The Evening: Afghanistan Withdrawal, J & J Suspension, Spyboy and More
April 13, 2021
Biden Will Withdraw All U.S. Forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021
President Biden will withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan over the coming months, people familiar with the plans said, completing the military exit by or before the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that first drew the United States into its longest war, as the Washington Post reports.
Dive Deeper: "Afghanistan: Too Much Is Enough," by CSIS's Anthony Cordesman.
U.S. Calls for Pause on Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
Injections of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose coronavirus vaccine came to a sudden halt in much of the United States today after federal health agencies called for a pause in the vaccine’s use following the emergence of a rare blood clotting in six recipients within one to three weeks of vaccination, as the NYT reports .
Iran Says It Will Enrich Uranium to 60%
Iran will start increasing the purity of uranium it enriches to 60% for the first time after an attack on a key nuclear facility, one of Iran’s leading nuclear negotiators said, as the WSJ reports.
Executive Education
In Economics in National Security: Tools of Coercion and Inducement , participants from the policy, business, analysis, and development communities will learn from leading experts about how U.S. policymakers deploy a wide range of economic tools to support U.S. economic and national security objectives. Register here.
Mexico Matters
The Mexico Matters podcast series highlights key developments in Mexico and their impact on the United States. Hosted by Mariana Campero, each episode brings in-depth analysis, commentary, and conversations on an array of subjects ranging from economics, trade, and energy to national security, foreign policy, and business. Listen on Apple Podcasts & Spotify.
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
60%
Iran will start increasing the purity of uranium it enriches to 60% for the first time after an attack on a key nuclear facility.
Source: WSJ
Critical Quote
“It is retreat in the face of an enemy that has not yet been vanquished and abdication of American leadership.”
— Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on President Biden’s plan to withdraw from Afghanistan
iDeas Lab
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: Scott Applewhite-Pool/Getty Images.) President Joe Biden pays respects as the late Capitol Police officer William Evans lies in honor in the U.S. Capitol rotunda.
Recommended Reading
“Salvaging the Iran Nuclear Deal: Round One in Vienna, and What Comes Next,” by CSIS’s Eric Brewer for RUSI.
This Town Tomorrow
Tomorrow, at 9:00 a.m., join the CSIS Humanitarian Agenda for a discussion on the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic has posed to the delivery of humanitarian assistance worldwide.
Later, at noon, the CSIS Africa Program and the UN Foundation host a conversation on the U.S.-UN relationship and its implications for peace operations on the African continent, featuring a keynote address from Representative Karen Bass (D-CA).
And, at 1:00 p.m., CSIS's Defending Democratic Institutions Project in conjunction with the National Security Institute (NSI) at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School release a pre-recorded conversation with Justices Neil Gorsuch and Sonia Sotomayor on the importance of civic education as a national security imperative.
Video
In the latest episode of Data Unpacked, CSIS's Seth Jones discusses his latest report exploring how U.S. military and law enforcement personnel are increasingly involved in a growing number of domestic terrorist incidents. Watch here.
Podcasts
Dr. Deborah Birx, former Trump White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, joined today's episode of Coronavirus Crisis Update. We discussed the recent drama surrounding her statements about the Trump administration, President Biden's efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, and vaccine hesistancy.
Listen on Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.
Smiles
While I’m on my Daniel Lanois kick, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention his collaboration with Emmylou Harris. In 1995, Lanois produced Harris’ fantastic album “Wrecking Ball,” and in ’98, on her live record with the band Spyboy she covered Lanois’ signature track “The Maker.”