The United States has a long history of global leadership on combating illicit finance, from the landmark Bank Secrecy Act of 1979 to coordinating international sanctions on Russia’s war economy. But a lack of transparency within the US financial system itself has made the system vulnerable to money laundering, sanctions evasion, and even terrorist financing.The Biden administration and Congress have prioritized initiatives to close financial secrecy loopholes in recent years. These notably include the recently launched Beneficial Ownership Information Registry to tackle shell company abuse and new proposed rules to curb money laundering through real estate and other high-risk sectors of the US economy.Overseeing these efforts within the Department of the Treasury is the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI), led by Under Secretary Brian Nelson. TFI is responsible for developing and implementing US government strategies to combat illicit finance, marshaling formidable enforcement, regulatory, and intelligence capabilities to target domestic and foreign threats to US national security. TFI also oversees component offices responsible for economic sanctions, financial intelligence, and asset forfeiture.Please join Hudson Institute for a discussion with Under Secretary Nelson on strengthening financial transparency to safeguard US national and economic security.

A month after an Iranian suicide drone killed three brave American soldiers at their post in Jordan, Iran-backed militants continue to spread chaos in the Middle East. Houthi rebels use Iranian-made weapons to attack shipping vessels in the Red Sea, disrupting up to one-fifth of the world’s cargo trade. American troops in the region have faced nearly 170 attacks from the Houthis and other Iran-backed groups since October 2023. Please join Representative Rich McCormick (GA-6), a retired Marine Corps commander, and Media Fellow Jeremy Hunt for a conversation on how to reestablish deterrence in the Middle East and protect American troops abroad.

This month marks two somber anniversaries for Ukraine: ten years since Russia’s invasion of Crimea, and two years since Russia launched its full-scale assault. Ukraine’s situation is grim as Kyiv struggles to sustain Western support while facing a much larger occupying power.But there are reasons for optimism. Ukrainians are committed to their cause. It is within their power to defeat Russia and liberate their lands—but only if their international partners continue to support them.Join Hudson’s Center on Europe and Eurasia for a conference to commemorate ten years of occupation and two years of full-scale war. The event will examine the importance of the war for the European order, take stock of the conflict with senior Ukrainian and allied voices, and chart a path forward for the transatlantic community.

El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele was reelected in a landslide after bringing peace to a country that had been wracked by gang violence for years. But improved security has come at a high cost for El Salvadorans, with Bukele presiding over mass incarceration, human rights violations, increasing corruption, and a government-controlled judiciary. Bukele has embraced charges of authoritarianism, calling himself the “world’s coolest dictator.”El Salvador’s success has won admiration from around Latin America, and other leaders seeking to counter rising crime are imitating Bukele’s mano dura policies. Moreover, Bukele seems eager to export his model. Join Hudson Institute for a conversation with leading observers as they examine Bukele’s record and discuss what the adoption of the Bukele model could mean for other countries in the region.

Globalization blossomed in the decades after the Cold War ended, but the world is entering a new era characterized by geopolitical blocs. Elisabeth Braw takes on this topic in her new book Goodbye Globalization: The Return of a Divided World, in which she provides recommendations for Western policymakers and business officials looking to navigate this new era of geopolitical competition.Senior Fellow and Director of Hudson’s Center on Europe and Eurasia Peter Rough will welcome Braw to Hudson for a discussion of Goodbye Globalization.

Argentina is experiencing its worst economic crisis in a generation, with hyperinflation and cyclical debt crises plunging more than 40 percent of the population into poverty.Because of this crisis, Javier Milei was elected with a radical agenda to confront entrenched political interests, slash government spending, and set Argentina back on the path to prosperity. But to succeed, the new president will also need to confront the ongoing effects of his predecessor’s sustained assault on the rule of law.In December 2021, former President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for fraudulently issuing $1 billion in government contracts. Kirchner has also been accused of colluding with Iran to cover up the Islamic Republic’s role in the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) and opening the country to malign Chinese and Russian influence. These and other scandals have had a corrosive effect on Argentina’s political and legal institutions, further undermining the country’s economic prospects and national security.Join Hudson Institute for a discussion on restoring the rule of law in Argentina with Senior Fellow Marshall Billingslea and two former senior officials from Argentina’s financial intelligence unit, Mariano Federici and Maria Eugenia Talerico.

Beijing is systematically absorbing Hong Kong into its totalitarian regime in violation of China’s 1997 agreement with Britain to honor the city’s separate political, social, and economic system until 2047. Since the Chinese Communist Party imposed a sweeping national security law in June 2020, Hong Kong has seen its freedom of speech, press, and association curbed and its rule of law undermined. Mounting evidence shows that the CCP has recently begun to harness Hong Kong’s religious communities, aligning them with the CCP’s Sinicization policy, which tightly restricts religious practice and teachings on the mainland.Jimmy Lai, the founder of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily and a self-educated entrepreneur, is now on trial. He will almost certainly be convicted by the special national security court, which boasts a 100 percent conviction rate. He faces charges of criticizing the CCP and defending democracy. Despite the CCP’s crackdown, he courageously chose to stay in his homeland in order to champion the rights and fundamental freedoms of all Hong Kongers. The CCP froze his bank accounts and forced him to shut his newspaper soon after enforcement of the national security law began. The 76-year-old has been imprisoned for three years and faces a possible life sentence.The Wall Street Journal’s William McGurn and Hong Kong activist Frances Hui will join Nina Shea for a discussion of Lai’s heroism and the implications of his trial for Hong Kong. They will also examine the CCP’s stealth strategy to take over religious communities in Hong Kong—the last vestige of its free social system—and a possible United States policy response.

As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches the two-year mark, it is imperative that transatlantic leaders keep their eyes on the war. After failing to divide the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the war’s early days, Russia’s plan is to outlast Ukraine and the Euro-Atlantic community. To overcome this, Washington and its partners urgently need to supply Ukraine with provisions, assistance, and training to demonstrate a credible long-term commitment to a Ukrainian victory.The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Estonia has published a strategy for how Ukraine could win the war by the end of 2026, Setting Transatlantic Defence up for Success: A Military Strategy for Ukraine’s Victory and Russia’s Defeat.Hudson Institute, in partnership with the Estonian Embassy in Washington, will host a discussion on the report with Kusti Salm, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Defence of Estonia, and Peter Rough, director of Hudson Institute’s Center on Europe and Eurasia.

The October 7 attack and the ensuing war have permanently changed the lives of Israelis. What effect has the war had on Israel’s domestic politics? What are the main challenges Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces? Is the Biden administration restraining or supporting Israel?To discuss these and other questions, Hudson Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East Director Michael Doran will sit down for a discussion with Dr. Gadi Taub.

Slovakia under Prime Minister Eduard Heger had been one of the most robust Ukraine supporters in Europe since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion. But Slovakia’s 2023 parliamentary election brought to power the opposing Smer party, which is less supportive of Kyiv. The Smer government under Robert Fico has also signaled its intention to adopt different policies on key domestic political, economic, and social issues. Slovakia will elect a new president in Spring 2024 and a new slate of members of the European Parliament in June.Join Hudson Senior Fellow Matt Boyse for a discussion on current developments in Central Europe, especially Slovakia, and Russia’s war against Ukraine with Eduard Heger, Slovak prime minister from April 2021 until May 2023.