Hudson Institute Events Podcast

In Twenty Times I Almost Died, available August 18, 2026, John Spencer recounts experiences spanning combat tours in Iraq, research trips through modern war zones, and more. He reveals important information that helps explain the changing character of warfare and its implications for strategists. Beyond providing lessons for the battlefield, Spencer offers guidance on personal growth and leadership, advising readers on how to live with purpose.

Please join Hudson Institute for a fireside chat with Senior Fellow and Keystone Defense Initiative Director Rebeccah Heinrichs and John Spencer, chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point and co-director of the Urban Warfare Project. Major John Spencer (Ret.) and Dr. Heinrichs will discuss Twenty Times I Almost Died and how it can inform US defense policymakers as they navigate the evolving challenges and opportunities of contemporary warfare.

Six months after the opening salvos of Operation Epic Fury, America and the Islamic Republic of Iran remain at loggerheads over the future of Tehran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz. Unresolved conflicts linger in Yemen, Lebanon, and Gaza. Meanwhile, a Unites States-brokered deal between Jerusalem and Beirut, as well as Washington’s engagement with leaders in Syria and Iraq, offer glimmers of hope. The Iranian regime’s shocking attacks on its Persian Gulf neighbors in recent months have raised profound questions about future security arrangements in the region. 

Join Hudson Institute Senior Fellows Michael Doran and Ludovic Hood, Research Fellow Zineb Riboua, and Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, for a timely discussion about the conflicts in the region and America’s strategic and diplomatic paths forward.

To request an RSVP, please reach out to Natalie Arbatman at [email protected].

In July 2026, President Donald Trump granted Ukraine a license to coproduce Patriot interceptors and declared that the ceasefire in Iran was over as Tehran retaliated against US allies in the Gulf. At the same time, Moscow and Beijing completed joint naval drills off Qingdao, China, home to a major People's Liberation Army naval fleet. And on July 6, China test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile from the South China Sea to the Pacific Ocean.   

These developments are interconnected. As Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea continue to coordinate, America’s strategic responses in Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific will determine whether deterrence holds. How can America respond to threats on multiple fronts, and is its defense industrial base equipped to sustain the effort? 

Join Senior Fellow Dr. Rebeccah Heinrichs and Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) for a fireside discussion on how Congress can guide American strategy, the need to modernize the defense industrial base, and the vital role of allies and partners in an unstable international environment.   

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.

In this week’s episode of China Insider, Miles Yu covers the passing of Chinese economist, Gao Shanwen, known for his outspoken views on China’s economy and capital markets, including China’s GDP growth rate in particular, and examine the impact his passing will have in the field. Next, Miles examines China’s recent submarine-based ballistic missile test in the Indo-Pacific, and how this fits into China’s larger pattern of Indo-Pacific coercion and grey-zone warfare tactics. Finally, Miles observes the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and highlights his lasting legacy both on Japanese society and the greater Indo-Pacific region.

China Insider is a weekly podcast project from Hudson Institute’s China Center, hosted by China Center Director and Senior Fellow, Dr. Miles Yu, who provides weekly news that mainstream American outlets often miss, as well as in-depth commentary and analysis on the China challenge and the free world’s future.