For decades the United States’ partnership with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) has been a crucial component of American policy in the Middle East. Today the Middle East holds unprecedented economic opportunities for the US and its regional allies. But the region is also wracked by potential conflicts—especially tensions between the United States and Iran and a fragile truce in eastern Syria. Against this uncertain backdrop, Iraqis are immersed in a complicated, high-stakes government formation process in both Baghdad and Erbil. How will these dynamics shape the future of the US-KRI partnership? What are the most significant opportunities for this partnership? And what do policymakers need to do to mitigate risks to US-KRI mutual interests?

Join Hudson for a deep dive into these topics with Interior Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government His Excellency Rebar Ahmed, one of the region’s most experienced and respected statesmen. Senior Fellow Joel Rayburn will host Minister Ahmed for a fireside chat followed by audience Q&A.

On February 5, 2026, the United States’ last bilateral nuclear arms control agreement with Russia, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), expired after 14 years. Russia had been violating the terms of the agreement since 2023.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently reaffirmed President Donald Trump’s commitment that “future arms control must address not one, but both nuclear peer arsenals.” Rubio also said that even as the United States remains open to diplomacy, it will maintain a “robust, credible, and modernized nuclear deterrent.”

Join Senior Fellow Dr. Rebeccah Heinrichs and Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and Nonproliferation Dr. Christopher Yeaw for a discussion on the administration’s priorities for arms control, nonproliferation, and strategic deterrence in an era of complex nuclear threats.

Nuclear fusion has held the secret to nearly limitless clean energy since its discovery almost a century ago. Yet scientists around the world, particularly in the United States and China, are only now getting close to making this method of energy generation a reality. Rising US-China competition has further accelerated research and development in this now-critical economic and security technology.

To examine the future of fusion and its geopolitical implications, Hudson will host a two-part event. The first expert panel will focus on fusion and its relationship to the US nuclear deterrent. The second panel will examine how supply chains and the US industrial base can best facilitate fusion deployment.

The first Trump administration warned Americans that depending on foreign manufacturing had eroded the United States’ industrial base over the previous 30 years. Both parties now recognize the danger of US supply chains relying on China—a dependence that includes common consumer goods and extends to critical inputs for US military systems. Fortunately, the second Trump administration is continuing to rebuild the US defense industrial base and restore American manufacturing. The Department of War is a primary driver of this effort.

Join Hudson for a conversation with Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy Michael Cadenazzi, who leads the DoW’s efforts to develop and maintain the US defense industrial base to secure critical national security supply chains. Assistant Secretary Cadenazzi will give remarks on the department’s new initiatives and priorities, then sit down for a fireside chat with Senior Fellow Nadia Schadlow. The event will conclude with audience Q&A.

Hudson welcomes French Army Chief of Staff General Pierre Schill, one of Europe’s most senior military leaders, for a discussion on the evolving strategic environment and the French Army’s transformation in a rapidly changing world.

General Schill will discuss:

• How new dynamics are shaping France’s evolving strategic concept and defense posture
• The French Army’s role as a global military force, deployed in support of national interests, allied commitments, and international security
• How operational experience feeds directly into force adaptation and readiness
• The ongoing transformation of land forces, including the integration of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence
• The human dimensions of military effectiveness—recruitment, training, leadership development, and cohesion

Additionally, drawing on his most recent book Command : Insight from the French Army, General Schill will reflect on the future of land warfare and commanding by intent, with an emphasis on the importance of trust, initiative, and decentralized decision-making in modern warfare.

This event will conclude with a Q&A session, offering the audience an opportunity to engage with a European and French perspective on the strategic, operational, and human challenges shaping the future of land warfare.

President Donald Trump has opened his second term with several major foreign policy moves: targeted strikes on Iran’s nuclear program, sweeping trade negotiations and tariff regimes, a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Busan, and a landmark North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in The Hague. All these underscore the president’s emphasis on proactive diplomacy, peace talks, and conflict resolution—exemplified by his achievement of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire framework.

The National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy both outline the administration’s approach of “flexible realism” and prioritize the Western Hemisphere and Indo-Pacific.

In January 2026 alone, the Trump administration has continued its rapid pace of foreign policy with the removal of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, a major trade and investment deal with Taiwan, and renewed focus on the emerging Arctic security competition.

Join Senior Fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs and Congressman Pat Fallon (R-TX) for a discussion on the Trump administration’s first year of foreign policy and the risks and opportunities ahead.

Transatlantic relations are seemingly going through a period of recalibration following the World Economic Forum in Davos and amid ongoing talks about the future of Greenlandic security. Across North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) capitals, debates are swirling about the future of Europe’s relationship with the United States.

Yet it remains as true today as it has for decades that a strong Europe is America’s best partner. Now, steadfast allies like Romania have a chance to chart Europe’s course toward a new economic, diplomatic, and military relationship with the US.

To that end, Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu will visit Washington to participate in the first critical minerals ministerial, convened by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Please join her as she returns to Hudson for a fireside chat with Center on Europe and Eurasia Director Peter Rough to take stock of the past year and anticipate what might lie ahead.

The Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East will host a conversation with Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the United States special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. With Senior Fellow Michael Doran, the ambassador will discuss the Trump administration’s record in confronting the rise of antisemitism, including key achievements, ongoing priorities, and remaining challenges. Additionally, they will explore the importance of combating antisemitism for American efforts to support democratic resilience and manage the US alliance system.

On December 12, 2025, Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg and representatives from Japan, the State of Israel, Australia, the Republic of Singapore, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland signed a declaration to mark the beginning of Pax Silica—a United States–led strategic initiative to build the secure, prosperous, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain essential for the future of artificial intelligence (AI). The State of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates joined the initiative as the eighth and ninth Pax Silica signatories, with others expected to follow. Their accession marks a significant milestone in the Trump administration’s economic statecraft strategy and signals a fast-expanding geopolitical consensus that economic security and national security are now inextricable.

As AI continues to transform global economics, politics, and security at an unprecedented pace, Under Secretary Helberg inaugurated Pax Silica based on the fundamental premise that the world’s most prosperous and secure countries will be those that prioritize resilient supply chains, trusted technologies, and strategic infrastructure as indispensable aspects of national power and economic growth.

Please join Under Secretary Helberg and Hudson Executive Vice President Joel Scanlon for a discussion on the Pax Silica initiative, America’s strategy to win the global AI race, and the new geopolitical imperatives of economic security and technology.