Hudson Institute Events Podcast

Forty years ago, on March 23, 1983, President Ronald Reagan addressed the American people to unveil “a vision of the future which offers hope,” namely, a program to counter the Soviet missile threat through defensive measures. Thus, the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), the missile defense system that ultimately helped the United States prevail over the Soviet Union, was born. SDI was born from Reagan’s disdain for mutual assured destruction, and to instead encourage advances in defenses.Hudson Senior Fellow and Keystone Defense Initiative Director Rebeccah Heinrichs is joined by Will Inboden to discuss his new book, The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink. They will also reflect on President Reagan’s visionary leadership for SDI as well as lessons for today’s major powers rivalry with the Chinese Communist Party.

Technology standards like 5G have revolutionized the way we use our smartphones, and they are bringing similar changes to other industries as connectivity becomes an invaluable feature for most products. Although the next revolution in the industry is already underway, some have questioned whether the government needs to revise the system by providing more information about the patents that are essential to practice technology standards. Join Hudson Institute’s panel to learn more about the methodologies for identifying essential patents.

The supply chain crisis provided a glimpse of America’s vulnerability to shipping bottlenecks as freight rates skyrocketed, key supplies were delayed or simply unavailable, consumer prices surged, and US exports were left behind. The US government could do little about the problem, in part because America has essentially no control over the international maritime logistics system. Fewer than 100 ships out of a global fleet of 50,000 are American, and no American shipping company is in the top 25. While the pandemic triggered the recent supply chain chaos, there is growing concern that China could weaponize its increasing control over supply chains and shipping, with catastrophic consequences for the US and global economy.Former Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Peter DeFazio joins Hudson Senior Fellow Michael Roberts for a conversation on shipping and international trade, which will address why America finds itself in such a vulnerable position and what can be done to turn the ship around.

The outbreak of war in Ukraine triggered a much-ballyhooed Zeitenwende, or watershed moment, in Germany. One year later, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has just visited Washington for talks with President Joe Biden. What are Germany’s attitudes toward Russia, the United States, and China—and how are they reflected in Germany’s new policy outlook? Please join Peter Rough, senior fellow and director of Hudson’s Center on Europe and Eurasia, as he sits down with MP Michael Link, coordinator for transatlantic relations at Germany’s foreign ministry, to take stock of Zeitenwende and the transatlantic relationship.

Last year the 117th Congress aptly assessed that the United States needed to support Ukrainians’ struggle for national independence. It did so by making substantial investments in Ukraine’s defense so that Kyiv could be victorious against Russia, a strategic adversary of America. The $113 billion in congressional aid to Ukraine has proven to be money well spent. The summer package helped propel Ukraine’s fall counteroffensive, in which the Armed Forces of Ukraine regained lost territory in the east and south, including the key city of Kherson. As the war enters its second year, a majority of Americans continue to favor US support for Ukraine. Congressional support for Ukraine’s defense will continue to play a crucial role, especially as Ukrainian officials work to ensure that their country does not win on the battlefield but then lose the war due to economic insolvency. If the US maintains its support, a decisive Ukrainian victory will both deter further Russian aggression in Europe and prevent an emboldened China from pursuing its revanchist aims in the Indo-Pacific.Hudson Senior Fellow Luke Coffey sits down with Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) to analyze key aspects of Ukraine’s fight against the invading Russian forces, including the last Congress’s investments in Ukraine and the future of support in the 118th Congress for Ukraine’s defense.

India’s stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led some to reexamine the trajectory of Indian grand strategy. Over time, is India more likely to align closely with its primary Quad partners—Japan and the United States—or is it more likely to become a third pole in international affairs, independent of both China and the US? Please join the Honorable Shigeru Kitamura, the former secretary general of Japan’s National Security Secretariat, who will examine India’s strategic trajectory in a conversation with Hudson Institute Distinguished Fellow Ken Weinstein.

Join Hudson Institute Distinguished Fellow Walter Russell Mead for a discussion with historian Robert Kagan on his new book, The Ghost at the Feast: America and the Collapse of World Order, 1900–1941.About the BookAt the dawn of the twentieth century, the United States was one of the world’s richest, most populous, and most technologically advanced nations. It was also a nation divided along numerous fault lines, with conflicting aspirations and concerns pulling it in different directions. America’s resulting intervention in World War II marked the beginning of a new era for the United States and for the world.In The Ghost at the Feast: America and the Collapse of World Order, 1900–1941, Robert Kagan examines America’s rise to global superpower—from the Spanish–American War to World War II. Brilliant and insightful, The Ghost at the Feast shows both the perils of American withdrawal from the world and the price of international responsibility.

The Chinese Communist Party continues to persecute religious minorities and commit countless human rights abuses. Despite China’s attempts to mask its atrocities, evidence indicates that Beijing is committing mass sterilizations, separating children from their families, and forcing those who dare to practice the religion of their choice into labor camps. What are the implications of these atrocities for American national security strategy?Please join Hudson Institute Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Religious Freedom Nina Shea and Media Fellow Jeremy Hunt as they discuss this important challenge.

Please join Hudson Institute’s China Center for a speech from Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) on the importance of defending Taiwan amid increasing tension between the United States and China.