The Evening: French Resurgence, Hezbollah Implicated, Woodstock and More

August 18, 2020

French Resurgence

Faced with a recent resurgence of coronavirus cases, officials in France have made mask-wearing mandatory in business spaces across the country, pleading with people not to let down their guard and jeopardize the hard-won gains made against the virus during a two-month lockdown this spring, as the NYT reports.

Tribunal Implicates Hezbollah

A special tribunal established to deliver justice in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri rendered an inconclusive verdict today that left unanswered the key questions raised by one of the most tumultuous events in Lebanon's recent history. The panel of judges delivering the verdict implicated members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement in the assassination but failed to clearly establish who was ultimately responsible for the massive suicide bombing that killed Harir, along with 21 other people on Beirut’s seafront corniche, triggering years of political upheaval, as the Washington Post reports.

U.S.-Russia Still at Odds Over Nuclear Arms Treaty

The United States and Russia concluded two days of arms control talks today with the two sides still at odds over the U.S. demand to include China in any new treaty but showing signs of a possible willingness to extend the existing New START deal, which expires next year, as the AP reports.

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

7.3%

As of August 3, children account for 7.3 percent of coronavirus cases in the United States but make up about 22 percent of the overall population.

Source: NYT

Critical Quote

“There are always potholes and bumps in the road, but there are three candidates in Phase III trial. One, likely by the end of this year, we will know whether it's safe and effective."

— Dr. Anthony Fauci on the prospects of a Covid-19 vaccine

iDeas Lab

Part two of a mini documentary series on climate change adaptation from CSIS's Global Food Security Program and iDeas Lab explores how farmers in El Salvador are planting a diverse array of crops and trees to improve crop yields and restore the health of the soil.

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: Mario Tama/Getty Images.) The temperature reached 130 degrees at Death Valley National Park on August 16, hitting what may be the hottest temperature recorded on Earth since at least 1913.

Recommended Reading

“Plane cabins could change dramatically because of the pandemic. Here’s how,” by the Washington Post’s Shannon McMahon.

This Town Tomorrow

Tomorrow, at 8:00 a.m., the Atlantic Council will host a discussion on emerging defense technologies in the Indo-Pacific and the future of U.S.-Japan cooperation, featuring keynote remarks from General James E. Cartwright, USMC (Ret.).

And, at 10:00 a.m., The Arab Center will host a webinar exploring how Lebanon can overcome the multitude of crises it faces.

Later, at 2:00 p.m., The Center for Global Development will hold a panel discussion to discuss the economic calculus behind refugee resettlement.

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

On the most recent episode of Defense 2020, Kathleen Hicks hosts a conversation with Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-TX), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, on the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act and his career shaping U.S. defense policy.

Listen on Spotify, Google Play, & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

The original Woodstock festival took place 51 years ago this month. Hard to believe. Lukas Nelson and his band Promise of the Real recorded an at home tribute to the Joni Mitchell penned, CSNY anthem “ Woodstock .” Tell me you wouldn’t want to hang out with Lukas and his band some time…