Hudson Institute Events Podcast

As the Chinese Communist Party intensifies its campaign of political, economic, and military pressure against Taiwan, the island's government and civil society have moved to strengthen national resilience on multiple fronts. Please join Hudson Institute’s China Center as Miles Yu hosts a panel with key members of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan and the Democratic Progressive Party to examine Taiwan’s mobilization efforts against the CCP’s increasing threats. The discussion will address Taiwan's ability to counter disinformation and cognitive warfare, strengthen supply chain and economic security, and build public awareness of gray zone tactics. The panel will also address how Taiwan engages with international partners to reinforce democratic resilience in the face of sustained external pressure.  

A New Look at US Communications Law is a timely book that explores the evolution of communications law in response to new technologies. It analyzes nearly every major topic of contemporary communications law, including the public interest, common carriage, wireless communications, privacy, and the First Amendment. Join Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Robert McDowell for a discussion of the book and communications law with the authors, Harold Furchtgott-Roth, Kirk Arner, and Arielle Roth.

As Minister Noach Hacker concludes his tenure as Israel's Minister of Economic Affairs in Washington, Hudson Institute's Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East invites you to join a farewell fireside chat with Senior Fellow Michael Doran. Minister Hacker has been a key advocate for deepening the US–Israel economic relationship, overseeing landmark cooperation in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and defense technology. The conversation will trace the arc of that partnership, from its foundations in joint research and development and trade to its acceleration in the wake of October 7, 2023, and the war with Iran. As the region enters a new strategic phase, Hudson is honored to host Minister Hacker for what promises to be a candid farewell discussion.

The 2026 North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Ankara, Turkey, provided significant deliverables: a €70 billion pledge of military assistance for Ukraine, President Donald Trump's announcement that Kyiv would be licensed to manufacture Patriot air defense systems, and a declaration reaffirming allied commitment to The Hague defense spending targets.  But questions remain over America's evolving role in the alliance and broader European security architecture.   Please join Senior Fellow Dr. Rebeccah Heinrichs and Representative Mike Turner (R-OH) to discuss the summit following his return from Ankara, where he served as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation.    

Few countries in central and eastern Europe have as much influence in the Balkans as Austria. For centuries, Austria has forged deep personal connections with the region. The imperial legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is visible in the architecture of Zagreb and Sarajevo, and during the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s, refugees fled into the heart of the Alps. More recently, Vienna has been to the Balkans what Miami is to Latin America: a gateway facilitating trade and movement. Among Balkan hands in the United States, Vienna’s Schwechat airport is familiar terrain. While the US has supported programs that promote economic connectivity in the region, like the Three Seas Initiative (3SI), Austria plays a unique role in the Balkans through such areas as financial services. Moreover, Austrian officials like Valentin Inzko have shaped diplomacy in the Balkans, while the Austrian Bundesheer has deployed to the region as part of the Common Security and Defence Policy and other missions. Today, officials in Austria and elsewhere are discussing how the Western Balkans can be brought into the European Union. Join Senior Fellow Peter Rough as he welcomes Claudia Bauer, minister for Europe, Integration, and Family in the Federal Chancellery of Austria, for a policy address followed by a fireside chat on how Austria sees EU enlargement in the Western Balkans.

For years, the Middle East has been one of the most volatile regions in the world. And United States foreign policy toward the region often changes drastically with each administration. Today, a fundamentally new regional order is emerging. A weakened Iran has attempted to exercise strategic leverage over one of the world’s most critical waterways. Russian influence continues to recede, underscored by Bashar al-Assad’s fall in Syria, and Beijing seeks to project its influence wherever it can. Meanwhile, the US government continues to prioritize the deepening of security and economic partnerships across the Middle East, and with partners once thought to be adversaries. America’s role during this transformational period is more crucial than ever, but the US faces heightened scrutiny at home and abroad. Policymakers need to assess the current strategic environment to chart a path forward for US foreign policy in the Middle East under dramatically altered political, economic, and security dynamics. Join Representative Mike Lawler (NY-17), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, for a conversation with Senior Fellow Joel Rayburn on the emerging Middle East security order and the future of American strategy in the region.

