The Evening: Strikes on Syria, EU Investment Boost, You Wreck Me, and More

Newsletter - September 9, 2024

Strikes on Syria

The Syrian government accused Israel of launching missile strikes at its territory that killed 16 people, deepening tensions between the two countries amid an expanding Israeli campaign to disrupt Iranian arms supplies to Lebanon's Hezbollah, as the WSJ reports.

Russia Captures Eastern Ukrainian Villages

Russian forces have captured two villages in eastern Ukraine and are now pressing to encircle Ukrainian soldiers at two locations along the front line, as the NYT reports.

Draghi Calls for €800bn EU Investment Boost

In a report released today prepared for the European Commission, former Italian Prime Minister and former ECB president Mario Draghi has recommended a "new industrial strategy for Europe," calling on the EU to raise investments by €800 billion a year to fund radical and rapid reform to stop the union falling behind the US and China, as the FT reports.

Executive Education

Develop agile responses to unprecedented challenges. Join Global Foresight: Preparing for Future Trendsfrom October 21-24 to gain strategic foresight tools-from identifying drivers of change to modeling future scenarios-and learn to anticipate external challenges. Register by October 9.

Audio Briefs

CSIS experts give short, spoken-word summaries on the biggest takeaways from their latest reports, white papers, and commentaries-in their own words.

Listen here:"Diversifying, Not Decoupling: Taiwanese Industry Responds to Geostrategic Risks" with CSIS's Scott Kennedy.

In That Number

€800 billion

Former Italian premier Mario Draghi demanded 'new industrial strategy' and a €800 billion EU investment boost to stop Europe falling behind US and China.
Source: FT

Critical Quote

We will have to scale back some, if not all, of our ambitions. This is an existential challenge.

- Mario Draghi, former Italian Prime Minster, on urging the EU to develop a "new industrial strategy for Europe."

iDeas Lab

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A recent CSIS publication outlines three illustrative ways China could blockade Taiwan. Read the full analysis here.

The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.

Optics

Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang participate in a meeting at the Pentagon on September 9, 2024, in Arlington, Virginia.

Recommended Reading

"Partnering with Middle Eastern Countries to Boost U.S. Minerals Security" by CSIS's Gracelin Baskaran.

This Town Tomorrow

At 8:00 a.m., the CSIS Japan Chair holds a discussion on the upcoming Liberal Democratic Party leadership election and the potential implications for Japan and the world.

Then, at 10:00 a.m., the CSIS Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Project welcomes Ambassador Geeta Rao Gupta for a conversation on policy trailblazers and championing gender equality.

Earlier, at 9:00 a.m., the Atlantic Council hosts a conference where government, private sector, and civil society leaders discuss transatlantic trade, energy, and climate policy following an election year.

Video

Last week, the CSIS Middle East Program hosted Maged Al-Madhaji, chair and co-founder of the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies, for a conversation on the Houthis' strategy attacking shipping, military responses, and a way forward to end the war in Yemen. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

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On this week's episode, the Trade Guys look at how diverse countries from around the world are managing their respective trade relationships with China. Topics include the recent Canadian tariffs on Chinese EVs, the EU's trade connections with China, and why de-risking in India may not mean a clean break from China.

Listen on Spotify& Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

"Tonight we ride, right or wrong. Tonight we sail, on radio song."

One of the greatest smiles in music for me is the continued joy surrounding the late Tom Petty's music. Over the summer, a group of Country music superstars recorded an homage, "Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty." And now, the very cool new show on Apple, "Bad Monkey" starring Vince Vaughan, has called on an eclectic cohort of pop musicians to create a soundtrack celebrating the music of Tom Petty. One of my favorite tracks is a cover of "You Wreck Me"by the Philadelphia ensemble, The War on Drugs.

I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz