The Evening: Tense NATO, Iran’s Peril, Van’s Music and More
December 3, 2019
Tense NATO Meeting
In a tense meeting between President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron today in London, the two leaders put forth dueling visions for NATO, as the NYT’s Katie Rogers and Annie Karni report.
Dive Deeper : “Turkey and NATO: A Relationship Worth Saving,” by CSIS’s Rachel Ellehuus.
“Seven Decades of NATO,” via CFR.
Iran Faces Deeper Economic Peril
While Iran’s sanction-battered economy has sparked protests across the nation, U.S. officials cite new intelligence suggesting Tehran’s finances are more dire than previously thought and bringing it closer to a financial crisis, as the WSJ’s Ian Talley reports.
Trump Prepared to Wait for Trade Deal With China
President Trump said today that he was prepared to wait until after the election next year to reach a trade deal with China, fueling global economic tensions and unnerving investors, as the FT’s Victor Mallet, James Politi, and Jim Brunsden report.
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
$2.4 billion
The Office of the United States Trade Representative recommended tariffs as high as 100 percent on certain French imports valued at $2.4 billion, including cheese, wine, and handbags.
Source: New York Times
Critical Quote
“Nobody needs NATO more than France.”
— President Donald Trump
iDeas Lab
CSIS's Missile Defense Project tracks North Korea's missile launches and nuclear detonations.
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: Nicholas Kam/AFP via Getty Images). French President Emmanuel Macron and President Trump today at Winfield House in London.
Recommended Reading
“Ties that Bind: Family, Tribe, Nation, and the Rise of Arab Individualism,” by CSIS’s Jon Alterman.
This Town Tomorrow
At 8:15 a.m., CSIS will hold a conference featuring a series of debates on the core issues underpinning the nature of Chinese power as well as a keynote address from Senator David Perdue (D-GA).
Later, at 1:30 p.m., the CSIS Russia and Eurasia program will host a panel discussion on Russian defense expenditure and military modernization.
And, at 9:00 a.m., the Wilson Center will host a discussion on political repression in Venezuela and possible strategies for counteracting it.
Video
China is developing its largest and most powerful aircraft carrier to date. In the newest episode of “High Resolution,” CSIS's Matthew Funaiole and Joe Bermudez illustrate China's sweeping efforts to modernize its navy. Watch the video here.
Podcasts
On a new episode of The Asia Chessboard, Mike Green is joined by Ambassador Kurt Tong, partner at the Asia Group, former consul general in Hong Kong and Macau and former State Department principal deputy assistant secretary for economic and business affairs.
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.
Smiles
“I want to drink a cup of kindness with you for the sake of days gone by.”
This morning I was listening to one of Van Morrison’s masterpiece albums, “Into the Music” (1979) and thinking that nobody makes music like Van anymore. Except that Van still makes music like Van—over the past four years he’s recorded six pretty great albums. The latest is the recently released “Three Chords & The Truth” titled after country music’s preeminent composer Harlan Howard’s famous description of country music.
Listen to this superb track, “Days Gone By” from “Three Chords,” and I recommend that you PLAY IT LOUD.