The Evening: Russian Missile Barrage, FBI Investigates NC Power Outage, Slow Train Coming, and More

Russia fires a barrage of missiles across Ukraine

Russia launched a volley of missiles at Ukraine’s energy grid on Monday, knocking out power in several regions, officials said, the latest in a monthslong campaign of strikes by Moscow targeting civilian infrastructure, as the NYT reports.

FBI joins investigation into North Carolina power outage caused by “intentional” attacks on substations

With no suspects or motive announced, the FBI is joining the investigation into power outages in a North Carolina county believed to have been caused by “intentional” and “targeted” attacks on substations that left around 40,000 customers in the dark Saturday night, prompting a curfew and emergency declaration, as CNN reports.

Canada to send more warships through Taiwan Strait in signal to China

Canada plans to sail more warships through the Taiwan Strait to affirm the waters claimed by China are international, after Ottawa released an Indo-Pacific strategy that described Beijing as an “increasingly disruptive” power, as the FT reports.

Export Controls and National Security

Stronger limits on the export of U.S.-made technology are essential to containing threats from Russia and China, according to a new study by CSIS’s Greg Allen, Emily Benson and Bill Reinsch first reported on by Axios. According to Allen, Benson, and Reinsch, export limits can play a powerful role in ensuring national security, but the agency responsible for managing those rules needs a bigger budget and staffing to carry out that mission.

Executive Education

Apply to CSIS's flagship leadership program, the AILA International Fellowship, which equips aspiring global leaders to be effective and ethical changemakers. Through an intensive and interactive week of seminars and experiential learning, AILA International Fellows will gain a deeper understanding of global policy and their own leadership skills.

Video Shorts

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

In That Number

318 billion

On Monday, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida set a new target for military spending over the next five years to $318 billion as the country seeks defense buildup. 

Source: Associated Press

Critical Quote

“This was a terrible act. And it appears to be an intentional, willful and malicious act.”

— North Carolina State Senator Tom McInnis (R)

iDeas Lab

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the Department of Commerce requires a massive upgrade to its export control enforcement technology, write CSIS experts from the CSIS Scholl Chair and CSIS AI Governance Project.

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

Optics

(Photo credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images.) Citizens shelter in the Metro as Russia launches another missile attack on December 5, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Recommended Reading

“Improved Export Controls Enforcement Technology Needed for U.S. National Security” by CSIS's Gregory C. Allen, Emily Benson, and William Alan Reinsch.

This Town Tomorrow

At 10:30 a.m., the CSIS Human Rights Initiative holds a discussion on the state of human rights in Xinjiang and the implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.

Then, at 11:30 a.m., the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development hosts a discussion on the role of digital management systems in Ukraine’s reconstruction.

Later, at 1:00 p.m., the CSIS Scholl Chair and AI Governance Project launch their joint report, "Improving Export Controls Enforcement Using Data Science and Artificial Intelligence."

Video

Last week, the CSIS Australia Chair held a discussion on the most critical challenges and opportunities facing the U.S.-Australia relationship in anticipation of AUSMIN 2022—the annual Australian-U.S. Ministerial Consultations. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

Scott and Bill discuss the upcoming third ministerial meeting of the TTC, the recent changes to U.S. oil policy in Venezuela, and emerging tensions over Mexican biotechnology and energy policy. 

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Despite the constant refrain that rock and roll is a relic and irrelevant, there are bands out there creating fresh music, reinterpreting the classics and in some cases pairing it with a brand of activism that rockers have engaged in over the past 5 decades. 

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats are a prime example of combining American roots music with good causes. In this clip, you’ll see Rateliff & The Night Sweats with Bob Weir performing a few days ago at a benefit for the Marigold Project, a foundation established to address issues of racial, social and economic justice. Rateliff launched the Marigold Project in 2017 as his way of “doing something about problems I see when I’m on the road and at home in Denver.” Here’s Rateliff and Weir’s take on Bob Dylan’s “Slow Train Coming.” I sure am glad that I saw this—I hope you are too.

I invite you to email me at aschwartz@csis.org and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz