When Abiy Ahmed unexpectedly became Ethiopia’s prime minister in April 2018, he rapidly unleashed a wave of liberal political and economic reforms and shocked the world by making peace with longtime foe Eritrea. This earned him international adoration that culminated in the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. Just a year later, however, Africa’s second largest state descended into a horrific civil war that left hundreds of thousands dead and tarnished Abiy’s reformist image. Though his regime nearly collapsed during the war, Abiy ultimately emerged victorious and now rules over a country that is at once internally unstable and regionally ambitious.The Economist’s Africa correspondent, Tom Gardner, joins Hudson Research Fellow James Barnett to discuss Gardner’s new book, The Abiy Project: God, Power and War in the New Ethiopia, and Ethiopia’s future in the volatile and strategically vital Red Sea region.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies, is developing 6G specifications through the International Mobile Telecommunications 2030 (IMT-2030) program, aiming to release them by 2030. This program, introduced in the 6G framework document, outlines the vision, timelines, and candidate technologies for next generation telecommunications.IMT-2030 aims to connect humans, machines, and software to enable various applications and services. The framework promises immersive experiences for humans through advanced human-machine interfaces like extended reality (XR) displays, haptic sensors, and multisensory interfaces. Machines are expected to become intelligent, autonomous, and precise as they benefit from advancements in machine perception and interaction and artificial intelligence management.In this vision, advanced sensors and AI facilitate seamless interaction between humans and machines in the physical and digital worlds. IMT-2030 integrates sensing and AI capabilities into communication, serving as a fundamental infrastructure for emerging user and application trends. The program also supports diverse use cases, including direct voice communication.Moreover, IMT-2030 technology is anticipated to promote economic growth, societal change, digital equality, and ubiquitous connectivity while also enhancing security and resilience.In a Hudson event, Professor Kiran Kuchi of the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad will discuss technology trends, network evolution, AI-driven devices for 6G, and the integration and interoperability of terrestrial and non-terrestrial systems.

In an era of rising geopolitical instability, energy is an increasingly valuable tool to promote peace and economic stability as authoritarian regimes seek to undermine freedom and the United States–led world order.Join Hudson Institute for a two-part event on how the US can effectively wield its natural resources to achieve energy independence and aid its allies.

The war in Ukraine offers numerous lessons regarding the future of military operations. One of the most important—and most underreported—is the value of adaptation. Ukrainian troops, previously on the offensive thanks to Western precision weapons, are now on the defensive as their rockets and bombs miss targets due to Russian electronic warfare. In the Black Sea, Ukraine’s early naval losses suggested Russian dominance. But lethal new naval drones have restored Ukraine’s access to the open ocean and constrained Russia’s fleet to its own coastline.  The United States and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization militaries will likely face a similar challenge in future confrontations against Russia, China, or their proxies. Merely stockpiling today’s weapons or expanding their production capacity could lock in obsolescence against technologically sophisticated sophisticated opponents. US and allied militaries will need an industrial base that can both modify today’s weapons or combat systems and produce them in volume—then be prepared to repeat the cycle in response to enemy countermeasures. Join Hudson and the Apex Conference Series for a three-part event discussing the challenges and opportunities facing Western militaries and defense industries as they attempt to achieve relevant capability at scale.Agenda12:00 p.m. | Remarks and Fireside ChatRob Wittman, United States Representative, First District of VirginiaModeratorsBryan Clark, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, Hudson InstituteDan Patt, Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, Hudson Institute12:45 p.m. | Lunch1:15 p.m. | Panel 1: The DoD’s Efforts to Achieve Relevant Capability at ScaleAditi Kumar, Deputy Director, Strategy, Policy, National Security Partnerships, Defense Innovation UnitLt. Gen. Robert M. Collins, Principal Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and TechnologyMitch Skiles, Senior Vice President, Army Programs, Palantir TechnologiesAndy Green, Executive Vice President and President of Mission Technologies Division, HIIModeratorNadia Schadlow, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute2:15 p.m. | Panel 2: Industry’s Efforts to Develop New Approaches to Adapt and Scale Joe Laurenti, Chief Executive Officer, Ursa MajorMichael Brasseur, Chief Strategy Officer, SaabMichael Hiatt, Chief Engineer, EpirusJosh Martin, Vice President for Government Relations, Varda IndustriesModeratorsBryan Clark, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, Hudson InstituteDan Patt, Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, Hudson Institute3:00 p.m. | Reception

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.