Hudson Institute Events Podcast

The United States’ patent system has been a driver of economic growth and a primary reason for American global technological leadership in the twenty-first century. A weakened patent system, however, has led to the rise of predatory infringement, a deliberate decision by a company to engage in patent theft because it is cheaper than obtaining permission (licensing) and paying for the use of someone else’s technological innovation.What has caused the weakening of the US patent system? What is the evidence of predatory infringement? And what is the policy significance of predatory actors’ theft of other companies’ innovative technologies? A panel of experts will explain the legal developments in patent law, the economic impact of predatory infringement, and the evidence-based reforms that could restore the US patent system’s historical status as the global gold standard.

The Chinese Communist Party operates the largest state-run forced labor program in the world, enslaving an estimated 3 million Uyghurs. Exploitation of that scale and scope cannot continue without robust condemnation and a swift response. That’s why Congress passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) in December 2021. This landmark legislation aims to stop goods produced with Uyghur forced labor from entering the United States and ultimately stop Uyghur forced labor from happening in the first place.More than two years after the law’s passage, enough time has passed to evaluate the UFLPA’s strengths and weaknesses. Join Hudson for a discussion on how the US and its partners can best strengthen efforts to tackle and combat Uyghur forced labor.

Please join NATO Public Forum think tank consortium members Hudson Institute, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), the Atlantic Council, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and GLOBSEC for a conversation with NATO Chair of the Military Committee(CMC) Admiral Rob Bauer, the alliance’s highest-ranking military official. Admiral Bauer is visiting the United States in the lead-up to the Washington summit to talk about the alliance’s strengths and speak frankly about its challenges. As he told the Wall Street Journal in April, “Politicians always talk about cooperation, but in practical terms they don’t have a clue.” The CMC has also made it a point to regularly meet with key private sector figures to improve NATO’s industrial base. As the Journal described his thinking, “the West needs not only to boost military production; it must fundamentally rethink what defense means, starting with the private sector.”

On May 29, for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994, South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC)’s vote share fell below the 50 percent threshold necessary for unilaterally forming a government. Urgent coalition negotiations are ongoing to meet the constitutionally mandated 14-day deadline for parliament to select a president, but there is immense uncertainty about the outcome. The stakes are high for one of Africa’s most important countries: the outcomes for South Africa’s economy, society, and foreign policy could vary radically depending on the coalition’s composition.Senior Fellow Joshua Meservey will moderate a discussion to examine the likelihood of different coalition scenarios and their possible impact on South Africa’s economy, society, and foreign policy. Discussants will provide a granular breakdown of the electoral results and the ongoing coalition negotiations and offer insights about South Africa’s political and economic trajectory, gleaned from decades living, working, and investing in South Africa.

Russia continues to export vast amounts of gas and oil to Europe while importing military goods and mission critical hardware to fuel its war against Ukraine. Some of Moscow’s most notorious strategic corruption projects, NordStream and TurkStream, and their related state capture networks continue to operate despite more than a dozen rounds of sanctions imposed by the European Union and Group of Seven. Russia’s “no-limits” partnership with China, Europe’s lack of robust common sanctions enforcement, the patchwork of improperly integrated anti–money laundering and criminal prosecution frameworks, and governments and other stakeholders that continue to enable Russia by seeking gains from transactional diplomacy have all emboldened Moscow’s strategic corruption efforts. This has negatively affected the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s geopolitical and geoeconomic standing, particularly in frontier regions like the Black Sea and the Balkans.Much like it relies on the American defense sector, Europe still relies on the United States to implement effective economic security policies. The EU should accelerate the development of its common institutions for sanctions enforcement and other economic security measures, prioritizing decoupling from Russia’s oil and gas networks. The US can aid this process by continuing to intervene more assertively in high-profile cases and by providing capacity-building support and cooperation.

For weeks, hundreds of thousands of Georgians have peacefully demonstrated across the country against the “Russian Law,” a bill designed by the Georgian Dream party to stifle and restrict civil society and political opposition. Georgia’s Western friends have warned that the law is not compatible with Euro-Atlantic integration. But the Kremlin has supported Georgian Dream’s measures. In addition to the harm the law will do to Georgia’s democracy and Euro-Atlantic path, there are serious implications for the Black Sea region if Tbilisi fully falls under the influence of Moscow.Join Hudson for an expert panel on the regional implications of this crisis.

Niger’s 2023 military coup led to swift changes, and many now wonder what’s next for West African security cooperation. As American troops move out and Russian troops move in, will United States counterterrorism operations continue in Niger and the Sahel region?West African security experts Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim of International Crisis Group, Malik Samuel of the Institute for Security Studies, and Aneliese Bernard of Strategic Stabilization Advisors join Hudson Research Fellow James Barnett for a discussion moderated by Media Fellow Jeremy Hunt.

On July 10, President Joe Biden will gather fellow North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders in Washington to celebrate 75 years of the alliance and chart a direction for the way ahead. Over the course of NATO’s existence, warfare has changed in dramatic ways, punctuated by offset strategies and revolutions in military affairs. Today, the large-scale war in Ukraine is spawning battlefield innovations, which the alliance is attempting to process and understand. To discuss the evolution of NATO warfighting capabilities and the state of the alliance, please join NATO Public Forum think tank consortium members Hudson Institute, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), the Atlantic Council, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and GLOBSEC for a conversation with four supreme allied commanders Europe (SACEURs): Generals Wes Clark (1997–2000), Phil Breedlove (2013–2016), Curtis Scaparrotti (2016–2019), and Tod Wolters (2019–2022).Peter Rough, senior fellow and director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia, will moderate the discussion.

Niger’s 2023 military coup led to swift changes, and many now wonder what’s next for West African security cooperation. As American troops move out and Russian troops move in, will United States counterterrorism operations continue in Niger and the Sahel region?West African security experts Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim of International Crisis Group, Malik Samuel of the Institute for Security Studies, and Aneliese Bernard of Strategic Stabilization Advisors join Hudson Research Fellow James Barnett for a discussion moderated by Media Fellow Jeremy Hunt.

This event is part of the Motwani Jadeja US-India Dialogue series funded by the Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation.Amid a shifting and increasingly competitive global landscape, technology cooperation has emerged as a vital component of the United States–India strategic partnership. In May 2022, the two countries announced the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), which was launched in January 2023. Over the last year and a half, governments, businesses, and academic institutions have expanded cooperation in both the civilian and defense arenas.Join Hudson for a discussion on what role technology will play in deepening the US-India relationship with Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan, Carnegie India Director Rudra Chaudhuri, Carnegie India Fellow Konark Bhandari, United States Institute of Peace Senior Fellow Daniel Markey, United States India Strategic Partnership Forum Senior Advisor Vikram Singh, and Center for New American Security Senior Fellow Lisa Curtis. Hudson Institute’s Aparna Pande will moderate the conversation.