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The Evening CSIS: Backing Abadi, Crude Rally, Scarlet Fire & More
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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. To subscribe, please send me an email at aschwartz@csis.org (mailto:aschwartz@csis.org) .


** Backing Abadi
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Making his first visit to Baghdad in two years, Secretary of State John Kerry traveled unannounced to Iraq where he met with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, as well as Iraq’s foreign minister, the Sunni speaker of parliament, and a Kurdish regional leader. Kerry pledged $155 million in new US aid, but as AP’s Bradley Klapper reports (https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/kerry-in-baghdad-to-meet-iraqi-leaders-discuss-is-fight/2016/04/08/d41b34b2-fd5d-11e5-813a-90ab563f0dde_story.html) , Kerry indicated there would be no planned increase in US troops.

Dive Deeper: CSIS’s Anthony Cordesman has authored a new commentary: “Give Iraq a Fighting Chance (http:// http://csis.org/publication/giving-iraq-fighting-chance) .”

In late March, Brookings’ Ken Pollack released a three-part “Iraq Situation Report (http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2016/03/28-military-campaign-against-isis-pollack) ” based on his trip to Iraq from March 9–19.


** Crude Rally
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Oil prices surged today, following speeches by Fed chairwoman Janet Yellen Thursday night and New York Federal Reserve Bank president William Dudley Friday morning, as the Wall Street Journal’s Timothy Puko reports (http:// http://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-prices-lifted-by-fed-comments-on-u-s-economy-1460106999) .

Dive Deeper: CSIS’s Energy and National Security Program recently hosted Xiaojie Xu, chief fellow at the Institute of World Economics and Politics, part of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, to present the “World Energy China Outlook 2016.”

The annual outlook presents a Chinese perspective on world energy trends with a focus on domestic energy development and global implications. The event can be viewed On Demand (http://csis.org/event/world-energy-china-outlook-2016) , as can the PowerPoint presentation (http://csis.org/files/attachments/160405_xu_slides.pdf) from the event.


** Arrested
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Mohamed Abrini, one of the key remaining suspects in November’s Paris attacks, and a suspected accessory in March’s Brussels attacks, has been arrested according to Belgian prosecutors. BBC has footage of the arrest as it happened (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36000407) .

Dive Deeper: The START Center released this infographic report (https://www.start.umd.edu/pubs/START_PIRUS-FF_InfographicSeries_April2016.pdf) that tracks foreign fighters—with a specific focus on the United States.


** In that Number
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** 1.06 million
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Secretary Kerry broke the record for most travel as Secretary of State, eclipsing 1.06 million miles on his way to Bahrain and surpassing Condoleezza Rice. Source: CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/07/politics/john-kerry-travel-record/index.html)


** Critical Quote
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** “Our tradition of stable and healthy civil-military relations, although challenged throughout our history, is the envy of the world. Over the next year, it will take hard work and wisdom by civil servants, politicians, military professionals, and departing and incoming political appointees to keep it that way.”
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— CSIS International Security Program director Kathleen Hicks on civil-military tension during presidential transitions.
Source: War on the Rocks (http://warontherocks.com/2016/04/weathering-the-storm-civil-military-tension-during-presidential-transitions/) .


** One to Watch
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(Photo Credit: Twitter.)

Tik Root (@TikRoot (https://twitter.com/TikRoot) ) is a freelance journalist based in Washington, DC. Tik’s work has appeared in the Washington Post, Newsweek, the Atlantic, and Foreign Policy. Tik was briefly imprisoned (http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/04/28/tik.root.syria/) at the outset of the Syrian conflict. For news on the Middle East and Africa, Tik is one to watch.


** Optics
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Today Vice News released “Inside the Lab that Tracks Jihadist Terror Threats (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ML9saG7yPw) ,” which offers an inside look at an Israeli lab that combs the internet for instructions on how to make IEDs—and then tests them. DARPA recently asked tinkerers to submit their own IED designs, as Defense One’s Patrick Tucker reported (http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2016/03/darpa-IED-bomb-tinkerers/126649/) in March.


** Highly Recommended
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CSIS’s Olga Oliker authored a personal essay (http://www.dailydot.com/opinion/improve-online-political-debate-syrian-refugees/) for the Daily Dot about leaving the Soviet Union as a child to come to America—and how the Syrian children who are refugees must now feel.


** CSIS Monday
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Join us on Monday at 10:30 a.m. for “The Smartest Places on Earth: Book Discussion with Antoine van Agtmael and Fred Bakker.” Register or watch live here (http://csis.org/event/smartest-places-earth-book-discussion-antoine-van-agtmael-and-fred-bakker) .

CSIS's International Security Program is hosting “The Future of Personnel Policy at DoD” at 1:00 p.m. with Brad R. Carson, formerly of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. Register or watch live here (http://csis.org/event/future-personnel-policy-dod) .

Also Monday, join us at 2:00 p.m. for “21st Century Development: Leveraging Data, Technology, and Innovation.” Register or watch live here (http://csis.org/event/21st-century-development-leveraging-data-technology-and-innovation) .


** This Town Monday
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Join SAIS on Monday at 5:00 p.m. for “Energy and Geopolitics in the Eastern Mediterranean.” Register here (http://www.sais-jhu.edu/content/energy-and-geopolitics-eastern-mediterranean) .


** CSIS on Demand
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CSIS hosted “China Reality Check: China's "Internet Sovereignty" Initiative: Origins and Consequences” back in February. Watch it On Demand (http://csis.org/event/china-reality-check-chinas-internet-sovereignty-initiative-origins-and-consequences) .


** Sounds
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David Shambaugh joined CFR’s Asia Unbound (http://blogs.cfr.org/asia/2016/04/07/podcast-chinas-future/) podcast to discuss his new book China’s Future.


** I Like It Like That
Eye-catching things in CSIS's orbit
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Reddit finally launched a mobile app (https://www.reddit.com/mobile/download) for iPhone and Android. We can all read easy now…


** Smiles
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We had another great week at CSIS. Secretary Carter spoke here, we hosted a stellar event on maritime cooperation in the Pacific and our Global Food Security program released a report and held a fascinating event analyzing the impact of feed the future investments in Tanzania.

My colleagues published timely analysis on the recapture of Mosul and on the electric vehicle charging infrastructure. And, our iDeas Lab and Global Health program even put out our first documentary film trailer (don’t miss this, available here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czEXoak7-NE&feature=youtu.be) .)

So we have a lot to smile about at CSIS. Have a great weekend and enjoy this vintage clip (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eZsNPlifSQ) of the Grateful Dead performing Scarlet Begonias/Fire on the Mountain.


** Feedback
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I always welcome and benefit from your feedback. Please drop me a line at aschwartz@csis.org.


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