The Evening: Syria Chemical Attack, U.S. Japan Trade Deal, Brokedown Palace and More
September 26, 2019
Syria Conducted Chlorine Rocket Attack
Syrian government forces carried out a chlorine attack in May, the first confirmed violation of the international accord banning chemical weapons since President Trump authorized a U.S. military strike on Syria in 2018 over its alleged use of poison gas, a new U.S. intelligence assessment says, as the WSJ ’s Michael Gordon reports.
And, as the Journal’s Ian Talley reports, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on a Moscow-based firm and five vessels the Treasury Department said shipped fuel to Syria used to support the Assad regime’s bombing campaigns against civilians.
U.S. and Japan Reach Trade Deal
President Trump and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signed a trade-enhancement agreement on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that will lower agricultural tariffs in Japan, industrial tariffs in the U.S. and set new rules for digital trade between the world’s first- and third-largest economies, as the WSJ’s Vivian Salama and Josh Zumbrun report.
Dive Deeper : “Critical Questions: The U.S.-Japan Trade Deal,” by CSIS’s Matthew Goodman, Dylan Gerstel, Nick Szechenyi, and Mike Green.
U.S.-China Trade War Pushes Global Exports into Contraction
Global trade contracted in the first seven months of the year as political uncertainties intensified and the U.S.-China trade war became more disruptive, resulting in a geographically widespread loss of trade momentum, as the FT’s Valentina Romei reports.
Dive Deeper : “Beyond the Brink: Escalation and Conflict in U.S.-China Economic Relations,” by CSIS’s Matthew Goodman, Bill Reinsch and Scott Kennedy.
HK Protests
Hong Kong protesters chanting anti-government slogans blocked roads around a stadium where city leader Carrie Lam held her first “open dialogue” with the people on Thursday, as Reuters’ Felix Tam and James Pomfret report.
CSIS Executive Education
Join CSIS October 15-18 for our course, Understanding Washington. Explore how formal entities and informal networks interact to impact policy decisions. 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,” "What's Happening," "Preview," and “High Resolution.” And don’t forget to subscribe to the CSIS YouTube Channel!
In That Number
95
Ninety-five countries now own military drones, a sharp increase from 2010 when 60 countries had drones.
Source: The Center For The Study Of The Drone
Critical Quote
“It happened under my watch. I get all the responsibility, because it happened under my watch.”
— Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi
iDeas Lab
CSIS China Power Project's feature, How Dominant Are Chinese Companies Globally?, assesses China’s expanding economic clout. In 2008, only 29 Chinese companies made it onto the Fortune Global 500 list; that number has grown to 119.
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: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images). Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire is sworn in prior to testifying before the House Select Committee on Intelligence today on Capitol Hill.
Recommended Reading
“Now’s the time to spread the wealth, says Thomas Piketty,” by the FT’s Simon Kuper.
This Town Tomorrow
At 8:30 a.m., CSIS Global Health Policy Center will host a major conference to examine new strategies for the next decade of global immunization.
And, at 9:30 a.m., CSIS will host a discussion on the trade challenges, opportunities, and future paths of the European Economic Area and the European Free Trade Association.
Later, at 11:45 a.m., the Hudson Institute will host a discussion on the emerging geopolitical importance of the Arctic.
Video
CSIS rolled out a major report on the state of U.S.-China trade relations and paths toward resolution with senior experts Matthew Goodman, Bill Reinsch, Scott Kennedy, and Stephanie Segal. Watch the event here.
Podcasts
In the latest episode of AIDS 2020, Steve, Sara, and Andrew discuss the uncomfortable paradox surrounding South Africa: despite extensive investment in battling the spread of the disease, the country remains the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.
Smiles
“Fare you well, fare you well, I love you more than words can tell,
Listen to the river sing sweet songs, to rock my soul.”
Robert C. Hunter, American Lyricist, June 23, 1941 – September 23, 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTHnKA2P1r0.