The Chinese Communist Party’s infiltration, transnational repression, and legal warfare are no longer security challenges limited to Taiwan or the Indo-Pacific. They now increasingly threaten the United States’ national security and the resilience of democratic institutions. Taiwan stands on the front line of authoritarian influence operations and has seen firsthand how they can gradually erode democratic systems before conduct clearly crosses the threshold for criminal prosecution. So Taiwan is both a target of CCP pressure and an early warning system for the democratic world. Its experience can help the US and its allies better defend democracy and understand how authoritarian infiltration evolves. Join Hudson Institute’s China Center as Miles Yu hosts a panel examining Taiwan’s experience in handling national security cases, foreign interference, technology theft, election influence, proxy networks, and gray-zone legal warfare. The discussion will explore how authoritarian influence exploits democratic openness, social trust, local networks, and legal ambiguity.

Japan has emerged as a central pillar of Indo-Pacific security, playing an increasingly important role in strengthening deterrence, supporting regional stability, and deepening cooperation with the United States and other democratic partners. Join Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Jason Hsu for a conversation with the Hon. Shigeru Kitamura, former secretary general of Japan's National Security Secretariat and former director of Cabinet Intelligence. As one of Japan's foremost national security leaders and a close adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Kitamura helped shape Japan's modern national security strategy and economic security architecture. The discussion will examine Japan's evolving security posture in the Indo-Pacific, the future of the US-Japan alliance, economic security resilience, and the strategic implications for the US-China relationship, Taiwan, and the broader region.

Join us for an exclusive luncheon conversation with Dina Kallay, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for International, Policy, and Appellate at the United States Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. Moderated by Hudson Senior Fellow Urska Petrovcic, the discussion will explore how antitrust, technology standards, and intellectual property shape innovation and competition in critical sectors. Kallay will also analyze what recent policy developments mean for American leadership in an increasingly competitive global landscape.

For the first time in its history, Kyrgyzstan will serve on the United Nations Security Council—winning a non-permanent seat for the 2027–28 term in a vote at the UN General Assembly. It is only the second time a Central Asian nation has held this position, after Kazakhstan in 2017–18. The election reflects a broader shift in how the international community understands Central Asia’s place in global affairs. Long treated as a peripheral region, the Eurasian heartland is increasingly central to questions of connectivity and the future of the international order. Ambassador Edil Baisalov, Kyrgyzstan’s newly appointed envoy to the United States and former deputy prime minister, joins Senior Fellow Ken Moriyasu for a conversation about why Kyrgyzstan sought this seat, how it campaigned, and what it hopes to accomplish. What does Kyrgyzstan’s election signal about Central Asia’s rising profile—and what does a small, landlocked nation bring to one of the world’s most consequential tables?

From surveillance-capable applications to data-harvesting platforms, foreign adversaries—particularly the Chinese Communist Party—are exploiting technology to access American data at an unprecedented scale. This information can give adversaries decisive strategic advantages and give foreign competitors an unfair footing over American businesses in global markets.  Ensuring that American businesses do not rely on foreign technology is both a privacy issue and a national security imperative. Policymakers should reform incentive structures to make national security profitable for American businesses.   Join Representative Nathaniel Moran (TX-01) for a fireside discussion with Senior Fellow Jason Hsu to discuss the congressman’s bill, H.R. 7509, the Deterring Adversarial Access to Americans’ Data Act, and Congress’s role in facilitating public-private understanding in an era of great power competition.  

As technology, supply chain resilience, and economic security become increasingly central to United States foreign policy and national security, trade and investment policy has taken on a leading role in advancing American interests abroad. Critical minerals, energy, artificial intelligence, and other strategic sectors have emerged as key areas for collaboration with allies and partners as Washington works to align markets, guard against adversarial manipulation, and leverage economic gains to create national security advantages. Join Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade William Kimmitt for a discussion with Executive Vice President Joel Scanlon on how the Trump administration’s trade and investment strategy is reshaping economic partnerships with allies across areas like industrial policy, digital services, and strategic competition.

For the first time, the United States is preparing to deter two nuclear adversaries­­­, Russia and China. In today's post-New START environment, US adversaries remain committed to weakening American resolve and undermining Washington’s commitment to its allies. China is engaging in a historic expansion of its nuclear forces and has diversified its delivery systems across land, sea, and air.  According to US Department of War estimates, China could possess up to 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035.  Despite the costs associated with President Vladimir Putin’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia has continued to devote significant resources to modernizing its nuclear program. Join Senior Fellow and Keystone Defense Initiative Director Dr. Rebeccah Heinrichs and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration Brandon Williams for a discussion on the administration's priorities in strengthening the US nuclear enterprise.

