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More Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than in any other country in the world. On October 31, 2025, President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a country of particular concern under the International Religious Freedom Act for having “engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom.”
Hudson Institute and the Ben Franklin Fellowship host a two-panel discussion examining United States policy as it confronts the crisis of terror in Nigeria. The event features Senior Fellows Matt Boyse, Joshua Meservey and Nina Shea, as well as Greg Simpkins, former staff director of the US House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa.
The first panel covers the current state of play in Nigeria, including the upcoming 2027 national elections and possible considerations for US policymakers. The second panel analyzes policies to address militia attacks that freely target Christians.
Japan’s politics underwent a historic realignment last year when the Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai) joined the Liberal Democratic Party in a governing coalition. As Japan confronts an increasingly difficult regional security environment, Ishin is now positioned to play an important role in shaping the country’s defense policy and the future direction of the United States–Japan alliance.
Following the publication of Ishin’s new security policy paper, Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Riley Walters hosts Hitoshi Aoyagi, member of Japan’s House of Representatives and chair of Ishin’s Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as Alex Saito, member of the House of Representatives and chair of Ishin’s Policy Research Council, for a discussion about Japan’s evolving national security and defense outlook.
The conversation examines Ishin’s defense priorities, the party’s influence within the governing coalition, and the forthcoming revision of Japan’s national security documents.
In Twenty Times I Almost Died, available August 18, 2026, John Spencer recounts experiences spanning combat tours in Iraq, research trips through modern war zones, and more. He reveals important information that helps explain the changing character of warfare and its implications for strategists. Beyond providing lessons for the battlefield, Spencer offers guidance on personal growth and leadership, advising readers on how to live with purpose.
Please join Hudson Institute for a fireside chat with Senior Fellow and Keystone Defense Initiative Director Rebeccah Heinrichs and John Spencer, chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point and co-director of the Urban Warfare Project. Major John Spencer (Ret.) and Dr. Heinrichs will discuss Twenty Times I Almost Died and how it can inform US defense policymakers as they navigate the evolving challenges and opportunities of contemporary warfare.
Six months after the opening salvos of Operation Epic Fury, America and the Islamic Republic of Iran remain at loggerheads over the future of Tehran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz. Unresolved conflicts linger in Yemen, Lebanon, and Gaza. Meanwhile, a Unites States-brokered deal between Jerusalem and Beirut, as well as Washington’s engagement with leaders in Syria and Iraq, offer glimmers of hope. The Iranian regime’s shocking attacks on its Persian Gulf neighbors in recent months have raised profound questions about future security arrangements in the region.
Join Hudson Institute Senior Fellows Michael Doran and Ludovic Hood, Research Fellow Zineb Riboua, and Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, for a timely discussion about the conflicts in the region and America’s strategic and diplomatic paths forward.
To request an RSVP, please reach out to Natalie Arbatman at narbatman@hudson.org.
In July 2026, President Donald Trump granted Ukraine a license to coproduce Patriot interceptors and declared that the ceasefire in Iran was over as Tehran retaliated against US allies in the Gulf. At the same time, Moscow and Beijing completed joint naval drills off Qingdao, China, home to a major People's Liberation Army naval fleet. And on July 6, China test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile from the South China Sea to the Pacific Ocean.
These developments are interconnected. As Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea continue to coordinate, America’s strategic responses in Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific will determine whether deterrence holds. How can America respond to threats on multiple fronts, and is its defense industrial base equipped to sustain the effort?
Join Senior Fellow Dr. Rebeccah Heinrichs and Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) for a fireside discussion on how Congress can guide American strategy, the need to modernize the defense industrial base, and the vital role of allies and partners in an unstable international environment.
As the Chinese Communist Party intensifies its campaign of political, economic, and military pressure against Taiwan, the island's government and civil society have moved to strengthen national resilience on multiple fronts.
Please join Hudson Institute’s China Center as Miles Yu hosts a panel with key members of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan and the Democratic Progressive Party to examine Taiwan’s mobilization efforts against the CCP’s increasing threats.
The discussion will address Taiwan's ability to counter disinformation and cognitive warfare, strengthen supply chain and economic security, and build public awareness of gray zone tactics. The panel will also address how Taiwan engages with international partners to reinforce democratic resilience in the face of sustained external pressure.
A New Look at US Communications Law is a timely book that explores the evolution of communications law in response to new technologies. It analyzes nearly every major topic of contemporary communications law, including the public interest, common carriage, wireless communications, privacy, and the First Amendment.
Join Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Robert McDowell for a discussion of the book and communications law with the authors, Harold Furchtgott-Roth, Kirk Arner, and Arielle Roth.
As Minister Noach Hacker concludes his tenure as Israel's Minister of Economic Affairs in Washington, Hudson Institute's Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East invites you to join a farewell fireside chat with Senior Fellow Michael Doran. Minister Hacker has been a key advocate for deepening the US–Israel economic relationship, overseeing landmark cooperation in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and defense technology. The conversation will trace the arc of that partnership, from its foundations in joint research and development and trade to its acceleration in the wake of October 7, 2023, and the war with Iran. As the region enters a new strategic phase, Hudson is honored to host Minister Hacker for what promises to be a candid farewell discussion.
The 2026 North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Ankara, Turkey, provided significant deliverables: a €70 billion pledge of military assistance for Ukraine, President Donald Trump's announcement that Kyiv would be licensed to manufacture Patriot air defense systems, and a declaration reaffirming allied commitment to The Hague defense spending targets.
But questions remain over America's evolving role in the alliance and broader European security architecture.
Please join Senior Fellow Dr. Rebeccah Heinrichs and Representative Mike Turner (R-OH) to discuss the summit following his return from Ankara, where he served as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation.
Few countries in central and eastern Europe have as much influence in the Balkans as Austria.
For centuries, Austria has forged deep personal connections with the region. The imperial legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is visible in the architecture of Zagreb and Sarajevo, and during the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s, refugees fled into the heart of the Alps. More recently, Vienna has been to the Balkans what Miami is to Latin America: a gateway facilitating trade and movement. Among Balkan hands in the United States, Vienna’s Schwechat airport is familiar terrain.
While the US has supported programs that promote economic connectivity in the region, like the Three Seas Initiative (3SI), Austria plays a unique role in the Balkans through such areas as financial services. Moreover, Austrian officials like Valentin Inzko have shaped diplomacy in the Balkans, while the Austrian Bundesheer has deployed to the region as part of the Common Security and Defence Policy and other missions. Today, officials in Austria and elsewhere are discussing how the Western Balkans can be brought into the European Union.
Join Senior Fellow Peter Rough as he welcomes Claudia Bauer, minister for Europe, Integration, and Family in the Federal Chancellery of Austria, for a policy address followed by a fireside chat on how Austria sees EU enlargement in the Western Balkans.
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