The Evening: Hamas Rejects Cease Fire, Houthi Strike, Waiting for the Man, and More

Newsletter - March 6, 2024

Hamas Rejection of Gaza Cease-Fire

President Biden said Tuesday that talks on a possible six-week cease-fire in Gaza are "in the hands of Hamas right now." He spoke just before a Hamas leader in Lebanon appeared to reject a proposed deal the United States is backing, insisting that Israeli hostages would be released only after a cease-fire was in place and Israeli forces have withdrawn, as the NYTreports.

Houthi Strike Kills 2 Civilian Mariners

A missile launched by Houthi militants in Yemen struck a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday. The missile killed two people, the first known fatalities in the Houthis' months-long campaign of violence against maritime traffic, as The Washington Postreports.

Jerome Powell Says Fed on Track to Cut Rates This Year

Brisk inflation and hiring data in January haven't altered the Federal Reserve's expectation that it will be appropriate to cut interest rates later this year, but Chair Jerome Powell said officials want more evidence that inflation is slowing, as the WSJreports.

Executive Education

Are you ready to rethink risk? From April 3-5, join CSIS experts for Red Teaming: Alternative Analysis and Risk Assessments for a Changing World to explore techniques for exposing and overcoming weaknesses in your organization. Register here by March 22.

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: "Food as the "Silent Weapon": Russia's Gains and Ukraine's Losses" with CSIS's Caitlin Welsh.

In That Number

80%

As gang attacks continue to paralyze Haiti, shutting down the main airport and preventing Prime Minister Ariel Henry from returning home, Haitian politicians embarked on forming new coalitions as estimates suggest that gangs controlled 80% of the capital, leaving the nation largely immobilized.
Source: ABC News

Critical Quote

We need a cease-fire.

- President Joe Biden

iDeas Lab

Image

New satellite imagery reveals a significant surge in activity at the Tikhoretsk Munitions Storage Facility, which is a confirmed storage site for North Korean munitions. Read the latest Beyond Parallel 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: Diego Herrera Carcedo/Getty Images

Demining workers crane an unexploded Russian bomb into a demining vehicle at a house in Kostyantynivka, Ukraine, on March 6, 2024.

Recommended Reading

"U.S. Leadership in the Pacific Is at Risk" by CSIS's Charles Edel and Kathryn Paik.

This Town Tomorrow

At 9:00 a.m., the CSIS Middle East Program and the CSIS Humanitarian Agenda welcome Dr. Amani Ballour to discuss her new memoir, The Cave.

Later, at 9:30 a.m., the CSIS Korea Chair hosts a conversation on the upcoming National Assembly election in April 2024 and the recent Freedom Shield military exercises.

Then, at 3:00 p.m., the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development welcomes ambassadors from several countries to discuss the most critical questions that will define geopolitical, economic, and security competition in the 21st century.

Video

Today, the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development showcased Get Me Carlucci, a book by Kristin Carlucci Weed detailing the legacy of her father, Frank C. Carlucci III, the 16th U.S. Secretary of Defense. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

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CSIS's Jon Alterman sat down with Amos Yadlin, a former head of the Military Intelligence Directorate of the Israel Defense Forces, to discuss Israeli strategy in Gaza, the impacts of the war on Israel's global relationships, and more.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

On April 20th, which is known in the music industry as "Record Store Day," a new album of Lou Reed cover tunes will be on sale and streaming everywhere. It's called "The Power of the Heart: A Tribute to Lou Reed," and features luminaries such as Rosanne Cash, Bobby Rush, Rufus Wainwright, Lucinda Williams, Joan Jett, and others. The biggest start on the album is Keith Richards who has recorded Reed's standard "I'm Waiting For The Man."

Fortunately, we don't need to wait until late April to hear the Richards cover. It's out now, and in this video, we can watch as Keith rocks out with members of his X-Pensive Winos band, keyboardist Ivan Neville and drummer Steve Jordan.

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