Hudson Institute is pleased to host the 2026 annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture.  Established in 2000 as a joint activity of the Czech and Slovak Embassies, the American Friends of the Czech Republic, and Friends of Slovakia to commemorate the Velvet Revolution, the choice of speaker and topic alternates annually between the Czech and Slovak groups. Click here for a list of all previous lectures.    This year’s speaker is H.E. Andrej Droba, Slovak ambassador to the United States, in one of his first major addresses since assuming his position in November 2025.  In his lecture, "America250 and Slovak–US Relations," Ambassador Droba will celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence and reflect on the enduring partnership between Slovakia and the United States as he looks for opportunities to increase transatlantic cooperation.   The lecture will be followed by a fireside chat with Matt Boyse, senior fellow, Center on Europe and Eurasia.

In The Code as Witness, which was published on June 9, Dr. Steven Quay shows how the genetic material of SARS-CoV-2 points directly to human engineering. He warns that irresponsible and unregulated gain-of-function research is accelerating, and that future pandemics may be far deadlier than COVID-19. The book also lays out policy recommendations that could prevent such outbreaks while still allowing important research to continue. Join Hudson as David Asher sits down with Dr. Quay for a fireside chat. Asher will bring his national security, intelligence, and investigative experience to one of the most consequential questions of our time: how the pandemic began, what the genetic evidence shows, and how the United States can prevent the next biological catastrophe. Senator Roger Marshall, who has been a leading voice for stronger oversight of high-risk biological research, will open the program by framing the stakes for Congress, national security, and public health.

Today’s wars in Ukraine and the Middle East show how adaptation is becoming the central military competition. The side that can field new tactical or technical innovations faster gains an advantage and can impose compounding costs on enemy forces. To win this competition, the United States Department of War implemented a new strategy to accelerate new capabilities by better leveraging the private sector and focusing government research where it is uniquely needed. These changes are beginning to bear fruit on the battlefield.  Artificial intelligence is arguably the Pentagon’s top technology priority. In addition to speeding planning and decision-making, AI is enabling a more adaptable US force and powering the next generation of autonomous systems. And AI is only one of several technologies where the US military can benefit from America’s world-leading commercial innovation sector.  Please join Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Dan Patt for a conversation with Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael about the Department of War’s efforts to bring AI to the battlefield and implement an innovation strategy that makes the most of America’s commercial and government research sectors. Following a fireside chat with the under secretary, a panel will discuss how adaptation is a new source of military advantage. This event is part of Hudson Institute’s Apex Defense Conference series, which highlights the intersection of technology, military operations, and strategy. Hudson Institute hosts the Apex Conference in collaboration with Clarion Defence. To learn more about APEX 2027 participation or sponsorship opportunities, please visit apexdefense.org.

Please join Hudson Institute’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology for the launch of a new report, Strengthening the Front Line: Transforming the Japan Self-Defense Force for Twenty-First-Century Deterrence. Japan’s government has committed to historic increases in defense spending—and is preparing to revise its National Defense Strategy and Defense Buildup Program before the end of 2026. But larger budgets and updated strategy documents alone will not translate into deterrence. The Japan Self-Defense Forces need a fundamentally different force design: one built around adaptability, uncrewed systems, and hedge forces tailored to how future conflict in the Indo-Pacific is likely to unfold. Join report authors Bryan Clark and David Byrd, in conversation with Masashi Murano, for a discussion of the report’s principal findings and their implications for how Japan should design and resource its future defense force.

One of the most horrific consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been Moscow’s illegal abduction of Ukrainian children. These children have not only been taken from their homeland and dispersed across the Russian Federation, but they are also being raised to forget their Ukrainian identity and, in some cases, taught to hate their native land. Bring Kids Back UA is a Ukrainian humanitarian initiative launched by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2023 to locate and return Ukrainian children forcibly deported or displaced by Russia. It serves as an umbrella organization, bringing together domestic and international efforts to rescue, return, and reintegrate these children. Please join Hudson Institute as it welcomes Maksym Maksymov, head of Bring Kids Back UA, to discuss his organization’s important work.

This month, Russia launched the largest wave of airstrikes in its war against Ukraine, using hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles to strike targets, including civilian infrastructure. Russia first enacted this savage way of war against the people of Grozny in the 1990s and later refined it through its atrocities in Bucha.  While Ukraine has shown remarkable innovation and creativity in countering Russia’s drones, the bigger threat comes from Russia’s ballistic and hypersonic missiles. Against these weapons, there is only one combat-proven defense: the PAC-3 interceptor fired from the MIM-104 Patriot air defense system. Ukraine is running out of these interceptors at the moment they are needed most. What can the United States and its European partners do to help Ukraine mitigate the threat of Russian ballistic and hypersonic missiles, especially before winter begins? What is the nature of Russia’s ballistic and hypersonic missile threat? And how is Russia still able to produce so many missiles using Western component parts despite sanctions? To discuss these issues and more, please join Hudson Institute for an event on Ukraine’s air defense.

