The Week at CSIS: The Speeches, Discussions, and Events from May 14th to May 18th
CSIS hosts over 2,000 events a year, from major public speeches to small briefings. Join us here for an inside look at the events of the week.
5.11: Forty Years of U.S.-China Relations
The United States and China are approaching the 40th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations. To commemorate this historic milestone, CSIS is hosted a half-day event to discuss the twists and turns in the relationship over the last four decades and the challenges that lay ahead.
5.14: Xi’s Three Battles: China’s Credit Risks
At the December 2017 Central Economic Work Conference, Chinese policymakers decided that China would focus on fighting three critical battles to achieve high quality development in the next three years, among them curbing financial risks. CSIS hosted a discussion featuring experts who offered their assessments on China’s credit risks and discussed why defusing these risks is critical to China’s future growth.
5.14: Russia’s Ground Forces: Organization, Armament, Prospects
The Russian military has nearly completed a substantial overhaul of its ground forces. While Russia’s ground forces have traditionally been tasked with defending the territory of the Russian Federation, new equipment and training are meant to make them more capable for missions local and global, offensive and defensive. At the core of the new concept is self-sufficiency. Once armed with reliable artillery and missile systems, Russian ground forces will be called on to carry out high precision strikes on their own, without relying on other branches and services. Modern UAVs, new approaches to electronic warfare, and a revised concept of air defense are also part of the package. CSIS hosted a discussion on the reforms in the Russian military and their implications.
5.14: U.S. & India: From Estranged Democracies to Natural Allies
India’s May 1998 nuclear tests served as a wake-up call to the U.S. strategic community — India was rising. Progress in the relationship, both in terms of economic and security ties, can sometimes feel slow. But over these last twenty years, the U.S. has risen to become India’s most important economic and strategic partner — and India is becoming increasingly important to American interests, too. CSIS hosted a conversation assessing the progress of the U.S.-India relationship, and offered thoughts as to where the relationship may head next, and how policymakers can bring it to life.
5.15: What Works: Countering Gray Zone Tactics
As state and non-state adversaries continue to utilize unconventional tools to influence and coerce Western democracies, the United States and its partners must develop effective, integrated approaches to identify and counter these gray zone activities. CSIS hosted a half-day conference examining historical examples of both successful and unsuccessful attempts by the West to counter malicious activity in the gray zone.
5.16: Back to the Future: The Geopolitical Centrality of the North Atlantic and Arctic
Iceland sits at a critical geostrategic position for both NATO and the transatlantic community: an entry point the North Atlantic and adjacent to the Arctic Circle. With NATO’s recent commitment to create an Atlantic Command and as the alliance prepares for its July Summit in Brussels and upcoming Trident Juncture exercise in Norway, Iceland will play a key role in maintaining a secure North Atlantic. CSIS hosted a conversation with H.E. Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland.
5.16: From the North Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific: a French Maritime Outlook on Current Geopolitical Issues
From the North Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific, the French navy is responsible for securing the world’s second-largest maritime domain. CSIS hosted a discussion with Admiral Prazuck on the challenges the French navy faces and the role that it plays in France’s defense and national security strategies.
5.16: The Russian Armed Forces in Syria: Assessing Russian Reforms
Russia’s five day war with Georgia in 2008 was victorious, but brought to light a number of inadequacies in Russia’s military forces and capabilities. As a result, the conflict was followed by sweeping reforms and a streak of big-budget military procurements. Since 2015, Russian operations in Syria have served as a public testing ground for the resulting, reformed Russian military. CSIS hosted a discussion assessing Syria as a scorecard for the Russian military and its reforms.
5.17: A Conversation with Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of Total S.A.
The CSIS Energy & National Security Program hoested Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of Total, for a conversation on Total’s global gas, renewables, and power strategies and their implications for the company’s activities in the United States. The discussion encompassed Total’s position in natural gas markets, the growth and impact of renewables, and Total’s investments in the renewables and power sectors.
5.17: Pandemic Preparedness: Policy and Practice in the 21st Century
The CSIS Global Health Policy Center hosted a symposium on the current state of pandemic preparedness policy and practice. This event examined how U.S. and international policies aim to reduce the risk of a 21st century equivalent of the Influenza of 1918, while also addressing how these policies translate into practice in high-risk countries through collaboration between animal and human health professionals and institutions.
5.18: The Business Case for Fighting Corruption
Corruption often leads to higher transaction costs, which lead to less productivity and misallocated resources that, among other issues, dampens investment critical to economic growth. Promoting a culture of compliance and supporting civil society engagement (e.g., antitrust laws and whistleblowers) is essential for combating global corruption. Given a number of initiatives led by the private sector and civil society, corruption continues to get attention; but it is worth exploring additional ways that the U.S. government might lead global anti-corruption efforts and, in doing so, promote an expansion of the rule of law. CSIS hosted a timely discussion on the business case for U.S. government involvement in combating corruption and supporting the rule of law.
5.18: The Future of Force
U.S. national security would be better served if all talent were empowered to contribute, regardless of gender, and if cutting-edge academic research spoke directly to practitioner communities. And yet, women remain underrepresented in national security research and policymaking, and national security academics remain siloed from policy. CSIS hosted a discussion on these two challenges by bringing together female scholars and practitioners to address critical challenges and advance women in national security.
