Geopolitics & Defense
Geopolitics, conflicts and defense: Ukraine and Russia, the Middle East, China and Taiwan, NATO, military industry, sanctions, trade and energy security.
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All-Out War in Yemen
The conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government has returned to all-out war, including a series of attacks on Riyadh’s main airport and on Saudi oil infrastructure. Allison Minor, Senior Fellow with the Middle East Program at CSIS, breaks down what is driving the escalation and how the conflict in Yemen reflects a broader pattern of interconnected regional conflicts. --------------------------------------------- A nonpartisan institution, CSIS is the top national security think tank in the world. Visit https://www.csis.org to find more of our work as we bring bipartisan solutions to the world's greatest challenges. Want to see more videos and virtual events? Subscribe to this channel and turn on notifications: https://cs.is/2dCfTve Follow CSIS on: • Twitter: https://twitter.com/csis • Facebook: https://facebook.com/CSIS.org • Instagram: https://instagram.com/csis/
How China's Economic Miracle Shattered
In this episode of Pekingology, Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Logan Wright, author of the new book Broken China: How the Economic Miracle Shattered and What it Means for the World (https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=broken-china-how-the-economic-miracle-shattered-and-what-it-means-for-the-world--9781509570676) . Logan argues the Chinese economy is already shrinking, in large part due to its overextended financial system. Logan and Henrietta discuss what happens when the tools on which Beijing relies to control the economy stop working, why China's stalling economy is causing problems for its trading partners, and how Chinese financial policy may be fueling organized crime around the world.
Battle for Brazil: The First-Round Election Results Explained
--------------------------------------------- A nonpartisan institution, CSIS is the top national security think tank in the world. Visit https://www.csis.org to find more of our work as we bring bipartisan solutions to the world's greatest challenges. Want to see more videos and virtual events? Subscribe to this channel and turn on notifications: https://cs.is/2dCfTve Follow CSIS on: • Twitter: https://twitter.com/csis • Facebook: https://facebook.com/CSIS.org • Instagram: https://instagram.com/csis/
Trump Launches Super Intelligence Force + OpenAI Does More Math
In this episode, Aalok and Nicole unpack OpenAI's latest math proof drop before diving into the White House's first policy actions in the "SI" era. They cover the (voluntary?) Accord on Super Intelligence signed by all the major industry players and discuss what listeners can expect from Trump's new Super Intelligence Force. *This episode was recorded at 2:00 pm ET on Tuesday, October 13, 2026.* Timestamps: 00:39 Model release updates + OpenAI/Anthropic price war 7:48 New math results from OpenAI 21:42 Tech leaders sign Accord on Super Intelligence 34:02 Trump's new Super Intelligence task force 43:40 Nonprofit sues OpenAI over Hugging Face hack Additional Reading: "Introducing GPT-6 Sol and Luna" by OpenAI: https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-6-sol-and-luna/ "Introducing Claude Opus 5.5" by Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-opus-5-5 "GPT-6.1 Sol" by OpenAI: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-opus-5-5 "Claude Haiku 5.5" by Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-haiku-5-5 "Introducing Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full: Frontier Models for Agents" by Meta: https://about.fb.com/news/2026/10/introducing-muse-wonder-models/ "Mark Zuckerberg says Meta has reached AI 'frontier'" by Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/fca23e77-be57-4d7e-ae61-74ff299e25cb "Gemini 4 Argon: Built to solve your hardest problems" by Google: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/introducing-gemini-4-argon/ OpenAI math results GitHub repository: https://github.com/openai/math/tree/main "100+ reactions to 100+ solutions" on Proofs and Prompts: https://proofsandprompts.com/2026/10/08/100-reactions-to-100-solutions/ White House Executive Order on Super Intelligence: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/09/inaugurating-the-era-of-super-intelligence/ White House Accord on Super Intelligence: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/white-house-accord-super-intelligence Letter by three fired OpenAI employees: https:
Ukraine Has Problems With Both Koreas? | The Capital Cable #144
North Korea has sent soldiers and munitions to fight for Russia in its war against Ukraine. South Korea, a major aid recipient country for Ukraine, has kept its support largely at the humanitarian level. The two governments have also clashed over captured North Korean soldiers, after Kyiv publicly disclosed that it had transferred two prisoners of war to Seoul, which Seoul says violated an agreement to keep the transfer confidential. Where do Kyiv and Seoul’s interests converge and diverge on North Korea’s role in the war? What is Pyongyang gaining from its partnership with Moscow, and what does it mean for the Korean Peninsula? Joining Mark Lippert and Victor Cha to discuss these issues and more are Emma Chanlett-Avery of the Asia Society Policy Institute and Sydney Seiler of CSIS. Emma Chanlett-Avery is Deputy Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute's Washington, DC office and the Director for Political-Security Affairs. She leads Congressional outreach efforts and directs ASPI’s policy engagement on Indo-Pacific alliances. Previous to this post, she served for 20 years as a Specialist in Asian Affairs at the Congressional Research Service, where she focused on United States relations with Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Thailand, and Singapore, with an emphasis on security issues. In 2023, she served as a Congressional Fellow on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, assisting the Chairman with drafting Asia policy legislation and preparing for hearings. Sydney Seiler was the national intelligence officer for North Korea at the National Intelligence Council from 2020 to 2023 and is one of the nation’s top experts on North Korea. Previously, he was the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) senior analyst and senior defense intelligence expert for North Korea from 2016 to 2020, serving as the principal adviser and senior expert on Korean Peninsula security issues to the USFK commander and the U.S. Defense Intelligence Enterprise. Mr. Seiler also served as the U.S. speci