Revitalizing and expanding the US defense industrial base (DIB) is a top priority for the Trump administration. The need for a robust domestic manufacturing base is critical to warfighting readiness, supply chain resilience, and the nation’s ability to rapidly scale defense production in response to emerging global threats. To advance these efforts, the Department of War’s Office of Industrial Base Growth is leading initiatives focused on strengthening and expanding the defense industrial base through vendor growth and supplier maturity. The office works to increase competition, build capacity, and create clearer pathways for businesses of all sizes to enter and succeed in the defense marketplace. Please join Hudson Institute for a fireside chat between Hudson Senior Fellow Nadia Schadlow and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Industrial Base Growth and Director of the Office of Small Business Programs James Mismash. The discussion will explore current efforts to strengthen the defense industrial base, expand industrial capacity, and foster greater participation and competition across the national security ecosystem.

Spain was once one of Latin America’s most consequential external partners. It served as a democratic model for the region’s transitions from authoritarianism, a major investor in its economies, and a self-styled bridge between the Americas and Europe. That era of influence has given way to strategic retreat and deepening contradictions.  Under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Spain has aligned itself with the region’s leftist governments. But the corruption investigation now engulfing former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, whose mediation in Venezuela is now under legal scrutiny, has cast a shadow over a decade of Spanish diplomacy in that country. Meanwhile, Europe’s engagement with Latin America has entered a new and more urgent phase. The European Union has concluded or overhauled trade agreements with Mercosur and Mexico. So while Latin America’s strategic significance has never been higher, Spain is increasingly out of step with its European allies and with the direction of history in the region. Join Hudson as Adjunct Fellow Daniel Batlle sits down with Julio Crespo MacLennan, a historian and one of the leading scholars on Spain’s democratic transition and on Europe’s relationship with the wider world. They will discuss Madrid’s influence in Latin America, as well as what Spain’s history can teach us about the prospects for change in Cuba and Venezuela. 

The regimes of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua have proven to be more durable than expected. The Daniel Ortega–Rosario Murillo regime in Nicaragua has intensified repression and destroyed the institutions that might constrain it, and the Cuban regime is so far not making even modest concessions, even as its economy collapses. In Venezuela, the Maduro regime has reconstituted itself under Delcy Rodriguez. How have these regimes survived, even as socialism has manifestly failed and as their citizens have fled in historic numbers? What has been missing from United States strategy? Could the Trump administration’s transactional approach yield results where decades of democracy promotion have failed? Please join Adjunct Fellow Daniel Batlle for a conversation with Elliott Abrams, whose leadership on Latin America policy stretches from his service as assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs under President Ronald Reagan to his role as special representative for Venezuela in the first Trump administration.

Latin America is experiencing a historic energy boom. Brazil, Guyana, and Argentina are collectively positioned to supply nearly half of global crude production growth through 2030, Venezuela is reentering world markets following the fall of the Maduro regime, and Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale formation is on the verge of transforming the country into a major liquid natural gas exporter. The disruptions to Middle Eastern supply have focused new attention on Latin America’s potential as a stable, resource-rich alternative. At the same time, Latin America’s rise as an energy powerhouse is far from assured. National oil companies in the region are burdened by debt and political interference, and governments from Bogotá to Brasília are struggling to balance the fiscal imperative of oil revenues with their commitments to a green energy transition. Whether this boom translates into greater energy security and lasting prosperity for the hemisphere will depend on the choices being made by the current governments in the region. Join Hudson Institute as Adjunct Fellow Daniel Batlle interviews Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin American Energy Program at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and one of the foremost authorities on energy and political economy in the region, for a wide-ranging conversation on Latin America's energy future and what it means for the hemisphere and for US interests.

