Hudson Institute, the Observer Research Foundation, and the Office of the Gyalwang Drukpa hosted a half-day conference on Friday, May 8th at the Peninsula Hotel in New York. The Future of the Himalayas conference aimed to provoke discussion about the area’s strategic, ecological, and cultural importance, as well as the critical challenges confronting the Himalayan region today.
The 1500-mile extension of the Himalayan mountain range occupies a critical geostrategic location traversing India, Bhutan, China, Nepal, and Pakistan. The Himalayas are a significant source of defense, agriculture, energy, and tourism for the nations they occupy. Yet the region faces a number of security challenges including the disputed India-China border, the question of Tibet, and the illicit use of the border by drug and arms traffickers, insurgent groups, and terrorists.
The remote geography of the Himalayas contributes to the region’s inadequate infrastructure, poor connectivity, shortage of industries, and lack of a viable service sector. These factors in turn have led to economic, environmental, and sociocultural problems. Various indigenous languages, cultures, and lifestyles are under threat from external influences and ideas, as in the case of Tibet. Further, rising unemployment, declining economic investment, and a high rate of emigration from the region have worsened the situation.
Join Hudson Institute Senior Fellows Michael Doran and Ludovic Hood, Research Fellow Zineb Riboua, and Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, for a timely discussion about the conflicts in the region and America’s strategic and diplomatic paths forward.
Join Hudson Institute for a discussion with Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson and Senior Fellow Harold Furchtgott-Roth.
Join Senior Fellow Michael Doran for a candid conversation with H.E. Narek Mkrtchyan, ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the United States of America, as they discuss the developments, challenges, and opportunities defining the US-Armenia relationship.
Please join Hudson Institute’s China Center as Miles Yu hosts a panel with key members of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan and the Democratic Progressive Party to examine Taiwan’s mobilization efforts against the CCP’s increasing threats.
