Caption
Migrants storm a barbed-wire fence as they attempt to cross the land border with Spain's African enclave of Ceuta near Fnideq in northern Morocco on September 15, 2024. (Getty Images)
In coordination with Iran, Russia has been steadily building up its position inside of Syria. President Vladimir Putin has sent combat planes, ships, technicians, engineers, marines, and special forces units. Although American policymakers have suggested that the Russians are there to fight the Islamic State, Moscow has made its intentions clear—they are there to defend Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. And by building an air force base and expanding its current naval facility at Tartus, Putin’s larger purpose appears to challenge the United States as the Middle East's power broker.
How will Russia’s incursion into Syria shape the ongoing conflict? How will it affect the three American allies on Syria’s borders, Israel, Jordan, and Turkey? Does Putin’s increasingly assertive behavior signal the erosion of American influence in the Middle East? If so, how would the next White House change course?
On September 29th, Hudson Institute hosted a timely discussion of these issues with an expert panel moderated by Lee Smith and featuring Michael Doran, Hannah Thoburn, and Tony Badran.
Related Events
20
October 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Army and Congress: A Conversation with Chief Legislative Liaison Jimmy Byrn
Featured Speakers:
Jeremy Hunt
Jimmy Byrn
20
October 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Army and Congress: A Conversation with Chief Legislative Liaison Jimmy Byrn
The United States Congress will have a full defense agenda in the months ahead, with the National Defense Authorization Act, the reconciliation package, and a supplemental funding request on the docket. Join Hudson Institute for a conversation with Fellow Jeremy Hunt and Jimmy Byrn, the US Army’s chief legislative liaison and the service’s lead on Capitol Hill, on what this legislation could mean for the Army and how his office maintains its relationship with Congress.
Featured Speakers:
Jeremy Hunt
Jimmy Byrn
21
October 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
A Discussion with US Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder
Featured Speakers:
Honorable Andrew Puzder
Harold Furchtgott-Roth
21
October 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
A Discussion with US Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder
Join Hudson Institute for a conversation with US Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder and Senior Fellow Harold Furchtgott-Roth on America’s interests in reducing the harmful effects of CS3D and CSRD.
Featured Speakers:
Honorable Andrew Puzder
Harold Furchtgott-Roth
21
October 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Dragon in the Americas: China’s Power, Presence, and Regional Influence
Featured Speakers:
Leland Lazarus
Daniel Batlle
21
October 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Dragon in the Americas: China’s Power, Presence, and Regional Influence
Join Hudson Institute for a conversation with Lazarus, founder of Lazarus Consulting and former speechwriter to the Commander of the US Southern Command.
Featured Speakers:
Leland Lazarus
Daniel Batlle
21
October 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
A Moral Case for Zionism: A Book Launch with Casey Babb
Featured Speakers:
Casey Babb
Zineb Riboua
21
October 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
A Moral Case for Zionism: A Book Launch with Casey Babb
Join Hudson Institute for a conversation with the author on the eve of the book’s release. Babb, Director of The Promised Land Project at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and an associate fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, will discuss the book’s central argument and the practical ways Jews and non-Jews alike can embrace Zionist ideas in their own lives.
Featured Speakers:
Casey Babb
Zineb Riboua
Related Research
Caption
A truck drives through the Alataw Pass Comprehensive Bonded Zone in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Located in the Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture of Bortala in Xinjiang, the Alataw Pass borders Kazakhstan. (Getty Images)
Caption
(Screenshot via YouTube)
Caption
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a joint press conference with Iceland's prime minister at the House of Collections in Reykjavik on October 6, 2026. (Getty Images)