Not too long ago, Georgia was one of the United States’ most dependable strategic partners in the Black Sea region. Its commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration, substantial contributions to US-led missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and cooperation on counterterrorism and energy transit made Georgia central to Washington’s regional strategy. Today, however, Georgia is moving in a different direction. Led by the Georgian Dream party, the government has become more authoritarian while aligning more closely with US adversaries, particularly the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the aftermath of Operation Epic Fury, growing ties between Tbilisi and Tehran should be of particular concern to US policymakers. This activity directly threatens US national security interests in the South Caucasus, undermines Western influence, and strengthens a regime committed to exporting the ideology of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

As US adversaries escalate their investment in information warfare, the global contest for ideas has become a primary theater of great-power competition. Countering this challenge demands a public diplomacy strategy built for the speed, scale, and sophistication of the modern information environment. Please join the Hudson Institute for a conversation with Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah B. Rogers and Hudson Research Fellow Zineb Riboua on how the United States is adapting its public diplomacy tools to advance its interests abroad, counter censorship, promote free speech, and leverage artificial intelligence to deliver more effective, targeted messaging. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee, will give opening remarks and introduce Under Secretary Rogers.

The American media landscape is undergoing rapid change. New technologies, shifting audience habits, and growing political polarization are reshaping how information is delivered, consumed, debated, and trusted. Journalists and commentators continually face renewed pressure to adapt to an increasingly fragmented environment.   Join Hudson Institute Distinguished Fellow Mike Gallagher for a fireside chat with radio host and commentator Hugh Hewitt, whose career in media and politics has spanned more than four decades. The two will discuss Hewitt’s tenure in Washington and the evolution of the American media landscape.  

Many formal climate change organizations operating in Western countries spend significant resources and policy time promoting broader anti-West narratives. While proclaiming themselves as champions of the environment, many function in practice as tools for America’s adversaries — above all the Chinese Communist Party. By coopting the climate agenda, Beijing works to weaken energy security in the West and raise productions costs, while their own country moves full steam ahead with cheaper and more reliable energy. Furthermore, climate organizations promoting anti-Western ideas and policies erode domestic cohesion, undermine energy independence, and weaken the United States diplomatically and economically. Some of the most radical have even called for eradication of the State of Israel. To examine this emerging challenge, Senior Fellow Dr. Michael Doran will convene a conversation with Research Fellow Zineb Riboua, Professor Brenda Shaffer—Research Faculty Member at the US Naval Postgraduate School and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council—and Sam Cooper, an award-winning investigative journalist focusing on China-Canada relations. Together, they will explore how climate-linked institutions intersect with geopolitical competition with China and what this means for North American strategy moving forward.

Taiwan stands at the center of intensifying strategic competition between the United States and China—a flashpoint where uneasy peace could give way to global crisis. Xi Jinping has made “reunification” a defining goal, while longstanding deterrence strategies are being tested by rapid shifts in military, economic, and technological capabilities. Beijing is increasingly pursuing methods of coercion designed to isolate and pressure Taiwan without triggering open conflict, raising urgent questions about how to preserve stability in the region. In Defending Taiwan, Eyck Freymann offers a comprehensive strategy to deter war and sustain peace. Drawing on Chinese-language sources, military analysis, and historical insight, Freymann argues that deterrence must extend beyond traditional military power. It requires a coordinated approach that integrates economic leverage, technological leadership, and diplomatic alliances. With Jason Hsu, Freymann will discuss how the United States and its partners can adapt to China’s evolving strategy and develop a coherent plan to prevent conflict while safeguarding Taiwan’s future.

China is waging genocide against the Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims. It subjugates Falun Gong practitioners and Tibetan Buddhists and continues its decades-long campaign to suppress and control Christians, turning their churches into state propaganda organs under the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department. The CCP views religion as the last and greatest impediment to its total domination of Chinese cultural and civic life. To address these concerns, former senator Sam Brownback, who served as ambassador at large for international religious freedom in the first Trump administration, will join Senior Fellow Nina Shea to propose new policies for the US government and actions for the American public. He will draw from his book, China’s War on Faith, which is scheduled for release on May 12. Brownback and Shea will interview several survivors of CCP religious oppression, each of whom are profiled in the book, including a Buddhist high lama who was forced to flee Tibet and a Uyghur mother whose newborn son was killed by the CCP.  Former congressman Frank Wolf, who introduced the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, will also present. The legislation was key to institutionalizing religious freedom as a pillar of US foreign policy. 

Six decades after the Cuban revolution, despite a generational leadership transition, Cuba remains one of the most enduring challenges for US foreign policy. In a country where one of the few things that work is the state’s repressive machinery, the regime is keeping the Cuban people impoverished and deprived of basic freedoms. The Trump administration has been turning up the pressure on Cuba, predicting the regime's imminent collapse and imposing a sweeping blockade on oil shipments. Earlier this month, Washington sent a senior delegation to Havana for talks, warning that the regime has limited time to comply with US demands for political and economic reform. Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel has been defiant, insisting Cuba will not negotiate over its political system and urging Cubans to prepare to defend the country. Join Hudson Institute for a conversation with Frank Calzon, a veteran human rights advocate and one of the foremost authorities on Cuban civil society, as we examine the state of the island, lessons from democratic transitions elsewhere, and prospects for the Trump administration’s Cuba strategy.

