As United States military ships set sail to the Gaza coast, many questions remain unanswered about President Joe Biden’s plan to construct a floating pier to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians. The Department of Defense is expected to deploy over 1,000 service members to support the project. But how will the Pentagon ensure their safety? How will the aid be delivered in a combat zone? Join Foundation for Defense of Democracies Senior Advisor Richard Goldberg and Hudson Media Fellow Jeremy ...
Apr 15, 2024•36 min•Ep. 545
Senior Fellow Harold Furchtgott-Roth will introduce a discussion with Senior Fellow Jonathan Ward on his book The Decisive Decade: American Grand Strategy for Triumph over China . They will cover how the US can outcompete China on the world stage economically, diplomatically, militarily, and ideologically. Then, David Feith, former US deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Roslyn Layton, founder of China Tech Threat, will respond and highlight critical challe...
Apr 15, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 544
Although Belarus gained independence in 1991 when the Soviet Union broke up, it has been the crown jewel of Russia’s sphere of influence for three decades since. Domestically, Belarus remains firmly in the grip of its authoritarian ruler, Alexander Lukashenko, who has maintained power since 1994 through brutal repression and a series of unfree and unfair elections. Nevertheless, Belarusian civil society has a strong identity and a tradition of peaceful protest in support of freedom and democracy...
Apr 15, 2024•46 min•Ep. 547
Join Hudson Senior Fellow Brigham McCown for a conversation with Paul H. Tice about the trend of sustainable investing. They will discuss how environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors affect corporate decisions and government policy in the energy sector. Tice spent 40 years on Wall Street working for some of the energy industry’s most recognizable firms. He is also the author of The Race to Zero: How ESG Investing Will Crater the Global Financial System .
Apr 12, 2024•42 min•Ep. 543
In January, Taiwan held another successful democratic election. Prior to the election, however, the People’s Republic of China attempted to influence the results by spreading lies on social media about the candidates, the candidates’ political parties, and Taiwanese domestic issues. But the PRC’s political interests aren’t limited to Taiwan. According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the PRC, through social media sites like TikTok, attempted to influence the 2022 United St...
Apr 10, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 543
The developing world is mired in its worst debt crisis in a generation, with 60 percent of countries facing debt distress according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In the post-COVID world, the United States and its traditional allies have not been able to muster the political capital to institute long-term solutions for these developing nations as their debt-ridden economies deteriorate. China has become the largest source of development assistance but is reluctant to work with multila...
Apr 08, 2024•56 min•Ep. 541
On the eve of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s state visit to the United States on April 10, Hudson Institute will hold a half-day conference to examine the benefits of the deep and expanding US-Japan economic relationship. The event will focus on the importance of economic security and reliable supply chains; Japan’s significant and longstanding foreign direct investment across the US; and the potential benefits that an enriched US-Japan partnership offers to American workers and allied ...
Apr 05, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 542
Mike Pence, the forty-eighth vice president of the United States, will give an address on the importance of the US-Israel relationship. Then, he will sit down for a fireside chat with Hudson Japan Chair Ken Weinstein.
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 542
The recently released United States defense budget suggests that the US military is reaching its capability and capacity limits. The US force—which consists almost entirely of crewed multimission ships, aircraft, and vehicles—is too expensive to grow within realistic fiscal constraints but too small to meet America’s growing national security needs. To fund next-generation crewed platforms and sustain those already in the force, the Pentagon now must retire more ships and aircraft each year than...
Mar 26, 2024•59 min•Ep. 542
To compete with the People’s Republic of China, Republicans need to reach a strong foreign policy consensus that bridges party divides. In We Win, They Lose: Republican Foreign Policy and the New Cold War , Mathew Kroenig and Dan Negrea argue that such a consensus, based on a fusion of Donald Trump’s and Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies, is within reach. Kroenig and Negrea will join Senior Fellow and Keystone Defense Initiative Director Rebeccah Heinrichs to discuss the path forward for policyma...
Mar 20, 2024•30 min•Ep. 539
The People’s Republic of China is ratcheting up tensions in the Taiwan Strait following William Lai’s election as president of Taiwan. In this critical moment, Representative Young Kim (R-CA) joins Hudson for a discussion with Japan Chair Ken Weinstein to analyze the array of threats China poses to the United States and its allies in the Indo-Pacific. The discussion will highlight the dynamics of strategic competition between the US and China, assess Congress’s efforts to hold the PRC accountabl...
Mar 19, 2024•35 min•Ep. 539
Modern economies cannot operate without reliable communications, and the worldwide demand for greater connectivity and information will only continue to increase. Communications security is therefore vital to both economic security and national security. The United States and Japan need to work together to deliver a shared vision for diverse and resilient communications infrastructure for future generations through undersea cables, satellites, digital services, or other means. The fourteenth US-...
Mar 18, 2024•59 min•Ep. 538
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.
Mar 18, 2024•53 min•Ep. 538
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.
Mar 14, 2024•55 min•Ep. 537
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 coalitio...
Mar 12, 2024•54 min•Ep. 536
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 ...
Mar 08, 2024•50 min•Ep. 535
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.
Mar 08, 2024•47 min•Ep. 535
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 ab...
Mar 07, 2024•57 min•Ep. 534
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 inc...
Mar 05, 2024•58 min•Ep. 533
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 Co...
Mar 05, 2024•24 min•Ep. 532
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’...
Mar 05, 2024•2 hr 37 min•Ep. 533
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 ...
Feb 21, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 531
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 ...
Feb 20, 2024•47 min•Ep. 530
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 ...
Feb 13, 2024•52 min•Ep. 529
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...
Feb 13, 2024•46 min•Ep. 528
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 Min...
Feb 13, 2024•57 min•Ep. 527
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.
Feb 13, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 526
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 t...
Feb 13, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 525
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 Puti...
Feb 02, 2024•53 min•Ep. 524
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....
Feb 02, 2024•28 min•Ep. 523
