India’s Priority Sector Lending
The video examines India’s long‑standing priority sector lending (PSL) mandate, which legally requires banks to allocate roughly 40 % of their credit to farmers, micro‑enterprises and other marginalized groups. The policy was introduced to correct a credit market that systematically excludes these segments, not to maximize bank profits. A new working paper from the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council analyzes the mandate’s outcomes. It finds that districts with the greatest need—particularly in the northeast, the Himalayan states and eastern India—receive the least PSL funding. When the council models the impact on economic growth, the gains are modest overall and the lowest in the poorest districts, suggesting the policy’s benefits are not reaching its intended targets. The commentary cites CSIS’s longstanding criticism of the mandate, noting that while the social objective is sound, the evidence now shows implementation failures. A striking quote from the video: “The places where the mandate matters most may be the places it works least,” underscoring the geographic mismatch. These findings could reignite debates about reforming or scaling back PSL. If policymakers act, banks may see a shift in loan portfolios, investors could reassess exposure to Indian financial institutions, and the broader goal of financial inclusion may require new mechanisms beyond the current quota system.
Alien Tort Statute, EU Auto Tariff Threats, Royal Whiskey Tariff Relaxation, and Trump-Xi Summit ...
The Trade Guys podcast tackled four intertwined trade issues: the revived Alien Tort Statute (ATS) case before the Supreme Court, President Trump’s threat to hike tariffs on European automobiles, the diplomatic win that lowered tariffs on Scotch whisky, and the...
Economic Impacts of Iran War | The Capital Cable #134
The video introduces the latest platform overhaul, focusing on a redesigned dashboard layout that centralizes key performance metrics for users. Mark explains that the side navigation has been streamlined to surface the most frequently used features, while the visual hierarchy has...
Beyond the Gulf: How the Iran War Is Fueling Crisis in the Horn of Africa
The CSIS panel examined how the two‑month‑old Iran‑Israel conflict is reverberating far beyond the Gulf, turning the Red Sea into a new front of a globalized crisis. Closure of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on Gulf fertilizer and...
Iran’s Impacts on Agricultural Production | AI for Food Security Forum
The AI for Food Security Forum addressed Iran’s indirect impact on global agriculture, zeroing in on a sharp rise in fertilizer prices that is squeezing farmer profitability. Speakers noted that fertilizer costs have climbed dramatically, leaving many producers with projected cash...
Strengthening Surge Capacity: Table-Top Exercise Focused on Protracted Conflict | All About the Base
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) convened a tabletop exercise to examine how the United States and its allies could sustain a protracted conflict following a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The scenario extended beyond the typical four‑week...
Iran’s Wartime Government
The video explains that Iran is currently operating under a wartime government, a rare constitutional status that prioritizes security and regime survival over normal governance. It notes that the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) now dominates decision‑making, not the regular army, because...
Strategic Trends 2026: Navigating a Fragmenting Global Order
The 2026 edition of the CSIS Strategic Trends Report, authored by scholars from ETH Zurich, frames the current international system as a ‘fragmenting global order.’ It argues that disruptions are structural, not episodic, and that competition now plays out across...
AI for Food Security Forum | PM Sessions
The AI for Food Security Forum showcased Tomorrow Now’s demonstration of AI‑enhanced weather forecasting aimed at empowering Africa’s smallholder farmers. CEO Brian Miranda outlined a “Northstar” vision to make 100 million farmers weather‑resilient by leveraging next‑generation forecasts, satellite rainfall estimates, long‑term climatology,...
Red Tide Rising: China’s Increasing Satellite Launch Cadence | Space Strategic Dialogue
The Space Strategic Dialogue focused on China’s rapid expansion in satellite launches, noting that the nation deployed more than 350 satellites last year, a dramatic rise from its modest early‑1990s efforts. By contrast, the United States launched roughly 3,500...
Tech Edge: Why Batteries Matter for Technology Leadership
The video introduces the Tech Edge framework, a tool for assessing a nation’s capability to lead in specific technologies, and applies it to the battery sector—a critical yet often overlooked component of modern energy storage. It highlights that batteries encompass diverse...
