Stay ConnectedFounded in 1961 by strategist Herman Kahn, Hudson Institute challenges conventional thinking and helps manage strategic transitions through interdisciplinary studies in defense, international relations, economics, energy, technology, culture, and law.
Hudson seeks to guide policymakers and global leaders in government and business through a robust program of publications, conferences, policy briefings, and recommendations.
Copyright: © Copyright Hudson Institute 2025
Ecuador, once among the most peaceful countries in Latin America, faces an existential threat from an array of criminal groups. These organizations have committed unprecedented violence, infiltrated political structures, and challenged the government’s authority. Meanwhile, the country is going through an economic contraction and an energy crisis triggered by severe drought.
In a repeat of snap presidential elections held in 2023, Ecuadorians will vote on April 13 in a runoff pitting incumbent Daniel Noboa against Luisa Gonzalez, a protégé of former leftist president Rafael Correa.
Former United States Ambassador to Ecuador Mike Fitzpatrick, Atlantic Council scholar Isabel Chiriboga, and US Naval Academy Professor John Polga-Hecimovich will join Hudson’s Daniel Batlle to examine Ecuador’s fight against organized crime and how the election results will shape the country’s security strategy.
When President Donald Trump hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February, the two leaders committed to doubling bilateral trade, deepening their defense partnership, and furthering their cooperation in critical technologies. With shared democratic principles and deeply rooted people-to-people ties, the United States and India are committed to advancing global prosperity and security in the twenty-first century.
Please join Hudson’s Dr. Aparna Pande and Dr. Ashley Tellis, Tata Chair on Strategic Affairs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, for a conversation on US-India relations under the second Trump administration and the road ahead.
This event is part of the Motwani Jadeja US-India Dialogue Series funded by the Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation.
The West’s attempted transition away from fossil fuels has given its adversaries an advantage. China dominates much of the green energy sector, and Russia continues to fund its war against Ukraine with oil and natural gas profits. Meanwhile, Iran has capitalized on this shift by using its oil revenues to bolster its regional influence, fund proxy militias, and strengthen ties with both Russia and China. The Trump administration has begun to reverse the energy policies that created this dangerous paradigm, but the United States will need the cooperation of its allies and partners—particularly in the Middle East—to regain its status as an energy superpower and weaken the Russia-China-Iran axis.
Dr. Brenda Shaffer, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and senior advisor for energy at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, will join Hudson’s Zineb Riboua to discuss the geopolitical implications of rising global energy competition, particularly for the Middle East.
As Iran’s regime tightens its grip at home, it is also strengthening its anti-Western alliance with China and Russia. But with President Donald Trump back in the White House, Tehran will likely face maximum pressure sanctions and increased strikes on its proxies. With simmering domestic unrest and escalating regional tensions, where does Iran go from here?
Join Zineb Riboua, research fellow and program manager at Hudson’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, for a conversation with Mariam Memarsadeghi, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and Dr. Ladan Boroumand, cofounder of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center. They will examine Iran’s resistance movement and shifting political landscape to identify the implications for regional stability.
The Sahel is quickly becoming an important battleground in a high-stakes geopolitical contest—and Russia is making bold moves. From military entanglements to economic footholds and disinformation campaigns, Moscow’s expanding influence is upending old alliances and forcing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Western governments to rethink their strategies.
Join Research Fellow Zineb Riboua as she interviews Mali-based expert Ulf Laessing, director of the Regional Sahel Program at the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, for a discussion on the shifting power dynamics in the Sahel.
Since Venezuela’s July 28, 2024, presidential election, which opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia won decisively, Nicolás Maduro’s regime has defied the will of the people and intensified its campaign of repression and terror. Over 1,600 political prisoners remain behind bars, while opposition leaders have been forced into hiding or exile. Despite international condemnation, Maduro had himself inaugurated for a third term in January.
Under Maduro, Venezuela has transformed into a criminal hub, facilitating illicit activities that threaten regional stability. Although the regime released six American citizens in February, Maduro’s Venezuela continues to deepen its strategic alliances with rogue states like Iran, posing a growing threat to the security of the United States.
Join Adjunct Fellow Daniel Batlle and the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, María Corina Machado, for a discussion on the implications of Maduro’s dictatorship for Venezuela and the United States.
The past two weeks of United States–European relations have seen a flurry of activity, beginning with the visit of a US delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, to the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris and the Munich Security Conference.
As the Trump administration lays out its next steps, join Hudson for an event with Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice president of the European Commission. She will join Senior Fellow Peter Rough for a fireside chat on the war in Ukraine, EU relations with the new US government, and the future of the transatlantic alliance.
Kallas is one of Europe’s most clear-eyed leaders, a reputation she earned while serving as prime minister of Estonia from 2021 until 2024. Kallas distinguished herself as a key partner of Ukraine and a dedicated ally of the United States. She is off to a running start in the European Commission, putting forward ideas for how Europe can support Ukraine going forward.
Major General Joseph Kunkel, the Air Force’s director for force design, integration, and wargaming, will discuss why the Air Force needs to rapidly evolve its capabilities and how it can generate, in the near-term and beyond, combat-effective, agile, and adaptive airpower at scale.
Major General Kunkel will join Hudson Institute Senior Fellows Dan Patt and Timothy A. Walton for a fireside chat. Major General Kunkel will then take questions from the audience.
The Chinese Communist Party’s economic warfare has granted it tremendous influence in American society, industry, and even government. Never was this more apparent than during the COVID-19 pandemic, when those who questioned the CCP’s conduct around the virus—and potential role in creating it—faced accusations of hysteria, xenophobia, and fearmongering.
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) was one such voice. In his new book Seven Things You Can’t Say about China, he examines how the CCP threatens Americans—from its unprecedented military buildup to its role in the fentanyl trade—and how China uses its influence in media, academia, Wall Street, and Washington to silence critics.
Senator Cotton will join Hudson President and CEO John Walters to discuss the senator’s new book and why Communist China is America’s most dangerous enemy.
Israel faces mounting challenges on multiple fronts in an increasingly complex security environment. The Trump administration’s postwar plan for Gaza has sparked debate over Israel’s long-term strategy, while instability in Syria continues to threaten regional security. Meanwhile, Washington’s evolving approach to the Middle East raises key questions about the future of the United States’ relations with Israel and the region more broadly.
Hudson Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East Director Michael Doran will sit down with Member of the Israeli Knesset Amit Halevi for a conversation on these issues.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
