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The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s Fab 20, which specializes in the production of 2-nanometer advanced chips, in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on March 28, 2026. (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.
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Please join Hudson Institute for a fireside chat between Hudson Senior Fellow Nadia Schadlow and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Industrial Base Growth and Director of the Office of Small Business Programs James Mismash.
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Please join Hudson Institute Senior Fellows Bryan Clark and Dan Patt for a conversation with Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael about the Department of War’s efforts to bring AI to the battlefield and implement an innovation strategy that makes the most of America’s commercial and government research sectors.
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US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet in the Oval Office at the White House on February 13, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
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President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping tour Zhongnanhai Garden on May 15, 2026, in Beijing, China. (Getty Images)
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(Screenshot via Fox News)