After a landslide electoral victory in February and a successful trip to Washington in March, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is poised to introduce an energetic economic and security policy agenda. Recent developments, such as the conflict with Iran, have created new energy and security challenges, yet the strong US-Japan relationship remains constant. On May 6, Hudson Japan Chair Kenneth R. Weinstein will welcome Yasutoshi Nishimura, former head of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to Hudson. Minister Nishimura will give remarks concerning the prime minister's successful March visit to Washington, her economic and diplomatic policies, and how Japan is responding to energy security challenges stemming from the Middle East. After a fireside chat between Minister Nishimura and Dr. Weinstein, the event will conclude with an audience Q&A.

Romania is intimately connected to the major infrastructure corridors shaping Southeast Europe and the Black Sea region, including the Three Seas Initiative, Vertical Gas Corridor, Middle Corridor, and Neptun Deep. These initiatives are indicative of the scale of investment underway as countries in this critical region build their future in the shadow of Russia’s war against Ukraine.  Join Senior Fellow Matt Boyse and Minister of European Investments Dragoș Nicolae Pîslaru for a fireside conversation about how infrastructure investments are enhancing security and economic resilience in Romania and Southeast Europe.

The conflict between the United States, Israel, and the Islamic Republic of Iran is not over, but it is already shaping a new future for the Middle East. From commercial flows and energy exports to shifting diplomacy, the region is adjusting to Operation Epic Fury in ways that will open up new diplomatic and economic relations, enable alternative trade routes, and shuffle political relationships. What might these changes look like, and how lasting will they be? Join Hudson Institute Distinguished Fellow Mike Gallagher for a fireside chat with Jared Cohen, president of global affairs at Goldman Sachs and co-head of the Goldman Sachs Global Institute, for a discussion on the future of the Persian Gulf.

In 2020, then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo officially determined that China was committing genocide against the Uyghur and other Turkic Muslim communities. A new book, The Xinjiang Procedure, reports that, in addition to torture, gang rape, and involuntary sterilization and abortion, forced organ harvesting on an industrial scale is a heinous feature of this genocide.  For these reports about forced organ harvesting, its author Ethan Gutmann drove under cover to the Central Asian border region with China where he secretly interviewed former detainees of Xinjiang’s notorious concentration camps, where over a million, mostly Uyghurs, were detained.  China’s organ transplant sector surged over the past twenty-five years, with the critical support of Western medical transplant training, joint research, technology, grants, and fellowships. Hundreds of Chinese transplant surgeons have been trained in American medical schools despite mounting reports of China’s forced organ harvesting and a failure to verify Beijing’s claims of a solely voluntary organ donor supply. To curb this, last year the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed HR 1503, the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act, which is now awaiting Senate consideration. Join Nina Shea in a discussion with Ethan Gutmannand Congressman Chris Smith, the author of the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting bill. 

Foreign-controlled telecommunications infrastructure and vulnerable global supply chains pose growing risks to the integrity and security of US communications networks. The Federal Communications Commission has taken steps to address these challenges over the past year. Efforts have focused on rooting out non-compliant overseas “bad labs” from the FCC’s equipment authorization program, accelerating the buildout of submarine cable systems, and mitigating risk from high-risk foreign components. Marking the one-year anniversary of this initiative, this event will highlight the FCC’s progress and examine next steps to secure communications supply chains and mitigate emerging risks. Experts and policymakers will discuss how to close regulatory gaps, improve compliance, and build more resilient and trusted infrastructure.

Policymakers and business leaders are looking for signals about where the broader economy is headed as the US economy navigates rapid technological change, geopolitical risks, and a monetary outlook shaped by tensions between inflation and a cooling labor market. From the Trump administration’s efforts to reindustrialize key sectors of the American economy and reshape trade relationships to persistent pressures in housing and stubborn mortgage rates, the current outlook is also underscored by an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment. Please join Acting Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Pierre Yared for a conversation with Senior Fellow Tom Duesterberg on the first year of the Trump administration’s economic agenda and the key factors shaping the US economy’s outlook.

