Hudson Institute Events Podcast

In his new book From Peril to Partnership: US Security Assistance and the Bid to Stabilize Colombia and Mexico, Paul J. Angelo draws on years of field experience to provide a comparative analysis of two major United States security assistance initiatives, Plan Colombia and the Mérida Initiative.Join Hudson for a discussion with the author on the factors that enable or impede successful security assistance and on his recommendations for future US security efforts.

Join Senior Fellow Michael Doran, Mosaic Editor Jonathan Silver, and Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Elliott Abrams for a discussion on the future of United States–Israel relations, moderated by Research Fellow Zineb Riboua.They will discuss the changes in Israel’s foreign and domestic policies since the October 7 massacre, the Biden administration’s Middle East policy and its impacts, and the rise of anti-Zionism in the US.

Latvia has long been one of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s most vocal members in warning about the threat Vladimir Putin and Russian revanchism pose to the European security order and the West. President Edgars Rinkēvičs recently said that “Ukraine is not only fighting for us but fighting instead of us.” Riga has also been one of Ukraine’s most robust supporters since Russia’s illegal 2014 annexation of Crimea, a strong advocate of sanctions against Moscow, and the leader of a coalition to provide drones to Ukraine.Join Senior Fellow Matt Boyse for a discussion with Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds on developments in Latvia and elsewhere in the Baltics, the war in Ukraine, and key issues for NATO, including alliance enlargement, secretary general succession, and the upcoming seventy-fifth-anniversary summit in Washington.

Iranian proxies threaten to overwhelm Israel’s defenses in the wake of the October 7 terrorist attack. Meanwhile, as Tehran supplies Russia with crucial weapons, Ukrainian munition shortages have cost Kyiv both territory and the lives of its brave citizens. In the struggle against the new axis of authoritarianism, the United States has been unable or unwilling to provide its frontline allies with the support they need.To discuss how America can reverse this calamity and return to a position of global strength, Distinguished Fellow Mike Pompeo, the seventieth US secretary of state, will sit down with Michael Doran, the director of Hudson’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East.

On February 29, the Republican Study Committee, chaired by Congressman Kevin Hern (OK-1), introduced the Counter Communist China Act. The bill would regulate Chinese investment in American business and sanction the Chinese Communist Party’s political activities in the United States. Join Congressman Hern and Senior Fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs for a conversation on how Congress can restore America’s advantage over the People’s Republic of China in the new cold war.

In December 2022, Japan introduced three security documents that laid out Tokyo’s most ambitious defense plans since the creation of the Japan Self-Defense Forces in 1954. In the documents, Tokyo promised to increase its military spending to 2 percent of Japan’s GDP and develop counterstrike capabilities to bolster deterrence. The documents, along with Japan’s defense agreements with Australia and the United Kingdom and improved Japan–South Korea relations, illustrate Tokyo’s dynamic thinking about its security environment, partnership commitments, and defense and technological capabilities. To assess Japan’s ambitious defense transformation, Hudson’s Japan Chair will host a panel with senior Japanese and American security professionals to discuss Japan’s growing security challenges, its need for integrated and comprehensive approaches to security, and its opportunities for deeper cooperation with allies and partners.

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.