The Evening CSIS: Sea of Blood, Senate Sanctions, War on War & More

Good Evening,

Welcome to The Evening CSIS—my daily guide to key insights CSIS brings to the events of the day plus HIGHLY RECOMMENDED content from around the world. If you want to view this in your browser, click here. To subscribe, please send me an email at aschwartz@csis.org.

Sea of Blood
President Erdogan of Turkey said today that the US is responsible for a “sea of blood” in Syria and slammed the US for its support of Syrian Kurdish fighters known as the PYD, as CNN reports.

Dive Deeper: CSIS’s Bulent Aliriza authored a new commentary today: “ Erdogan Denounces U.S. Position on the PYD .”

Senate Sanctions
The Senate unanimously passed tough new sanctions against North Korea today for its violations of international law, particularly regarding the testing of nuclear weapons and missile technology, as USA Today’s Doug Stanglin reports.

And, as Foreign Policy’s Megan Alpert reports, “ For North Korean Officials, Falling Asleep on the Job and Arguing Over Forestry Policy Could Get You Killed .”

Dive Deeper: A new CSIS Critical Questions (CSIS’s signature series of asked & answered short papers) authored today by Victor Cha and Andy Lim, “ Of Complexes and Generals,” is a smart read.

Suicide Bombing in Nigeria
Two female suicide bombers killed more than 60 people at a camp for people displaced by an insurgency of the jihadist Boko Haram group in the northeast Nigeria, today as Reuters reports.

Dive Deeper: Late last week, CSIS’s Jennifer Cooke authored an important new commentary: “ Now Comes the Hard Part: Five Priorities in the Continuing Fight against Boko Haram .”

In that Number
$5 trillion
More than $5 trillion in world trade moves through the South China Sea each year.
Source: Reuters.

Critical Quote
“Russia has very clear intentions and is using military means to accomplish them.”
—Heather Conley, director of the CSIS Europe Program, on Russia pursuing its interests in the Middle East.
Source: Christian Science Monitor.

One to Watch

(Photo Credit: LydiaTomkiw.com.)

Lydia Tomkiw (@lydiatomkiw) is a breaking news reporter at the International Business Times, where she focuses on international affairs in Europe. For the latest news out of Europe, Lydia is one to watch.

Optics
The Turkish Coast Guard released footage today of a rescue swimmer aiding a Syrian refugee who was clinging to a sinking boat in the Aegean Sea, footage via ABC News.

Highly Recommended
In a new commentary published today, Brookings’s Michael O’Hanlon writes about “ What the next president needs to think about on defense strategy .”

This Town Tomorrow
Join the New American Foundation tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. as a distinguished panel discusses the White House’s cybersecurity priorities for 2016—what we can expect, and what they can deliver. RSVP here .

CSIS on Demand
Yesterday, New York Times journalist CJ Chivers joined CSIS to discuss WMDs and terrorist groups’ efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. The discussion also addressed how the international community should respond if a terrorist group were to acquire nuclear material.

Sounds
The first episode of The Ezra Klein Show, Vox’s new podcast, came out yesterday. Ezra sat down with Rachel Maddow to discuss everything from activism to the inner workings of her show.

I Like It Like That
Eye-catching things in CSIS's orbit

ICYMI, “ Operating in the Dark: Rules of Engagement Needed for Space ,” by CSIS’s Todd Harrison for the excellent CSIS International Security Program newsletter FYSA.

Smiles
If you read this space, you know by now that I had way too much fun hanging out this week with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and John Stirratt (Wilco’s bass player/background vocalist.)

In the clip you are about to see John is the guy on screen right playing acoustic guitar next to lead singer Tweedy. I’m about the same age as John and he grew up in New Orleans. So together, we had a nice time reminiscing about the greatest juke joint to ever grace the Crescent City, my neighborhood hangout, Benny’s Bar. If you ever saw the Neville Brothers, Harry Connick Jr or JD and the Jammers play live in Benny’s you understand the power of an intimate musical performance (less than 50 people fit in the place at one time.)

Jeff Tweedy and John Stirratt understand the power of intimate musical performances. This week they played to a tiny audience at NPR while taping Bob Boilen’s brilliant “Tiny Desk Concerts.” It blew everyone in the room away. I’m sure Bob Boilen will have the video posted soon but in the meantime, take a look at this and you’ll get the sense of what we saw from America’s best rock band, way up close.


Feedback

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