The Evening: Test Ban Treaty, Iran Won’t Negotiate, Another Tricky Day and More

U.S. Says Russia Defying Test Ban Treaty

Russia has likely been secretly carrying out very low-yield nuclear tests to upgrade its nuclear arsenal, according to a new U.S. intelligence assessment, challenging Moscow’s claims that it is faithfully adhering to an international treaty banning nuclear tests, as the WSJ’s Michael Gordon reports.

Iran Will Not Negotiate

Iran will not negotiate with the United States, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday, after President Hassan Rouhani signaled talks with Washington might be possible if sanctions were lifted, as the AP reports.

North Korea Accuses U.S. of Evil Ambition

North Korea on Wednesday accused the United States of showing bad faith in negotiations by conducting nuclear and missile tests and military drills as part of an “evil ambition” to conquer North Korea by force, even while advocating dialogue, as Reuters’ David Brunnstrom reports.

Enroll for Fall

Now enrolling for the Fall, CSIS & Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs offer a new Executive Master's in International Relations. Information here.

Video Shorts

Check out CSIS’s new series of video shorts: “Testify” and “High Resolution.” In under 90 seconds, CSIS experts tell you what they told Congress in testimony, or use high-resolution satellite images and advanced mapping to break down national security issues. And don’t forget to subscribe to the CSIS YouTube Channel!

In That Number

97

Facebook removed 51 Facebook accounts, 36 Pages, seven Groups and three accounts on Instagram involved in coordinated inauthentic behavior that originated in Iran.

Source: Facebook

Critical Quote

“We will not negotiate over the core values of the revolution. We will not negotiate over our military capabilities.”

— Iranian President Hassan Rouhani

iDeas Lab

Matthew Goodman, Senior Vice President for Simon Chair in Political Economy; and Senior Adviser for Asian Economics at CSIS, discusses his testimony covering economic diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific region before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy on May 23rd, 2019.

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: Anas Al-Dyab/AFP/Getty Images). Smoke plumes rising following reported Syrian government forces' bombardment on the town of Khan Sheikhun in the southern countryside of the jihadist-held Idlib province. 

Recommended Reading

“The Last War—and the Next? Learning the Wrong Lessons From Iraq,” a review essay by CFR’s Jon Finer for Foreign Affairs.

This Town Tomorrow

At 11:00 a.m., join CSIS for a discussion about the humanitarian response strategy in Venezuela in sectors such as health, education, and social protection. 

At 2:00 p.m., join the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security for a conversation on Russia's growing role in the Middle East.

And, also at 2:00 p.m., join the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace for a conversation with Happymon Jacob on his new book which examines the causes of India-Pakistan violence along the Kashmir border and the relationship with potential crisis escalation.

Video

Chinese telecom giant Huawei is building much of the world's infrastructure for the next generation of mobile internet. This could pose challenges for U.S. national security. CSIS's Technology Policy director Jim Lewis explains what's happening with Huawei. Watch the mini-documentary here.

Podcasts

In this episode, Andrew and the Trade Guys welcome Lesly McNitt, Director of Public Policy for the National Corn Growers Association, to discuss what she is hearing from corn growers, the administration, and Congress.

Listen on SoundCloud, Spotify, & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

“This is no social crisis,
Just another tricky day for you.”

Yesterday, I loved writing about “You Better You Bet,” and I really enjoyed reading your notes about it. As much as I dig “You Better You Bet,” it isn’t my favorite track off The Who’s ninth studio album, “Face Dances.” That would be “Another Tricky Day,” also written by Pete Townshend.

“Another Tricky Day” is trademark Who swagger. Watch this clip from 1981, the year “Face Dances” came out. Note Townshend’s backing vocals and guitar riffs, Entwistle’s hammering bass lines and, of course, the way Roger Daltrey and Townshend own the stage.