Hudson Institute Events Podcast

Hudson Institute will host Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský for remarks on the Czech view of the Indo-Pacific, the war in Ukraine, and transatlantic relations, followed by a conversation with Europe and Eurasia Center Director Peter Rough.Minister Lipavský has made transatlantic cooperation, democratic values, and human rights the centerpieces of his agenda since becoming foreign minister in December 2021. He is well known for his clear-eyed view of the challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation. Minister Lipavský has also earned a reputation in Washington as a friend of Taiwan, an ally of the United States, and a supporter of Ukraine. He has called on the European Union to support “bullied” democracies “as much as possible” and has lobbied for Czechia’s military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, which includes generously hosting hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees. 

Though some African countries strongly denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many African states have declined to condemn the Kremlin in United Nations resolutions. This reticence surprised Western policymakers, but it shouldn’t have.As Russia’s aggression in Ukraine continues to reverberate in Africa, please join Hudson Senior Fellows Peter Rough and Joshua Meservey as they welcome Joseph Sany of the United States Institute of Peace and Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations to analyze the historical, economic, and diplomatic complexities that shape the varied African perspectives on Russia.

With speculation rife about a spring counteroffensive, continued churn in Vladimir Putin’s approach to his illegal war, and the Vilnius NATO summit in July, the coming months will be critical for Ukraine’s future.   Join us for a conversation about the latest developments in Ukraine and what an endgame could look like with visiting former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, International Republican Institute Senior Advisor for Transatlantic Strategy Reka Szemerkenyi, and Hudson Senior Fellow Luke Coffey. 

Please join Rebeccah Heinrichs, Hudson senior fellow and director of the Keystone Defense Initiative, for a conversation with Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere, commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). Ms. Heinrichs and Gen. Bussiere will discuss the AFGSC’s role as the combat support to US Strategic Command, current AFGSC priorities, and the future weapons and platforms the AFGSC will require to complete its mission.

While the corrupt Nicolás Maduro regime presides over a deteriorating economy and mass emigration, the Venezuelan democratic opposition is organizing to hold the dictator accountable ahead of planned elections in 2024. Please join Hudson Institute for a discussion with Venezuelan pro-democracy leader Leopoldo López on the situation in Venezuela, the growing alliance between authoritarian regimes, and the prospects for democracy in Venezuela and beyond. A former mayor of the municipality of Chacao, López is the founder and coordinator of the opposition party Voluntad Popular and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress. Since leaving Venezuela in 2020, he has lived in exile in Spain. 

Iran is already capable of enriching enough uranium to build several nuclear weapons in a matter of weeks, and its capacity is steadily growing. At the same time, Iran’s conventional military power is on the rise, bolstered by its burgeoning military alliance with Russia. Despite severe protests at home, Tehran shows no sign of moderating its hostility to the West—and the United States in particular. Alarmed by these facts, the Institute for Science and International Security (the good ISIS), the world leader in independent research and analysis on nuclear nonproliferation, has developed a methodology for assessing all dimensions of the Iranian threat simultaneously. Join Hudson Senior Fellows Michael Doran and Jonathan Schachter as they discuss the rise of Iran’s power and its implications for the US, Europe, and Israel with David Albright and Henrik Rasmussen of ISIS. 

After the decrease in oil and natural gas production and the depletion of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, America’s energy security is at risk. Join Hudson Senior Fellow Brigham McCown for a discussion with Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) on energy’s impact on economic stability and the role of energy production in North Dakota’s economy. 

As Chinese Communist aggression threatens the stability of the Indo-Pacific, Taiwan stands as a beacon of democracy, prosperity, and human rights in the region, and as a contributing member of the community of democracies.Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun was first elected to the Taiwan Provincial Assembly in 1981, and he has been a long-standing proponent of a free, democratic Taiwan. Please join Hudson Senior Fellow Nury Turkel for a conversation with President You, moderated by Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin, on how to defend Taiwan's hard-won democracy and uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific. Program:12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Reception, light refreshments served12:30 p.m. – 12:35 p.m. Introductory remarks by Nury Turkel12:35 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Conversation with President You Si-kun, Nury Turkel, and Josh Rogin1:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Audience Q&A

Early last month, Seventieth US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo led a delegation of politicians, businessmen, and representatives of nongovernmental organizations to Kyiv, where they met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.   As Sec. Pompeo told Fox News following the trip, “The least costly way to move forward is to provide the Ukrainians with what they need now . . . provide them with the tools and resources that they need today.”As the world awaits a Ukrainian counteroffensive, join Hudson Center on Europe and Eurasia Director Peter Rough for a conversation with Sec. Pompeo about the secretary’s impressions from Ukraine, the state of the war, and what America should do next to support Ukraine.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has criticized Joe Biden for “boosting, and in many cases funding, both sides” of Russia’s war in Ukraine. As Iran aids Russia’s invasion, the Biden administration allows the regime in Tehran to rebuild its energy exports, restore its economy, and buy and sell weapons to the Russian Federation. This position has had catastrophic consequences for the safety and security of Americans. In the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Cruz recently told Secretary of State Antony Blinken that “no matter how much you may want to help Ukraine, there is something the Biden administration wants more, which is to re-enter a nuclear agreement with Iran.” Please join Michael Doran, Hudson senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, for a conversation with Senator Cruz about Cruz’s perspective on these issues and on global strategy more broadly.