What Is at Stake in Tamil Nadu’s Elections? | Asked & Answered
The video examines the upcoming elections in five Indian states, zeroing in on Tamil Nadu as a bellwether for national economic direction and development targets. It underscores how state outcomes shape India’s broader growth agenda, climate commitments, and foreign policy, especially...
The Case for a Cold Peace with North Korea | The Capital Cable #133
After three decades of a denuclearization‑first approach, North Korea’s nuclear arsenal has continued to expand. In a May/June 2026 Foreign Affairs essay, CSIS Korea Chair Victor Cha argues the United States should adopt a "cold peace"—a limited, managed relationship short...
Wartime Energy Economics | Energy Shots
The Energy Shots episode examines how armed conflicts instantly reshape global energy markets by disrupting supply chains, inflating prices, and prompting rapid policy shifts. It highlights the Ukraine war and Middle‑East tensions as case studies that forced producers to cut...
What’s Next for Japanese Security Policy and U.S.-Japan Relations? Perspectives From the Diet
CSIS, together with the Japan Center for Economic Research, is hosting a virtual panel on May 4 to examine Japan’s upcoming security policy revisions and the future of U.S.–Japan relations. The discussion features House members Itsunori Onodera, former defense minister, and...
Can Technology Unlock Youth Political Agency? | The Futures Summit
The CSIS Future Summit panel examined how digital tools can expand political agency for young people, especially in the Global South. Panelists—Saji Prellis of Search for Common Ground, Pauline Dunabu of UNDP, and Cynthia Bamalu of Yaga Africa—defined civic tech...
A Country-Led Cooperation Approach to Development | The Futures Summit
The CSIS Futures Summit featured a conversation between Noam Anger and George Morira Dilva, executive director of UNOPS, about a new era of development cooperation built around a country‑led, demand‑driven approach. UNOPS positions itself as the UN’s operational arm, delivering infrastructure,...
Ukraine’s Economy: Current Realities and Future Prospects | The Futures Summit
The CSIS Futures Summit panel examined Ukraine’s economy after four years of war, highlighting a modest 1.8% GDP growth in 2025 despite massive disruption. Speakers stressed that the war‑driven shock, combined with a 48% spike in energy prices, has strained...
Talking Export Control Alignment, New 232s, and Trump's Budget Request with Kate Koren
The Trade Guys podcast featured CSIS economist Kate Corin discussing two pending export‑control bills—the MATCH Act and the STRIDE Act—aimed at tightening U.S. coordination with allies on semiconductor equipment. The MATCH Act, the newer proposal, addresses two core problems: U.S....
The Next Generation of Global Infrastructure Partnerships | The Futures Summit
The Futures Summit panel examined how the United States can sharpen its economic toolkit to back critical infrastructure projects abroad. Speakers highlighted the need to align public and private capital with allied governments, scaling development finance and strategic capital. Emphasis...
Golden Insights: Creating Value From Commercial Earth Observation Data
The CSIS Aerospace Security Project unveiled its "Golden Insights" report, shifting focus from satellite collection performance to the downstream value of commercial Earth‑observation data. Panelists examined how customers actually use geospatial products, who provides them, and how to assess their...
Investing in Post Conflict Reconstruction | Futures Summit
Post‑conflict reconstruction is shifting from short‑term humanitarian relief to integrated, long‑term strategies that blend peacebuilding, economic recovery, and institutional development. The CSIS Futures Summit underscored a growing role for governments, multilateral institutions, private investors, and philanthropies, with investment targeting infrastructure,...
U.S. Commercial Diplomacy Through the Lens of the Private Sector | Futures Summit
The United States has revamped its foreign‑policy toolkit, elevating economic statecraft and commercial diplomacy to support American firms abroad, especially in the Global South. Recent reforms give agencies greater authority to use development finance, trade incentives, and diplomatic outreach as...
