2021 saw an increasingly aggressive China and Russia. Emboldened by America’s capitulation to the Taliban, these adversaries are testing the U.S.-led, post-war security system. Will it erupt into open conflict in 2022? Is the Biden administration prepared to defend the security of partners like Ukraine and Taiwan? Read Hudson’s top five must-read 2021 items on these pressing threats. This is the final installment of the newsletter for this year. We look forward to returning to your inboxes in January 2022.

China's Economy is Slowly Falling Apart

A worker cleans up the signage of a bank storefront on October 19, 2020 in Shanghai, China. (Getty Images)

China is experiencing a slow-motion economic crisis that could erode the stability of the current regime and have serious negative consequences for the global economy, writes Senior Fellow Thomas Duesterberg in The Wall Street Journal. The hopes that China’s integration into the global market would transform it into a responsible stakeholder have foundered on the reality of China’s increasingly mercantilist economic policies, its aggressive expansion of political power, and the resurgent dominance of state-owned enterprises. For an in-depth look at this challenge and recommendations for U.S. policymakers, read Duesterberg’s latest Hudson Institute report, “Economic Cracks in the Great Wall of China: Is China’s Current Economic Model Sustainable?”

Deter Russia by Arming NATO Allies

Servicemen conduct a land operation on the Oleshky Sands military training ground close to Crimea as part of the Sea Breeze 2021 maritime exercise held by NATO and its partner nations from June 28 through July 10. (Getty Images)

The U.S.-led security system, which has protected Europe for more than 70 years, appears to be tottering in the face of Russian saber-rattling on the Ukrainian border. The U.S. must act urgently to protect states on the front line and restore deterrence in Europe, Senior Fellow William Schneider writes in The Wall Street Journal. The failure to stand firm against Russian aggression could have disastrous consequences that reverberate far beyond Ukraine and undermine core American interests.

A Just Response to Beijing's COVID-19 Abuses

Soldiers of the People's Liberation Army's Honour Guard Battalion wear protective masks as they stand at attention in front of a photo of Xi Jinping at their barracks outside the Forbidden City, near Tiananmen Square, on May 20, 2020 in Beijing, China. (Getty Images)

Despite offers of assistance, polite diplomatic entreaties, and demands for access to data by governments and health authorities across the globe, the Chinese government continues to block investigations into the origin of COVID-19, and has escaped accountability for its role in this devastating pandemic. In a policy memo released earlier this year, Hudson’s David Asher, Miles Yu, and Thomas DiNanno and David Feith and Matthew Zweig propose a path forward for the U.S. to get to the bottom of this important question, punish malicious actors, and prevent future pandemics.

President Biden, Don't Trade Away Missile Defense with the Russians

Russian Federation Navy Missile Cruiser Varyag transits toward the Golden Gate Bridge on Friday, June 25, 2010. (DVIDS)

President Biden has opposed U.S. missile defense throughout his career, and now that he is president, he could trade our defenses in a deal with the Russians. This would be a dangerous mistake, argue Senior Fellow Rebeccah L. Heinrichs and Lieutenant General Henry "Trey" Obering III in The Dallas Morning News. The growing threats and increasing uncertainty about our adversaries’ intent and doctrines make the strength and credibility of U.S. nuclear deterrence and defense even more critical. Instead of trading away our missile defense, the president should invest in new technologies to protect the United States in this uncertain environment.

History Repeats Itself in China's Reeducation Camps

Ablikim and Ayshem Turkel hold Nury Turkel in 1971, shortly after Nury and his mother were released from a Chinese "reeducation camp." (Courtesy of Nury Turkel)

Forced labor programs have existed in communist China throughout its history, and are being deployed with new virulence with the ongoing enslavement of the Uyghurs in western China. In an essay for CNN, Senior Fellow Nury Turkel reflects on his early life in a Chinese reeducation camp, the indifference of the international community to the Uyghur genocide, and the steps that the U.S. and democratic allies must take to alleviate the suffering of the Uyghur people.

BEFORE YOU GO...

Hudson founders Herman Kahn and Max Singer pictured during the Institute's early years. 

Hudson Institute celebrated its 60th anniversary this year, marking more than half a century of policy research dedicated to keeping America and its allies secure, free, and prosperous. Founded in 1961, Hudson was established to foster a better understanding of deterrence in the atomic age and create the conditions for the free world to triumph over communism. Founder Herman Kahn’s groundbreaking book “Thinking About the Unthinkable” urged policymakers to plan for nuclear war to prevent it from occurring, an approach that has informed Hudson’s decades-long tradition of unconventional thinking. Watch our anniversary video and read key excerpts from "Thinking About the Unthinkable" to learn more.