Hudson Institute Events Podcast

Since the onset of Operation Epic Fury, Europe’s response has been cautious and divided, revealing real strain within the transatlantic alliance. While leaders in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Southern Europe have ruled out direct military participation—insisting this is “not our war”—others, including Spain and Greece, have declined to support U.S. operations altogether. The result is a Europe aligned with Washington’s concerns about Iran, but hesitant to fully commit.

Is this a temporary divergence, or the beginning of a deeper realignment?

To explore this question, former Czech Ambassador to Israel and national security advisor, now a nonresident senior fellow with Hudson Institute's Center on Europe and Eurasia Tomáš Pojar joins Michael Doran, Director of Hudson’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, for a timely conversation on Europe’s strategic posture, alliance cohesion, and the future of Western coordination in the region.

For over a year, the Republic of Moldova has advanced economic reforms to improve the country’s business environment and attract investment. The government prioritized deregulation and digitalized public services, while also helping businesses access finance. Key sectors, such as electrical equipment manufacturing and agriculture, received government support, and service exports, particularly in information technology, expanded rapidly. Meanwhile, Moldova is cooperating with international partners to diversify supply chains and position itself as a reliable hub for logistics, energy, and digital infrastructure. These efforts will allow the country to support regional stability and assist with Ukraine’s future reconstruction. 

Join Hudson as Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Eugen Osmochescu speaks on these and other issues.

As President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping prepare to meet in April, striking a favorable trade deal is top of mind. But trade shouldn’t be the only priority. China currently imprisons several political prisoners who are important to the United States government—including Chinese Christian Pastor Ezra Jin, Uyghur doctor Gulshan Abbas, Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai, and many others. Several of these prisoners have family members who are American citizens and want to be reunited. Ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting, Washington needs to call for the unequivocal release and safe return of political prisoners.

Join us at Hudson Institute to discuss how advocates, lawmakers, and the US government can prioritize the release of political prisoners across China.

Starting 20 years ago, the religious group Falun Gong began exposing how China harvests organs from persecuted groups. Today evidence shows that the Chinese Communist Party has harvested organs from living prisoners of conscience through a state-run system that includes the security services, military hospitals, and civilian transplant centers.

Join Nina Shea for a discussion with Jan Jekielek, author of the new book Killed to Order, about this modern atrocity. They will focus on how and why China has allowed the horror of forced organ harvesting to flourish, and what decades of rigorous research have uncovered. The conversation will also address how global supply chains and medical institutions have been complicit. Shea and Jekielek will then offer policy recommendations.

In this week’s episode of China Insider, Miles Yu reviews China’s western hemisphere influence in the context of Cuba, and the importance of Cuba to China’s global strategy. Next, Miles discusses China’s potential role in the ongoing Strait of Hormuz standoff and the impact of shipping restrictions on the Chinese economy. Finally, Miles covers the Paris summit between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng, as a prelude to the Trump-Xi summit and the possibility of renewed trade talks between the two countries.

China Insider is a weekly podcast project from Hudson Institute’s China Center, hosted by China Center Director and Senior Fellow, Dr. Miles Yu, who provides weekly news that mainstream American outlets often miss, as well as in-depth commentary and analysis on the China challenge and the free world’s future.