The Evening: Iran Sanctions, Syria Sanctions, The Wheel and More

August 20, 2020

U.S. Moves to Restore UN Sanctions on Iran

The United States moved to restore all UN sanctions on Iran today, arguing Tehran was in violation of a nuclear deal it struck with world powers in 2015 even though Washington itself abandoned that agreement two years ago, as Reuters reports.

Sanctions against Syrians

The Trump administration today levied sanctions against a Syrian former television reporter-turned government spokeswoman, a financier, and other senior Syrian government and military officials, expanding its pressure campaign against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, as the WSJ reports.

Revived Efforts to Oust Maduro

The Trump administration is tapping into more than $300 million in frozen Venezuelan government funds in an effort to give new momentum to its elusive goal of ousting President Nicolás Maduro, as the Washington Post reports.

Dive Deeper: "What Does the Future of the Venezuelan Interim Government Look Like?," by CSIS's Moises Rendon and Claudia Fernandez.

CSIS Executive Education

Join CSIS’s Trade Guys for their next crash course on trade policy. This two-day program breaks down the fundamentals of how U.S. trade policy is formulated, the legalities of trade in an international arena, and the impact of Covid-19 on supply chains. Register here.

Video Shorts

Check out CSIS’s new series of video shorts: “Testify,” "What's Happening," "Preview," and “High Resolution.” And don’t forget to subscribe to the CSIS YouTube Channel!

In That Number

532

Greenland’s ice sheet lost 532 gigatons of ice last year—a record amount of mass— according to a study published today.

Source: Reuters

Critical Quote

“Low risk does not mean no risk, no one is invincible.”

— Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe

iDeas Lab

CSIS has acquired new satellite imagery showing Indian and Chinese positions on the Doklam Plateau, a disputed territory claimed by China and Bhutan that lies close to India’s own border with both nations.

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: Anne Risemberg/AFP via Getty Images.) Members of the Malian military arrive at the Ministry of Defence in Bamako, the country's capital, on August 19, one day after the military arrested President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Recommended Reading

“A Frozen Line in the Himalayas," by CSIS's Richard Rossow, Joseph Bermudez, and Kriti Upadhyaya.

This Town Tomorrow

Tomorrow, at 10:00 a.m., the Middle East Institute (MEI) will hold a virtual discussion on the role of refugees in protest movements in Lebanon and Iraq.

Later, at 11:00 a.m., the National Defense Industrial Association hosts the second day of its Space Warfighting Industry Forum, featuring keynote remarks from Lieutenant General David Thompson.

Video

CSIS experts Heather Conley and Vladislav Inozemtsev hosted Valery Tsepkalo, a prominent opposition figure in Belarus and former ambassador to the United States, for a discussion of the country's political future. Watch the full event here.

Podcasts

This week's epside of The Reopening featured former secretary of homeland security Michael Chertoff. He shared his views on the post-Covid-19 world, including how changed patterns of work may place new demands on infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

“The wheel is turning and you can't slow down,
You can't let go and you can't hold on,
You can't go back and you can't stand still,
If the thunder don't get you then the lightning will.”

I couldn’t let the week go by without a groove from the Grateful Dead—it is summertime after all…

This terrific version of one of my favorite Dead tunes. “The Wheel” is accompanied by Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” I’ll dedicate it to all the fine reporters I used to cover the White House with as a journalist back when George W. was president—you all know who you are.