The Future of U.S.-UK Defense Cooperation with UK Secretary of Defence Wes Streeting
As Europe rearms and the United States shifts more of the burden to its allies, what should defense cooperation between Washington and London look like? Please join the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program on Thursday, October 15, 2026 for a conversation with UK Secretary of State for Defence Wes Streeting on how both countries can keep deterrence credible in Europe and beyond. In partnership with the British Embassy and the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the event will explore how the United States and the United Kingdom can adapt to a changing security landscape — especially following the release of the UK’s Defence Investment Plan, ahead of the U.S. force posture review, and as the new UK government’s foreign policy priorities take shape. The event will be livestreamed from 10:50am - 11:20am ET. A recording will be available on demand following the event. This event is made possible by general support to CSIS. No direct sponsorship contributed to this event. --------------------------------------------- A nonpartisan institution, CSIS is the top national security think tank in the world. Visit https://www.csis.org to find more of our work as we bring bipartisan solutions to the world's greatest challenges. Want to see more videos and virtual events? Subscribe to this channel and turn on notifications: https://cs.is/2dCfTve Follow CSIS on: • Twitter: https://twitter.com/csis • Facebook: https://facebook.com/CSIS.org • Instagram: https://instagram.com/csis/
A Conversation with General Xavier T. Brunson | Strategic Landpower Dialogue
Please join the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) for a Strategic Landpower Dialogue event featuring General Xavier T. Brunson, Commander of United Nations Command (UNC), Combined Forces Command (CFC), and United States Forces Korea (USFK). The discussion will explore the impact of the U.S. Army's military alliance with South Korea, interoperability with the Joint Force, and landpower across the Indo-Pacific region. General (ret.) Joseph F. Dunford Jr., Chief Executive Officer of CSIS will provide introductory remarks. The event will be moderated by Dr. Tom Karako, Director of the CSIS Missile Defense Project, and Senior Fellow with the CSIS Defense and Security Department. The Strategic Landpower Dialogue is an event series that serves as a distinctive source of data and insight into the evolving perspectives and emerging challenges shaping the U.S. and allied landpower. The series convenes senior leaders from across the U.S. Army, allied and partner nations, and the Joint Force to discuss the most critical landpower issues. This event series is made possible through the generous support of General Dynamics. --------------------------------------------- A nonpartisan institution, CSIS is the top national security think tank in the world. Visit https://www.csis.org to find more of our work as we bring bipartisan solutions to the world's greatest challenges. Want to see more videos and virtual events? Subscribe to this channel and turn on notifications: https://cs.is/2dCfTve Follow CSIS on: • Twitter: https://twitter.com/csis • Facebook: https://facebook.com/CSIS.org • Instagram: https://instagram.com/csis/
Europe’s Trade Defense Push, Diesel Pressure, and South Korea’s U.S. Investment
Bill and Scott discuss France and Germany’s push to strengthen Europe’s trade defenses against China, examine the Trump administration’s pressure on allies over emergency diesel supplies, and unpack the status of major foreign investment pledges, including South Korea’s plans to invest in the United States.
Why Japan’s Aid Strategy Focuses on Trust | The Opportunity Horizon
As the global system confronts compounding shocks—from health emergencies, to climate events, to geopolitical conflicts—international cooperation mechanisms are undergoing a fundamental shift. Amid shrinking official development assistance (ODA) allocations and a growing demand for innovative financing, development institutions must rethink how they balance immediate responsiveness with lasting impact. Please join the Global Development Department on October 13 at 9:00 AM ET for the next episode of The Opportunity Horizon for a discussion on modernizing aid delivery and cooperation. In this episode, host Enoh T. Ebong is joined by Dr. TANAKA Akihiko, president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to explore how strategic partnerships, concessional lending, and country-led ownership are reshaping the future of global development. The conversation examines innovative approaches to private sector engagement and how practical, patient, and persistent strategies build enduring resilience worldwide. This event is made possible through general support to CSIS. --------------------------------------------- A nonpartisan institution, CSIS is the top national security think tank in the world. Visit https://www.csis.org to find more of our work as we bring bipartisan solutions to the world's greatest challenges. Want to see more videos and virtual events? Subscribe to this channel and turn on notifications: https://cs.is/2dCfTve Follow CSIS on: • Twitter: https://twitter.com/csis • Facebook: https://facebook.com/CSIS.org • Instagram: https://instagram.com/csis/
U.S. Industrial Base
35th U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, Kathleen Hicks, discusses how the U.S. needs a strong industrial base regardless of any future military conflict between the U.S. and China. --------------------------------------------- A nonpartisan institution, CSIS is the top national security think tank in the world. Visit https://www.csis.org to find more of our work as we bring bipartisan solutions to the world's greatest challenges. Want to see more videos and virtual events? Subscribe to this channel and turn on notifications: https://cs.is/2dCfTve Follow CSIS on: • Twitter: https://twitter.com/csis • Facebook: https://facebook.com/CSIS.org • Instagram: https://instagram.com/csis/
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