The Evening: Shelling Escalates, WHO on Testing, Bed’s Too Big, and More

February 17, 2022

Shelling Escalates

Violence escalated in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, with Russian-backed separatists and authorities in Kyiv trading accusations over cease-fire violations along the front line separating the two sides as Western governments said Moscow continued to mass troops on the borders of its smaller neighbor, as the WSJ reports.

U.S. Army Troops to Poland

The last of nearly 5,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division arrived in Poland on Thursday, Pentagon officials said, providing reassurance to a pivotal NATO ally and expertise in assisting with the possible evacuation of Americans and others should Russia invade Ukraine, as the NYT reports.

WHO Says Drop in Covid Cases Due to Testing Decline

Newly reported coronavirus cases are dropping worldwide, but World Health Organization officials urged caution Wednesday, saying that a drop in testing might be contributing to that decline and that Covid deaths remain alarmingly high, as the Washington Post reports.

Executive Education

Drawing on insights from leading experts and the CSIS Reconnecting Asia Project, CSIS's “Belt, Road, and Beyond” executive education course explains what China's Belt and Road Initiative is, what it is not, and how it is impacting commercial and strategic realities on the ground.

Video Shorts

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

In That Number

2.1%

The S&P 500 dropped 2.1 percent, continuing a volatile trading stretch as Ukraine adds to investors’ worries.

Source: NYT

Critical Quote

“Every indication we have is they’re prepared to go into Ukraine.”

— President Joe Biden

iDeas Lab

Building off a series of crisis simulations conducted last fall, a new CSIS brief examines the potential for escalation in Taiwan as a result of China’s gray zone campaigns. As seen above, when U.S. players only had long-term military response options to gray zone activity (blue line) they tended to assume there was less risk of the crisis escalating compared to treatments with short-term response options (red line).

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: Dave Chan/AFP/Getty Images.) Workmen secure a fence around the Senate of Canada as demonstrators continue to protest the vaccine mandates in Ottawa, Canada, on February 17, 2022.

Recommended Reading

“Scenario Analysis on a Ukrainian Insurgency” by CSIS's Emily Harding.

This Town Tomorrow

At 8:00 a.m., join the CSIS Japan Chair for a discussion on how the United States and Japan can strengthen integrated deterrence and bilateral economic security cooperation.

And, at 10:00 a.m., the Bipartisan Policy Center holds a discussion on the best ways to maintain America’s innovative edge, and what the government should and should not do to support competitiveness.

Then, at 12:00 p.m., join the Atlantic Council for a conversation on the diplomatic options still remaining to prevent war between Ukraine and Russia.

Video

Corruption and human rights abuses are commonplace in cobalt and copper extraction sectors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. CSIS's Africa Program earlier today hosted a panel discussion on this issue, resource management, good governance, and other topics in the DRC ahead of the country's 2023 elections. Watch the event here.

Podcast

“The virus will rule” until antiviral pills are easily accessible and widespread vaccination campaigns have been completed, says John Barry, historian, award-winning author, and Professor at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. This, and more, discussed in the latest installment of Coronavirus Crisis Update.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Yesterday, it was fun writing about the launch of Sting’s solo career in ’85. It got me thinking about all of The Police grooves and riffs that are burned into my soul. This is one of them.