Funding for Basic Research | Betting On America
The discussion centers on the United States’ dwindling investment in basic research at its leading universities, with lawmakers questioning recent funding cuts and debating how to sustain the scientific enterprise. Panelists note that the share of Gross Domestic Product devoted to...
Adapting Under Fire: Ukraine's Race to Reinvent Modern Defense
The panel discussion centered on Ukraine’s urgent transformation of its defense architecture in response to an unprecedented wave of low‑cost, AI‑enabled drones. Speakers highlighted how the battlefield has shifted from conventional artillery to a dense, contested airspace where Iranian‑made...
How the Iran War and the Price of Oil Impact the Kremlin's Calculus
The episode examines how the ongoing U.S.-led war against Iran reshapes Moscow’s strategic calculus, linking the conflict to Russia’s broader Middle‑East posture and its precarious fiscal situation. Host Max Bergman and guests Hana Naeem and Giannis Kuga argue that the Iranian war,...
Rising Prices of Bread in Egypt I The High Top
The video examines Egypt’s escalating bread prices and the strain on its long‑standing wheat subsidy, a program that costs billions each year as the country remains the world’s largest wheat importer and the highest per‑capita bread consumer. Rising global wheat costs—exacerbated...
U.S. Navy Fighting Instructions with the Chief of Naval Operations
The video features Admiral Daryl Codell, the Chief of Naval Operations, outlining his newly released “fighting instructions,” a strategic framework that reshapes how the U.S. Navy generates and fields forces. Codell stresses a shift from the legacy 36‑month force‑generation conveyor...
Testify with Gracelin Baskaran: Unleashing America’s Mineral Potential
Gracelin Baskaran testified before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee, warning that China’s 2025 decision to cut off rare‑earth exports would reverberate across U.S. manufacturing and defense sectors. She framed the hearing as a call to unleash America’s mineral potential by...
What If the U.S. “Wins” In Iran? | The High Top
The High Top panel examined what a U.S. "victory" in Iran might actually entail, focusing on the uncertain outcomes of regime change. Experts Jon B. Alterman and Joseph Majkut argued that a new government could either stabilize the Gulf or...
$100 Is the New $60 | Energy Shots
In the latest Energy Shots episode, hosts Joseph Majkut and Kevin Book explain why oil prices hovering around $100 per barrel have become the new norm, replacing the previous $60 benchmark. They break down the macro‑economic drivers—tight supply, geopolitical tensions, and...
NSF's National Security Mission for the Twenty-First Century
The event, titled “NSF’s National Security Mission for the Twenty‑First Century,” highlighted how the National Science Foundation is positioning its basic‑research portfolio to support U.S. economic and national security amid accelerating technology competition, especially with the People’s Republic of China. Speakers...
How the Iran War Affects the Global Food Chain | The High Top
The Iran war has disrupted flows through the Strait of Hormuz—including an estimated 20–30% of global fertilizer exports—pushing nitrogen fertilizer prices to their highest levels since the 2022 spike after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Higher fertilizer and energy costs are...
Incumbents Emerge Bruised From Elections and Europe’s Place in the World with Nathalie Tocci
Recent European votes produced bruised incumbents and fragmented outcomes. In Slovenia a late surge failed to deliver a clear victory to populist Janša, leaving a near tie that likely blocks an immediate shift toward a Viktor Orbán-style bloc in Brussels....
Inside Project Maven and AI-Powered Warfare with Katrina Manson
Katrina Manson’s new book, Project Maven: A Marine Colonel, His Team, and the Dawn of AI Warfare, traces the evolution of a modest Pentagon initiative into Maven Smart System (MSS), now deployed across U.S. services and adopted by NATO partners....
Why Is It So Difficult to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz? | Asked & Answered
Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has proven resilient because Tehran has used asymmetric tools—mines, drones and speedboats—to control a 100-mile waterway that narrows to 21 miles, effectively denying passage without a conventional navy. Reopening the strait would require...
