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For years, the Middle East has been one of the most volatile regions in the world. And United States foreign policy toward the region often changes drastically with each administration.
Today, a fundamentally new regional order is emerging. A weakened Iran has attempted to exercise strategic leverage over one of the world’s most critical waterways. Russian influence continues to recede, underscored by Bashar al-Assad’s fall in Syria, and Beijing seeks to project its influence wherever it can. Meanwhile, the US government continues to prioritize the deepening of security and economic partnerships across the Middle East, and with partners once thought to be adversaries.
America’s role during this transformational period is more crucial than ever, but the US faces heightened scrutiny at home and abroad. Policymakers need to assess the current strategic environment to chart a path forward for US foreign policy in the Middle East under dramatically altered political, economic, and security dynamics.
Join Representative Mike Lawler (NY-17), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, for a conversation with Senior Fellow Joel Rayburn on the emerging Middle East security order and the future of American strategy in the region.
The Chinese Communist Party’s infiltration, transnational repression, and legal warfare are no longer security challenges limited to Taiwan or the Indo-Pacific. They now increasingly threaten the United States’ national security and the resilience of democratic institutions. Taiwan stands on the front line of authoritarian influence operations and has seen firsthand how they can gradually erode democratic systems before conduct clearly crosses the threshold for criminal prosecution. So Taiwan is both a target of CCP pressure and an early warning system for the democratic world. Its experience can help the US and its allies better defend democracy and understand how authoritarian infiltration evolves.
Join Hudson Institute’s China Center as Miles Yu hosts a panel examining Taiwan’s experience in handling national security cases, foreign interference, technology theft, election influence, proxy networks, and gray-zone legal warfare. The discussion will explore how authoritarian influence exploits democratic openness, social trust, local networks, and legal ambiguity.
Japan has emerged as a central pillar of Indo-Pacific security, playing an increasingly important role in strengthening deterrence, supporting regional stability, and deepening cooperation with the United States and other democratic partners.
Join Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Jason Hsu for a conversation with the Hon. Shigeru Kitamura, former secretary general of Japan's National Security Secretariat and former director of Cabinet Intelligence. As one of Japan's foremost national security leaders and a close adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Kitamura helped shape Japan's modern national security strategy and economic security architecture.
The discussion will examine Japan's evolving security posture in the Indo-Pacific, the future of the US-Japan alliance, economic security resilience, and the strategic implications for the US-China relationship, Taiwan, and the broader region.
Join us for an exclusive luncheon conversation with Dina Kallay, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for International, Policy, and Appellate at the United States Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division.
Moderated by Hudson Senior Fellow Urska Petrovcic, the discussion will explore how antitrust, technology standards, and intellectual property shape innovation and competition in critical sectors. Kallay will also analyze what recent policy developments mean for American leadership in an increasingly competitive global landscape.
For the first time in its history, Kyrgyzstan will serve on the United Nations Security Council—winning a non-permanent seat for the 2027–28 term in a vote at the UN General Assembly. It is only the second time a Central Asian nation has held this position, after Kazakhstan in 2017–18.
The election reflects a broader shift in how the international community understands Central Asia’s place in global affairs. Long treated as a peripheral region, the Eurasian heartland is increasingly central to questions of connectivity and the future of the international order.
Ambassador Edil Baisalov, Kyrgyzstan’s newly appointed envoy to the United States and former deputy prime minister, joins Senior Fellow Ken Moriyasu for a conversation about why Kyrgyzstan sought this seat, how it campaigned, and what it hopes to accomplish. What does Kyrgyzstan’s election signal about Central Asia’s rising profile—and what does a small, landlocked nation bring to one of the world’s most consequential tables?
From surveillance-capable applications to data-harvesting platforms, foreign adversaries—particularly the Chinese Communist Party—are exploiting technology to access American data at an unprecedented scale. This information can give adversaries decisive strategic advantages and give foreign competitors an unfair footing over American businesses in global markets.
Ensuring that American businesses do not rely on foreign technology is both a privacy issue and a national security imperative. Policymakers should reform incentive structures to make national security profitable for American businesses.
Join Representative Nathaniel Moran (TX-01) for a fireside discussion with Senior Fellow Jason Hsu to discuss the congressman’s bill, H.R. 7509, the Deterring Adversarial Access to Americans’ Data Act, and Congress’s role in facilitating public-private understanding in an era of great power competition.
As technology, supply chain resilience, and economic security become increasingly central to United States foreign policy and national security, trade and investment policy has taken on a leading role in advancing American interests abroad. Critical minerals, energy, artificial intelligence, and other strategic sectors have emerged as key areas for collaboration with allies and partners as Washington works to align markets, guard against adversarial manipulation, and leverage economic gains to create national security advantages.
Join Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade William Kimmitt for a discussion with Executive Vice President Joel Scanlon on how the Trump administration’s trade and investment strategy is reshaping economic partnerships with allies across areas like industrial policy, digital services, and strategic competition.
For the first time, the United States is preparing to deter two nuclear adversaries, Russia and China. In today's post-New START environment, US adversaries remain committed to weakening American resolve and undermining Washington’s commitment to its allies.
China is engaging in a historic expansion of its nuclear forces and has diversified its delivery systems across land, sea, and air. According to US Department of War estimates, China could possess up to 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035.
Despite the costs associated with President Vladimir Putin’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia has continued to devote significant resources to modernizing its nuclear program.
Join Senior Fellow and Keystone Defense Initiative Director Dr. Rebeccah Heinrichs and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration Brandon Williams for a discussion on the administration's priorities in strengthening the US nuclear enterprise.
Hudson Institute is pleased to host the 2026 annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture. Established in 2000 as a joint activity of the Czech and Slovak Embassies, the American Friends of the Czech Republic, and Friends of Slovakia to commemorate the Velvet Revolution, the choice of speaker and topic alternates annually between the Czech and Slovak groups. Click here for a list of all previous lectures.
This year’s speaker is H.E. Andrej Droba, Slovak ambassador to the United States, in one of his first major addresses since assuming his position in November 2025. In his lecture, "America250 and Slovak–US Relations," Ambassador Droba will celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence and reflect on the enduring partnership between Slovakia and the United States as he looks for opportunities to increase transatlantic cooperation.
The lecture will be followed by a fireside chat with Matt Boyse, senior fellow, Center on Europe and Eurasia.
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