Subject: The Evening CSIS: ISIS’s Web, US-Japan Alliance, Back to Black & More
From: "Andrew Schwartz" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 29 Feb 2016 22:59:54 -0000

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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. If you want to view this in your browser, click here [ http://CSIS.informz.net/InformzDataService/OnlineVersion/Individual?mailingInstanceId=5391938&subscriberId=1062005454 ] . To subscribe, please send me an email at [email-masked] [ mailto:[email-masked] ] .

 ISIS's Web
 Defense Secretary Ash Carter today told reporters that US Cyber Command is conducting a full-scale and unprecedented digital assault on ISIS, as FCW’s Sean Lyngaas reports [ http://bit.ly/1LrlwbD ] .

Meanwhile, Syria’s main opposition group says that Bashar al-Assad is attempting to wreck the cease-fire, as Reuters reports [ http://reut.rs/1Lrm41d ] .

And, the death toll from ISIS’s Baghdad market bombings has climbed to 73, as CBS News reports [ http://cbsn.ws/1LrmrZF ] .

 Dive Deeper:  ICYMI on Sunday, NPR’s Rachel Martin interviewed Secretary Carter [ http://n.pr/1LrlJf3 ]  about the civil war in Syria and the fight against ISIS.

And today, CSIS published a new report by Anthony Cordesman, Saudi Arabia and the United States: Common Interests and Continuing Sources of Tension [ http://bit.ly/1VNtxbC ] , which among other topics addresses “The Threat Posed by the Mix of Ethnic, Sectarian, Islamist Extremist Threats; Ongoing Fighting; and Longer-term Instability in Syria.”

 Future of US-Japan Alliance
 A new report released today by CSIS recommends that the US and Japan should set up new military headquarters for missions to defend Okinawa and other islands as part of a broad revamp of their alliance, as the  Financial Times ’ Robin Harding reports [ http://on.ft.com/1QnRceW ] .

 Dive Deeper:  The U.S.-Japan Commission on the Future of the Alliance today released its final report: The U.S.-Japan Alliance to 2030: Power and Principle [ http://csis.org/files/publication/160229_US_Japan_Commission_Full_Report.pdf ] . The Commission was established by CSIS and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

 Oil Rises
 Oil prices rose today on signs that US drilling activity is hitting new lows, as the  Wall Street Journal ’s Nicole Friedman reports [ http://on.wsj.com/1QomaDD ] .

 Dive Deeper:  CSIS last week hosted Keisuke Sadamori of the International Energy Agency (IEA) to present the IEA’s 2016 Medium-Term Oil Market Report. Sadamori’s PowerPoint presentation can be accessed here [ http://bit.ly/1Qomq5N ] , and video of the event can be viewed On Demand [ http://bit.ly/1QomqCN ] .

 In that Number
 88%
Chinese major arms exports grew by 88% between 2011 and 2015. Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) via VOA [ http://www.voanews.com/content/china-arms-exports-double/3212411.html ] .

 Critical Quote
 “Emerging Chinese military capabilities are not the only risk for U.S. interests stemming from China’s return to the world stage.”
—CSIS’s report  Asia-Pacific Rebalance 2025 , on China’s rapidly rising global economic status.

Source: CSIS [ http://csis.org/files/publication/160119_Green_AsiaPacificRebalance2025_Web_0.pdf ] .

 One to Watch 

 

 

( Photo Credit: Re/code. )

Dan Frommer (@fromedome [ https://twitter.com/fromedome ] ) is Re/code’s new editor in chief. Dan previously served as Quartz’s tech editor and as a tech reporter at  Forbes . For the latest tech news, Dan is one to watch.

 Optics

 

 

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James revealed [ http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/673784/air-force-reveals-b-21-long-range-strike-bomber.aspx ]  the first public rendering of the B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) on Friday. The B-21 designator recognizes the LRS-B as the first new bomber of the 21st century.

 Highly Recommended
 Silicon Valley disrupts education in “Learn Different [ http://bit.ly/1Lrl0dW ] ” by the  New Yorker ’s Rebecca Mead.

 CSIS Today
 Today, CSIS hosted a discussion [ http://csis.org/event/china-reality-check-chinas-internet-sovereignty-initiative-origins-and-consequences ]  on China’s “Internet sovereignty” initiative and its origins. The panelists discussed the potential consequences for this initiative, not only for the Internet, but also for a wide range of industries, the media, and information accessibility.
 
  CSIS Tomorrow
 Join us tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. as the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development hosts “Facing Complex Challenges: Innovating through Integrated Development.” For more information and to register, click here [ http://csis.org/event/facing-complex-challenges-innovating-through-integrated-development ] .

 This Town Tomorrow
 With presidential primary season well underway, it’s clear that whoever emerges in November 2016 as the next commander-in-chief will have their hands full with a number of foreign policy and national security choices. Tomorrow, a Brookings Institution panel [ http://www.brookings.edu/events/2016/03/01-security-challenges-opportunities-next-administration?rssid=UpcomingEvents&utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=FeedBlitzRss&utm_content=Beyond+2016%3a+Security+challenges+and+opportunities+for+the+next+administration ]  will discuss the security challenges and opportunities for the next administration.
 CSIS on Demand
 Last week, the CSIS Sumitro Chair in Southeast Asia studies hosted Daniel J. Kritenbrink [ http://csis.org/event/banyan-tree-leadership-forum-daniel-j-kritenbrink ] , senior director for Asian affairs, National Security Council. He discussed the outcomes of the recent U.S.-ASEAN Special Leaders' Summit at Sunnylands, California, and President Obama’s upcoming travel to Vietnam in May and Laos in September.

 Sounds
 The latest cogitASIA Podcast [ http://cogitasia.com/cogitasia-podcast-taiwan-under-tsais-leadership ]  examines Taiwan’s politics and foreign policy following the landslide election of Dr. Tsai Ing-wen as president.

 I Like It Like That 
 Eye-catching things in CSIS's orbit 

Flip phones could make a comeback. according to the MIT Technology Review [ http://bit.ly/1LrkKvh ] .

 Smiles
 This smile comes with sadness. Last night, the Oscar for “Best Documentary” went to a revealing film called “Amy,” about the life and music of the late singer/songwriter, Amy Winehouse. 

Winehouse, a colossal talent, died of alcohol poising at 27 in the summer of 2011.

I’m happy the documentary about her life won the Oscar.  I loved the film, and it underscored Winehouse’s genius writing skills along with her inimitable vocals.

Winehouse is a tragic figure to be sure. And many won’t remember her for her generosity—she was one of the most charitable musicians of her time (mostly in aid of children’s causes.)

The Oscar win last night made me think of this performance—Winehouse performing “Back to Black [ http://bit.ly/1QodxsR ] ” acoustic at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. It’s the Amy Winehouse I want to smile about and remember.

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