Hudson Institute Events Podcast

Not too long ago, Georgia was one of the United States’ most dependable strategic partners in the Black Sea region. Its commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration, substantial contributions to US-led missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and cooperation on counterterrorism and energy transit made Georgia central to Washington’s regional strategy.

Today, however, Georgia is moving in a different direction. Led by the Georgian Dream party, the government has become more authoritarian while aligning more closely with US adversaries, particularly the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the aftermath of Operation Epic Fury, growing ties between Tbilisi and Tehran should be of particular concern to US policymakers. This activity directly threatens US national security interests in the South Caucasus, undermines Western influence, and strengthens a regime committed to exporting the ideology of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

As US adversaries escalate their investment in information warfare, the global contest for ideas has become a primary theater of great-power competition. Countering this challenge demands a public diplomacy strategy built for the speed, scale, and sophistication of the modern information environment.

Please join the Hudson Institute for a conversation with Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah B. Rogers and Hudson Research Fellow Zineb Riboua on how the United States is adapting its public diplomacy tools to advance its interests abroad, counter censorship, promote free speech, and leverage artificial intelligence to deliver more effective, targeted messaging. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee, will give opening remarks and introduce Under Secretary Rogers.

The American media landscape is undergoing rapid change. New technologies, shifting audience habits, and growing political polarization are reshaping how information is delivered, consumed, debated, and trusted. Journalists and commentators continually face renewed pressure to adapt to an increasingly fragmented environment.  

Join Hudson Institute Distinguished Fellow Mike Gallagher for a fireside chat with radio host and commentator Hugh Hewitt, whose career in media and politics has spanned more than four decades. The two will discuss Hewitt’s tenure in Washington and the evolution of the American media landscape.

Many formal climate change organizations operating in Western countries spend significant resources and policy time promoting broader anti-West narratives. While proclaiming themselves as champions of the environment, many function in practice as tools for America’s adversaries — above all the Chinese Communist Party. By coopting the climate agenda, Beijing works to weaken energy security in the West and raise productions costs, while their own country moves full steam ahead with cheaper and more reliable energy.

Furthermore, climate organizations promoting anti-Western ideas and policies erode domestic cohesion, undermine energy independence, and weaken the United States diplomatically and economically. Some of the most radical have even called for eradication of the State of Israel.

To examine this emerging challenge, Senior Fellow Dr. Michael Doran will convene a conversation with Research Fellow Zineb Riboua, Professor Brenda Shaffer—Research Faculty Member at the US Naval Postgraduate School and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council—and Sam Cooper, an award-winning investigative journalist focusing on China-Canada relations.

Together, they will explore how climate-linked institutions intersect with geopolitical competition with China and what this means for North American strategy moving forward.

Taiwan stands at the center of intensifying strategic competition between the United States and China—a flashpoint where uneasy peace could give way to global crisis. Xi Jinping has made “reunification” a defining goal, while longstanding deterrence strategies are being tested by rapid shifts in military, economic, and technological capabilities. Beijing is increasingly pursuing methods of coercion designed to isolate and pressure Taiwan without triggering open conflict, raising urgent questions about how to preserve stability in the region.

In Defending Taiwan, Eyck Freymann offers a comprehensive strategy to deter war and sustain peace. Drawing on Chinese-language sources, military analysis, and historical insight, Freymann argues that deterrence must extend beyond traditional military power. It requires a coordinated approach that integrates economic leverage, technological leadership, and diplomatic alliances. With Jason Hsu, Freymann will discuss how the United States and its partners can adapt to China’s evolving strategy and develop a coherent plan to prevent conflict while safeguarding Taiwan’s future.