Mike Pompeo Joins Hudson

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news briefing at the State Department February 25, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Hudson Institute announced today that former U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo has joined Hudson as a distinguished fellow. “Secretary Pompeo’s exemplary record of public service and his commitment to the values underpinning our mission makes this an exciting opportunity for collaboration,” said Sarah May Stern, chair of Hudson Institute’s Board of Trustees. As Secretary of State, Pompeo successfully led U.S. foreign policy in confronting a range geopolitical challenges, including religious freedom, human rights and the threats posed by authoritarian powers such as China, North Korea, Russia and Iran. Secretary Pompeo is the 2019 recipient of Hudson Institute's Herman Kahn Award.  

Hudson Welcomes Back Elaine Chao

The Honorable Elaine L. Chao, the 18th U.S. Secretary of Transportation and 24th U. S. Secretary of Labor, has rejoined Hudson as a distinguished fellow. Secretary Chao will lead a public policy program focus on labor, transportation policy, and economic leadership. “At a time when the U.S. economy has come under unprecedented strain as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said John Walters, president and CEO of Hudson Institute, “Secretary Chao’s perspective will help drive important policy conversations and further enhance Hudson’s scholarship on a host of cutting-edge issues.”

Biden's Opening Salvo on Beijing

An F/A-18F lands on the flight deck of the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) while conducting operations in the South China Sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Codie L. Soule)

The Biden administration is a week old, but its most consequential foreign-policy decisions may already be behind it, writes Walter Russell Mead in the Wall Street Journal. President Biden has thrown down a gauntlet that Beijing is unlikely to ignore, with policy decisions that are remarkably assertive for a peacetime administration early in its term. In addition to issuing a formal invitation to Taiwan’s top Washington representative to attend the inauguration, Biden's team has pledged to continue arms sales to Taiwan and indicated that it wants to delay high-level U.S.-China talks until it consults with close allies.

The Endangered Semiconductor Chip

A worker presents a domestically developed chip during China International Semiconductor Expo on October 14, 2020 in Shanghai, China. (Long Wei/VCG via Getty Images)

America is at risk of losing its advantage in technological innovation, writes Nadia Schadlow and Anthony Vinci in RealClear Policy. The only US-based company that both designs and manufactures semiconductor chips domestically, Intel, is at risk after a slate of manufacturing issues. Hyper-optimization of industries for financial returns has its place, but for industries critical to national security, the U.S. must prioritize resiliency by protecting the national security innovation base.

Pakistan's Mainstream Jihadis

 Masked youth hold ISIS, Lashkar-e-Taiba flags and posters of Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah and former ISI Chief Hamid during a 2015 protest in Srinagar, India. (Abid Bhat/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

The alliance between Pakistan’s military and conservative religious groups has produced a government-approved concept of jihad that allows radical Islamist parties to thrive, writes Aparna Pande and Vinay Kaura in the Central European Journal of International and Security Studies. Due to the centrality of Islam in Pakistan’s national identity, secular leaders and groups find it extremely difficult to create a national consensus against groups that describe themselves as soldiers of Islam. Without the de-radicalization of jihadis, efforts to “mainstream” them through the electoral process have major implications for Pakistan’s political system and regional peace prospects.

BEFORE YOU GO...

Join us today at 9am ET for a conversation with Ambassador John Campbell, the former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, and Hudson Research Fellow James Barnett. Nigeria is projected to have the third-largest population in the world by the end of the century, yet Western media coverage remains intermittent and simplistic. Ambassador Campbell and Barnett will go beyond the headlines to discuss contemporary Nigerian politics, the challenges of post-colonial state-building, and the future of U.S.-Nigeria relations.