“The year 2025 will be remembered as the year of the tariff,” wrote Ambassador Jamieson Greer, the United States trade representative, in a Financial Times op-ed at the end of last year. In its first year back in office, the Trump administration wielded tariffs to strike new trade deals at negotiating tables around the world. Representatives from the White House made stops in Geneva, Madrid, London, Kuala Lumpur, and Busan—and that was just for talks with the People’s Republic of China. The US also sought new terms with numerous friendly nations, culminating in the Turnberry Agreement between the United States and the European Union and including framework deals with key allies Japan, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Korea. In the new year, trade remains at or near the top of the White House’s international agenda, from ongoing regulatory disputes with Europe to the impending review of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) and negotiations between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. The Supreme Court’s ruling on the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act has injected yet another complicating dynamic into trade discussions. If 2025 was the year of the tariff, what will 2026 be known as? The National Security Strategy argues that rebalancing global trade relationships also means “consolidating our alliance system into an economic group.” How does the administration intend to pursue this objective? Please join Ambassador Greer for a fireside chat with Senior Fellow Peter Rough on what’s next for US trade policy.

Nearly three months after Nicolás Maduro's capture, Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez is consolidating her grip on power. In a sweeping shakeup, she replaced nearly half of her cabinet and all senior military commanders, including replacing defense minister Vladimir Padrino López with Gustavo González López, who has been sanctioned by the US for his past role in repression. Of Maduro's original inner circle, only three remain in the regime. Over 500 political prisoners are still behind bars, and a new amnesty law has proven to be very selective. Yet Rodríguez faces a potential new source of internal pressure, with labor groups protesting frozen wages and pensions. In the meantime, as the Trump administration pursues its phased transition strategy, it is deepening its partnership with the Rodríguez government. In recent weeks, the US formally recognized Rodríguez as Venezuela's sole leader, expanded sanctions relief beyond oil and gas to include the mining sector, and downgraded the State Department's travel advisory. Join Hudson Institute for a discussion with former US Ambassador to Venezuela James Story to examine developments in Venezuela and prospects for Washington’s strategy.  

After years of subsidized, debt-driven growth and centrally directed economic policy, China is now mired in a slowing economy relying on massive exports to sustain stability. The nation faces growing debt problems, a faltering social safety net, failing productivity growth, and increasing foreign resistance to its heavily subsidized mercantilist model. Will China lapse into a Japan-like spiral of stagnation and financial instability? Does the United States now have an opportunity to push back against Chinese efforts to win the global technology race and undermine its economic and political leadership? Join Hudson Institute for a panel that will discuss Dr. Duesterberg’s new report on the Chinese economic model and how policymakers should consider its vulnerabilities when formulating strategy to counter Beijing’s practices.

For decades, Europe developed along an east-west axis while the north-south spine of the continent remained underleveraged, its energy networks fragmented and its transit corridors incomplete. Russia's invasion of Ukraine changed the calculus. In the aftermath, Europe can no longer treat connectivity as a secondary concern. The Three Seas Initiative, linking twelve European Union member states from the Baltic to the Adriatic to the Black Sea, has emerged as one of the most serious efforts to close that gap through targeted investment in energy, transport, and digital infrastructure across Central and Eastern Europe. Whether the initiative can fulfill its promise depends on political will, sustained capital, and transatlantic coordination at a moment when American engagement with Europe is being questioned. Please join Ambassador Romana Vlahutin and Research Fellow Zineb Riboua for a conversation on the Three Seas Initiative and its role in shaping Europe's new geography of power.

Congressman Michael Baumgartner (R-WA) will join Michael Doran, Director of Hudson’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, for a timely discussion about the evolving situation in Iran. Congressman Baumgartner brings a distinctive perspective shaped by his professional experience in the Middle East, where he worked on economic development and governance initiatives in complex and often volatile environments. His firsthand insight into the region’s political and security dynamics will inform a grounded assessment of current U.S. strategy. Together, Congressman Baumgartner, member of the Republican Policy Committee, and Doran will examine the objectives and risks of Operation Epic Fury, the broader regional implications, and the policy choices facing Washington in the weeks ahead.

The United States and Israel’s campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran marks a pivotal moment for the Middle East, with consequences that will shape the region’s future security landscape. As Washington counters Iran’s asymmetric missile and drone capabilities, Senator Joni Ernst (R‑IA)—Chairwoman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities and Co‑Chair of the Abraham Accords Caucus—has advanced key legislation, including the DEFEND and MARITIME Acts, to strengthen US and partner defenses against exactly these threats. Hudson Institute invites you to join Senator Ernst for a conversation with Senior Fellow Peter Rough, Director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia, on Operation Epic Fury, the trajectory of US policy in the Middle East, and how today’s conflict is reshaping modern warfare and strategy. This event is co‑sponsored with The Bastion Institute, where Senator Ernst serves as honorary chair and Peter Rough serves on the board.

