Hudson Institute Events Podcast

The United States has an opportunity to build a new energetics enterprise that can support the scale and adaptability modern warfare demands. Rising munitions requirements, advances in manufacturing and chemistry, and a growing number of innovative new entrants have created new possibilities to expand production capacity, modernize aging facilities, and move promising energetic materials more rapidly into weapons systems. 

Join Hudson Institute for a discussion of how the US can build a more resilient and flexible energetics base that can meet sustained demand while accelerating the development of new capabilities.

In August, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Pact, a mutual defense agreement stretching from Anatolia to South Asia. Meanwhile, the India–Middle East–Europe Corridor (IMEC) will link Indian and Gulf markets to Europe through Israel. These are two new competing visions for the Middle East’s future. Each offers a different answer to the question, Who will shape the region’s security and connectivity after the Iran war?

Join Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Ken Moriyasu for a panel with Chaim Martin, Israel’s minister of economic affairs to the United States; Aslı Aydıntaşbaş of the Brookings Institution; Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute; and Director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East Michael Doran as they examine the logic behind each framework and what their rivalry means for US policy.

As Ukrainians prepare for another challenging winter, discussions across the West have reached a new intensity over how Ukraine can adequately secure the front line, defend its civilian population, and ensure a just and lasting peace at the negotiating table.

Please join Hudson Institute for a special address on the current state-of-play by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will join remotely, followed by a question-and-answer session on the war with Hudson Institute President and CEO John Walters.  

Hudson Institute is pleased to host the next iteration of the Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture, a longstanding forum for examining the challenges facing freedom and democratic security in Europe. Established in 2000 as a joint initiative of the American Friends of the Czech Republic and Friends of Slovakia to commemorate the Velvet Revolution, the lecture alternates between Czech and Slovak speakers and topics.

This October, Hudson welcomes Karel Řehka, former chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, to discuss the changing security environment in Europe and its implications for the Czech Republic, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the transatlantic alliance.

General Řehka will examine how the Czech Republic and its allies should respond to the European evolving threat environment. He will discuss the readiness and modernization of the Czech Armed Forces, the role of a strong and resilient defense industrial base, lessons from the war in Ukraine, and the steps NATO allies can take to strengthen deterrence, resilience, and collective defense.

On October 27, Israelis will vote in their first national election since the October 7, 2023, massacre and the subsequent multifront war. The vote is becoming a referendum on security as the public debate focuses on accountability for October 7, the Israel Defense Forces’ strategy in Gaza, and military service for ultra-Orthodox men. Both the right and the left have been critical of the nation’s leaders, but whether voters will replace the coalition remains unclear. Whoever wins will lead Israel through the unfinished fronts in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, and determine how the next government will work with Washington.

Five days before the vote, join Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Ludovic Hood for a panel with David Wurmser of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs; David Makovsky of the Washington Institute; and Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East Michael Doran as they discuss the state of the race and potential paths forward for the United States–Israel relationship.

Casey Babb’s first book, The Moral Case for Zionism, will be published on October 22. Babb argues that Zionism offers something meaningful not just to the Jewish community but to all people. He explores the moral principles at the heart of the Zionist spirit and examines the dangers posed by the rise of anti-Zionism and antisemitism across the West.

Join Hudson Institute for a conversation with the author on the eve of the book’s release. Babb, Director of The Promised Land Project at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and an associate fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, will discuss the book’s central argument and the practical ways Jews and non-Jews alike can embrace Zionist ideas in their lives. 
 

In his new book, Dragon in the Americas: China’s Power, Presence, and Regional Influence, Leland Lazarus traces the evolution of Beijing’s footprint across the Western Hemisphere, from strategic ports and critical minerals to transnational crime and the ongoing contest with Taiwan for diplomatic recognition. As China’s engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean shifts from being primarily economic toward using the region for strategic depth, how should Washington respond?

Join Hudson Institute for a conversation with Lazarus, founder of Lazarus Consulting and former speechwriter to the commander of the US Southern Command. 

Though Washington and Seoul are interested in engaging with North Korea diplomatically, Pyongyang continues to advance its nuclear and missile capabilities and insists that its status as a nuclear-armed state is irreversible. President Donald Trump has expressed interest in renewing diplomacy with Kim Jong Un, raising the possibility of another Trump–Kim meeting.

Managing North Korea, though, remains only one of several major challenges confronting the United States–Republic of Korea alliance. Washington and Seoul also need to grapple with the future of extended deterrence, South Korea’s new nuclear-powered attack submarine project, wartime operational control, and the broader challenge of maintaining military readiness while creating space for diplomacy.

To discuss these and other issues, Hudson Institute Asia-Pacific Security Chair Patrick M. Cronin will lead an expert panel featuring Lieutenant General (Ret.) In-bum Chun, senior fellow at the Association of the United States Army and former commander of the Republic of Korea Special Warfare Command; Dr. Mira Rapp-Hooper, senior adviser at the Asia Group and former special assistant to the president and senior director for East Asia and Oceania at the White House National Security Council; and Ankit Panda, senior fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of The New Nuclear Age: At the Precipice of Armageddon.

Physical artificial intelligence is at the forefront of AI development and could revolutionize industry and security. Secure supply chains and technological leadership in physical AI are a strategic imperative for many countries. The United States, Japan, and Taiwan are uniquely equipped with complementary skills to achieve technological superiority in this field.

Join Hudson Institute for remarks and a panel discussion on how these allies can collaborate to seize physical AI’s opportunities. Senior Fellow William Chou will host Jeremy Chang, chief executive officer of Taiwan’s Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology, and Ken Fukuda, director of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, for a conversation on each country’s approach to physical AI.

Join Hudson Institute for a discussion with Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson and Senior Fellow Harold Furchtgott-Roth. The event will explore how the FTC’s antitrust and consumer protection authorities can police anticompetitive and deceptive conduct in healthcare. Chairman Ferguson will focus on the agency’s recent efforts to promote price transparency in hospitals and pharmaceuticals, a key priority of the Trump administration. By ensuring price transparency, the FTC empowers consumer choice and promotes competitive markets as a counter to rising healthcare costs