiveness in the fight against terrorism.
Later, at 10:00 a.m., the United States Institute of Peace and the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea will roll out a report on the health and human rights of North Korean children.
Video
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper delivered remarks on emerging technologies governance at last week's Global Security Forum. Watch the event here.
Podcasts
In this episode, the Trade Guys and I discuss the USMCA signing ceremony and a possible U.S.-UK trade agreement.
Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Smiles
“My soul cries out for rest, and the end is not in sight.”
My friend Keith has what they call in the music business “golden ears,” meaning that he knows a hit song when he hears it long before anyone knows it’s a hit. Keith used to work for Donald Fagan of Steely Dan, and he put those ears to use for a while in the music industry before moving on to bigger things.
Nowadays, Keith and I still talk about music nonstop. And he regularly tips me off to amazing (and sometimes obscure) music that is both classic and brand new. Yesterday, Keith blew my mind when he told me that a song we had both previously thought was a Radiators’ original, was in fact a Radiators’ cover tune! It’s a song called “The End Is Not In Sight,” by a Memphis band called the Amazing Rhythm Aces, and it won a won a Grammy for Country Vocal Performance by a Group in 1976.
Now, I can’t stop listening to the original “End Is Not In Sight” by the Aces, and fortunately, there’s a great clip of them performing it live at Austin City Limits in 1977.