The United States–Zimbabwe relationship has been strained for decades, in part due to the government’s violent farm invasion campaign that began in earnest in 2000. Harare’s refusal to compensate most of the farmers whose land was taken is still a significant barrier to improving the bilateral relationship. Join Senior Fellow Joshua Meservey as he hosts a panel of experts to discuss the history of land expropriation in Zimbabwe, the status of the land compensation agenda, and how policymakers can rectify an issue that bedevils US-Zimbabwe relations.

Since the onset of Operation Epic Fury, Europe’s response has been cautious and divided, revealing real strain within the transatlantic alliance. While leaders in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Southern Europe have ruled out direct military participation—insisting this is “not our war”—others, including Spain and Greece, have declined to support U.S. operations altogether. The result is a Europe aligned with Washington’s concerns about Iran, but hesitant to fully commit. Is this a temporary divergence, or the beginning of a deeper realignment? To explore this question, former Czech Ambassador to Israel and national security advisor, now a nonresident senior fellow with Hudson Institute's Center on Europe and Eurasia Tomáš Pojar joins Michael Doran, Director of Hudson’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, for a timely conversation on Europe’s strategic posture, alliance cohesion, and the future of Western coordination in the region.

For over a year, the Republic of Moldova has advanced economic reforms to improve the country’s business environment and attract investment. The government prioritized deregulation and digitalized public services, while also helping businesses access finance. Key sectors, such as electrical equipment manufacturing and agriculture, received government support, and service exports, particularly in information technology, expanded rapidly. Meanwhile, Moldova is cooperating with international partners to diversify supply chains and position itself as a reliable hub for logistics, energy, and digital infrastructure. These efforts will allow the country to support regional stability and assist with Ukraine’s future reconstruction.  Join Hudson as Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Eugen Osmochescu speaks on these and other issues.

As President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping prepare to meet in April, striking a favorable trade deal is top of mind. But trade shouldn’t be the only priority. China currently imprisons several political prisoners who are important to the United States government—including Chinese Christian Pastor Ezra Jin, Uyghur doctor Gulshan Abbas, Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai, and many others. Several of these prisoners have family members who are American citizens and want to be reunited. Ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting, Washington needs to call for the unequivocal release and safe return of political prisoners. Join us at Hudson Institute to discuss how advocates, lawmakers, and the US government can prioritize the release of political prisoners across China.

Starting 20 years ago, the religious group Falun Gong began exposing how China harvests organs from persecuted groups. Today evidence shows that the Chinese Communist Party has harvested organs from living prisoners of conscience through a state-run system that includes the security services, military hospitals, and civilian transplant centers. Join Nina Shea for a discussion with Jan Jekielek, author of the new book Killed to Order, about this modern atrocity. They will focus on how and why China has allowed the horror of forced organ harvesting to flourish, and what decades of rigorous research have uncovered. The conversation will also address how global supply chains and medical institutions have been complicit. Shea and Jekielek will then offer policy recommendations.

As the United States and Israel continue to strike Iran, the strategic landscape in the Middle East is shifting rapidly. In this conversation, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East Senior Fellows Michael Doran and Can Kasapoğlu will discuss the evolving military situation in Iran and the wider region. Kasapoğlu will assess how Iranian forces are responding to the strikes, the role of the IRGC in a potential post-Khamenei order, and what indicators analysts should watch in the coming weeks. The discussion will also explore the sustainability of Iran’s missile and drone campaigns, the limits of air-defense systems, and the strategic choices facing the United States and its allies as the conflict unfolds. Join us for a timely military briefing on one of the most consequential crises shaping the future of the Middle East

The American industrial base once underwrote the nation's victory. Builders and workers rallied to win World War II. For most of the twentieth century, great American companies from General Mills to Chrysler had defense businesses that sent mankind into space and won the Cold War. But the forges fell silent, and the furnaces went dark. China took the lead in manufacturing. And the relationship between America’s innovators and its warfighters deteriorated—until now. Hudson Trustee and Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar’s new book, Mobilize, spotlights this undeclared state of emergency and the bold reformers in government and industry who are taking action to respond. With Walter Russell Mead, Sankar will discuss his strategy to resurrect the American industrial base, win the twenty-first-century defense technology race, and prevent World War III.