Can Decapitating Iran’s Leadership Actually End a War?
The video examines a controversial shift in U.S. and Israeli strategy: moving from conventional strikes to attempts at decapitating Iran’s political and military leadership. Such a move marks a departure from traditional warfighting, where non‑military, high‑value targets have rarely been...
War in Iran and High Food Prices | State of Play
The video examines how the outbreak of hostilities in Iran is expected to reverberate through global agricultural markets by first driving up energy prices. The presenter outlines three transmission channels: higher oil and gas costs raise production, irrigation, and logistics expenses;...
In the Shadows of the Iran War: The Horn of Africa
The podcast argues that the war involving Iran, Israel and the U.S. is sending powerful shock waves across the Horn of Africa by disrupting Red Sea shipping, spiking insurance and transport costs, and worsening fuel and food insecurity. Rather than...
Is the WTO at a Turning Point? | EST Rapid Round-Up
The WTO ministerial in Yaoundé, the first on African soil in a decade and billed as a “turning point,” begins amid high stakes and deep divisions. Ministers will confront an expiring e‑commerce moratorium, a US‑driven push for institutional reform, and...
Fuel Shock From the Iran War? | The High Top
Traders and consumers are already reacting to the Iran conflict with a short-term shift away from oil: car buyers in the U.S. and East Asia are reportedly accelerating EV purchases, and BYD dealerships are highly subscribed. Regional governments, three weeks...
Preventing and Detecting the Next Biological Threat
U.S. defenses against biological threats are lagging as advances in AI and biotechnology make development of pathogens faster, cheaper and more accessible. Biosurveillance systems remain chronically underfunded and technologically outdated, leaving detection and containment efforts too slow to meet escalating...
The Imperative of Renewal Featuring Senator David McCormick – Betting on America
The video introduces the all‑new Toyota Corolla Hatchback, highlighting its sporty design and the eye‑catching Blue Flame paint option. It emphasizes the vehicle’s blend of style and practicality aimed at younger, urban drivers. Key specifications include the standard Entune 3.0 infotainment...
International Cooperation for Resilient Subsea Cable Infrastructure
The video provides a concise overview of cosmology, tracing the universe’s origin to the Big Bang approximately 13.8 billion years ago. It outlines how that singular explosion birthed space, time, matter, and energy, setting the stage for all subsequent cosmic evolution. Key...
Pivot to Asia - Bipartisan Lost Opportunity | The Impossible State
The video examines why the United States’ “pivot to Asia” has stalled, arguing that the failure is not a partisan flaw but a bipartisan missed opportunity that left Washington distracted by the Middle East and domestic politics. The hosts cite research...
Diplomacy with the Iranian Government
The video centers on the fraught prospect of diplomatic engagement with Iran’s government, highlighted by the foreign minister’s public remarks while his country endures aerial bombardments. It underscores the paradox of speaking to a regime accused of killing tens of...
Israel's Offensive in Lebanon Explained
The video outlines Israel’s latest military campaign in Lebanon, triggered after the United States and Israel began a broader war against Iran. Lebanese forces responded with rocket fire, prompting Israel to deploy ground troops and intensify aerial bombardments across southern...
The Big Steal with Prof. Jonathan Barnett
The interview centers on Professor Jonathan Barnett’s book *The Big Steal*, which argues that U.S. intellectual‑property law has undergone a sweeping transformation since the mid‑2000s, resulting in a massive transfer of wealth from inventors and creators to the platforms that...
LeadershIP 2026 | AM Panels
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) LeadershIP program convened its 2026 opening panel to outline recent work and set priorities for the coming year. Leaders highlighted the growing convergence of intellectual property, innovation, and national security amid heightened...
Taiwan’s Space Ambitions and the Future of U.S.–Taiwan Cooperation
The speaker declares an ambition to become a professional poker player, acknowledging the dramatic lifestyle shift and inherent uncertainties. He emphasizes that success hinges on disciplined bankroll management, thorough risk assessment, and a focus on skill development over luck. Data points...