Hudson Institute Events Podcast

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.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once thought to be the wealthiest man in Russia, was arrested and imprisoned by President Vladimir Putin in 2003 and now lives in exile. From London, he advocates against Russian aggression and provides unique insight into how the current Russian leadership thinks and operates. As Russia’s sham presidential election approaches and Moscow’s illegal occupation of Ukraine drags on, Mr. Khodorkovsky will sit down with former United Kingdom secretary of defence and longtime Putin critic Sir Liam Fox, MP, on what 2024 could bring for the Kremlin, peace and security in Europe, and America’s global interests.

The Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA) is the “most sweeping and consequential foreign bribery law in nearly half a century” according to Transparency International. By criminalizing corrupt foreign officials’ bribery demands, FEPA will protect American companies operating overseas and deter unfair competition from China’s state-owned enterprises. President Joe Biden signed FEPA into law in December 2023 after Congress included the bipartisan legislation in its annual defense spending bill.Please join Hudson Institute for a fireside chat with Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC), chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe and a leading cosponsor of FEPA.

The AUKUS agreement—which includes Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—is best known for the nuclear submarines that Australia will receive at the end of this decade. But AUKUS’s lesser-known second pillar focuses on technology sharing and is more likely to affect the Australian Defense Force’s capability and capacity in the near term. Uncrewed systems are one of the foundations of AUKUS Pillar Two, which also includes hypersonic weapons, quantum technology, and electronic warfare. These emerging systems will be essential as Australia responds to intensifying security competition with China as well as challenges in border security and homeland defense. Like their counterparts in the US Department of Defense, Australian defense officials will need to formulate new business and development practices that allow for innovation within government policies and structures.Join Hudson’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology for a discussion on these strategies with the Australian defense officials who are currently working to implement them.

The People’s Republic of China poses a colossal threat to American values and the freedom-based world order. No other nation that has confronted the United States and its allies has possessed China’s combination of economic and military strength, which enables Beijing’s exploitative and bellicose foreign policies.If American citizens are not strong, Washington cannot lead internationally. If the US falters, despotic regimes led by the PRC will fill the void. And America can only succeed in defending freedom if it works diligently to create a new global alliance for freedom, linking established and nascent alliance structures to venerate liberty and the primacy of the individual.Join Hudson’s China Center for a conversation with leading experts and diplomats on how the US can forge this new coalition.