Hudson Institute Events Podcast

Supply chains have been central to the second Trump administration’s foreign and national security policy platforms. As global security deteriorates, policymakers need to act quickly to ensure American manufacturers can access materials that are vital for national defense and economic resilience.

At the heart of this effort is the United States government’s drive, in collaboration with private industry, to develop domestic critical mineral supply chains. China’s near monopoly on critical mineral processing gives Beijing the ability to influence trade negotiations and exercise economic coercion. Through these unfair trade practices, China seeks to further weaken America’s vital industries and security interests.

Join Distinguished Fellow Mike Gallagher and Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA) for a discussion on the congressman’s recently introduced Securing Essential and Critical US Resources and Elements (SECURE Minerals) Actand Congress’s role in securing America’s economic security.

The end of Nicolás Maduro’s rule marked a historic turning point for Venezuela. But transitions do not secure themselves. Authoritarian systems often attempt to survive through controlled reform and partial concessions.

Venezuela’s interim authorities have introduced initial measures, including an amnesty law and economic adjustments. Yet a genuine democratic transition requires structural guarantees: the full release of political prisoners, the dismantling of repression, the reopening of civic space, the safe return of political exiles, and the establishment of a new, independent electoral authority capable of organizing free and fair general elections.

Please join Leopoldo López, who will outline the strategic roadmap for consolidating democratic change and explain why sustained clarity, leverage, and principled leadership from the United States remain essential to preventing backsliding and securing a stable, sovereign, and democratic Venezuela.

More than three years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has sought to offset Western sanctions and isolation by deepening ties with China and expanding relationships with partners such as North Korea and Iran. Beijing, meanwhile, views cooperation with Russia as a strategic asset in its competition with the United States and its allies across Europe and the Indo-Pacific. Though the Sino-Russian partnership is asymmetric, increasingly coordinated military, energy, economic, and information cooperation is reshaping the security environment.

Hudson will host an event featuring representatives from the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) and the Alliance Futures Initiative (TAFI) to assess the scope and implications of Sino-Russian cooperation across military and nonmilitary domains, examine shared and diverging threat perceptions, and discuss how these trends should inform national and collective defense planning. The discussion will also identify practical policy options for allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, including closer coordination between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Indo-Pacific security frameworks.

Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East will host Sir Liam Fox for a conversation on the evolving geopolitical landscape in the Middle East. Drawing on his experience as the United Kingdom’s secretary of state for defense and international trade and his leadership in advancing regional normalization efforts, Sir Liam will offer insights into the future of regional security, the strategic implications of the Abraham Accords, and the expanding diplomatic and economic ties between Morocco and Israel. The discussion will also explore how trade, diplomacy, and strategic cooperation can shape a more stable and integrated Middle East.

Africa’s most populous country unexpectedly found itself in President Donald Trump’s sights this past autumn. The president designated Nigeria a country of particular concern for alleged religious freedom violations and warned of possible United States military intervention to protect Nigerian Christians.

But what appeared to be a tense diplomatic standoff quickly led to discussions of a new security partnership that has so far seen a US airstrike on jihadists and now the deployment of US military trainers to Nigeria.

Will this security cooperation be the new normal for US-Nigeria relations, or will Trump escalate his diplomatic and economic pressure? If cooperation continues, what risks will US and Nigerian policymakers need to navigate? And will this partnership help ordinary Nigerians?

Join Hudson for a panel discussion on these questions and more.