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For decades, the United States has sought to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons among friends and foes alike. But this goal may be at risk. Adversaries like China, Russia, and North Korea pose an increased threat, leading US allies to question America’s security guarantees. In particular, South Korea appears to doubt the credibility of US extended deterrence. Seoul has sought to strengthen deterrence and even weighed the benefits of acquiring its own nuclear weapons. To promote nonproliferation, the United States should prioritize improving regional deterrence and assurance.
In a new policy memo, “Nonproliferation in Great Power Competition,” Keystone Defense Initiative Director Rebeccah Heinrichs and Contributor Yashar Parsie examine the arguments for and against US nonproliferation efforts and argue that nonproliferation remains a worthy goal. They will discuss the memo and its recommendations in a conversation moderated by Senior Fellow Peter Rough.
The United States Navy faces challenges across many of its shipbuilding programs. Thanks to numerous causes, some programs are years behind schedule. At the same time, China is building up its fleet and intensifying threats against US allies. The chief of naval operations and other Pentagon leaders are concerned that Beijing may be preparing to move against Taiwan in the next two years. While the US may be unable to surge production of existing ships by that time, the Navy could increase the number of available vessels by improving ship repair, accelerating new, smaller ship classes, and buying or chartering ships built by shipyards in allied countries.
Please join Hudson Senior Fellow Tim Walton for a discussion with Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition Nickolas Guertin. Following the discussion, two panels of industry experts will address further challenges and opportunities to expand the US Navy fleet.
The debate over what constitutes democratic and acceptable governance in the twenty-first century European Union continues regarding several member states, including Poland. The governing center-left Citizens Coalition, led by the Civic Platform party and Prime Minister Donald Tusk, charges the right-of-center Law and Justice party with violations against democracy, the rule of law, and media freedom. Law and Justice, led by former PM Jaroslaw Kaczynski, denies these charges and accuses the current government of excesses on the same issues.
There is more than one valid view on this nexus of issues, both regarding the period Law and Justice governed Poland (2015–23) and since Civic Coalition took office in December 2023. They are more complex and nuanced than the prevailing narratives about “democrats” and “illiberal, far-right” politicians.
Join Senior Fellow Matt Boyse and Peter Doran of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies for a discussion of their recent in-depth examination of objectivity, consistency, and politics in the debate about democracy, rule of law, media freedom, and more. Heritage Foundation’s Jim Carafano will moderate the discussion.
In The Big Steal: Ideology, Interest, and the Undoing of Intellectual Property, Professor Jonathan Barnett shows how an “accidental alliance” of tech platforms, academics, and advocacy groups weakened intellectual property (IP) protections for inventors and artists. Under the popular slogan that “information wants to be free,” many people in academia and the tech community advocated for actions by the United States Supreme Court, Congress, and antitrust agencies that eroded IP rights as digital platforms emerged in the tech and content markets. The result is a skewed innovation ecosystem that favors platform-based business models over the creative disruptors that ultimately drive the US knowledge economy. When information is free, the price paid by society can be high.
Please join Senior Fellow Adam Mossoff for a discussion with Professor Barnett about The Big Steal and what policymakers need to do to revive a healthy, growing US innovation economy that sustains America’s global tech leadership and its national security interests.
Southeast Asia is increasingly important to both Japan and the United States thanks to the region’s economic growth and proximity to key shipping lanes and geopolitical flashpoints. As such, in April 2024 the US, Japan, and the Philippines signed a trilateral agreement to expand investments and maritime security initiatives. Future US and Japanese engagement in Southeast Asia should adopt a similar approach to address growing security and economic concerns in the region.
Hudson’s Japan Chair will welcome a panel of geopolitical, security, and economic experts to address the challenges and opportunities for US-Japan cooperation with Southeast Asia. Hudson Japan Chair Kenneth R. Weinstein will moderate a panel discussion on how the new administrations in Washington and Tokyo can work to address these interrelated issues.
President Donald Trump’s post-war plan for Gaza has electrified Israel and given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a political victory. But is this what the prime minister hoped to bring home? Meanwhile, President Trump’s Middle East agenda seems to include negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. Do President Trump’s plans for Tehran dovetail with PM Netanyahu’s? Or is there hidden friction?
To explore these questions, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East Director Michael Doran will sit down with Dr. Gadi Taub.
On Friday, President Donald Trump will host Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House for the first summit of the second Trump administration. Increasing challenges in the Indo-Pacific necessitate greater economic and security cooperation between the United States and its most important ally, Japan.
Hudson will welcome Senator Bill Hagerty, who served as ambassador to Japan in the first Trump administration, for remarks on the Japan Chair’s recent report, Past Lessons and Future Action: Policies for a Successful Free and Open Indo-Pacific, and the direction of the US-Japan alliance. The senator will then join Hudson Japan Chair Kenneth R. Weinstein for a fireside chat on how President Trump and Prime Minister Ishiba can work to address shared priorities.
Petro Poroshenko became the fifth president of Ukraine in 2014, just after the Revolution of Dignity, and served until 2019, three years before Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country. After his election, many in the West learned of President Poroshenko as the chocolate king thanks to his confectionary company. But those who followed Ukraine’s post–Cold War development also knew him as a member of the Ukrainian Rada and a minister in multiple presidential administrations.
Today President Poroshenko leads the European Solidarity party in the Rada, where he serves on the Committee for Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union. President Poroshenko has said that he intends to run for president once the war is over. He has also expressed interest in running for European Parliament once Ukraine is admitted to the EU.
Join Senior Fellow Peter Rough for a fireside chat with President Poroshenko on the state of the war, the United States–Ukraine relationship, developments in Kyiv, and key issues to watch in the months ahead.
Three years into the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces remain unable to achieve major advances on the battlefield, and Moscow’s economy is increasingly weak. President Donald Trump has threatened to increase pressure on Russia if the Kremlin does not negotiate an end to the war. But President Vladimir Putin shows no interest whatsoever in doing so and continues to message maximalist goals of annexing Ukraine.
The West’s approach to the war will depend in part on its assessment of Russia’s economy. Some think Russia can devote virtually unlimited resources to its war and that Kyiv must accept Moscow’s terms. This outcome would be tantamount to a Russian victory. Others believe the Russian economy is rapidly getting weaker and that the United States and its allies should increase sanctions and improve enforcement—especially on Russian energy and steel—to force Putin to seek an end to the war. This outcome would be better for Ukraine, the United States, and the West.
Senior Fellow Matt Boyse, Ambassador James Glassman, King Mallory, and Oleksandr Kalenkov will discuss the state of Western sanctions and what additional pressure should be applied against the Kremlin to arm President Trump with greater leverage to bring an end to the war.
Join Hudson for an event to launch a new policy memo coauthored by Olivia Enos, Sophie Richardson, and Anouk Wear: “Prioritizing Human Rights in US Policy toward China: A Guide for the Next Administration.” The event will discuss the report’s findings and its recommendations for challenging the Chinese Communist Party over its deepening repression inside and outside the country. Senior Fellow Michael Sobolik will moderate the discussion.
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