21
February 2017
Past Event
Grand Strategy In The Age of Trump

Grand Strategy In The Age of Trump

Past Event
Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters
February 21, 2017
President-elect Donald Trump during a rally at the DeltaPlex Arena, December 9, 2016 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Caption
President-elect Donald Trump during a rally at the DeltaPlex Arena, December 9, 2016 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
21
February 2017
Past Event

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004

Speakers:
walter_russell_mead
Walter Russell Mead

Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship

Eliot Cohen

Robert E. Osgood Professor of Strategic Studies, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and Author, The Big Stick: The Limits of Soft Power and the Necessity of Military Force

Default Expert Image
Charles Edel

Australia Chair and Senior Adviser, CSIS

Hal Brands

Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies

Grand Strategy is the idea that there is a collection of diplomatic, military, and economic policies that deliberately seek to advance the state's interest abroad. Does the United States have a Grand Strategy in foreign affairs? With or without a Grand Strategy, how should Washington use the tools at its disposal to pursue American interests? In his new book, The Big Stick: The Limits of Soft Power and the Necessity of Military Force, former State Department official Eliot Cohen expresses skepticism about the cohesive nature of America’s guiding foreign policy principles. Dr. Cohen nevertheless argues that United States foreign policy requires a credible threat—and the occasional use of military force—to be effective.

On Tuesday, February 21, Dr. Cohen joined Hudson Institute Distinguished Scholar Walter Russell Mead for a conversation about Grand Strategy and President Trump with Hal Brands and Charles Edel.

Related Events
14
September 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
Somaliland as a Strategic Partner in the Horn of Africa
Featured Speakers:
Joshua Meservey
President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi ("Irro")
Somaliland President
14
September 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
Somaliland as a Strategic Partner in the Horn of Africa

In his first visit to the United States since winning the presidency in November 2024, Somaliland President Abdirahman “Irro” Mohamed Abdullahi will deliver a keynote speech at Hudson Institute followed by a fireside chat with Senior Fellow Joshua Meservey.
 

Somaliland President
Featured Speakers:
Joshua Meservey
President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi ("Irro")
15
September 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
Contested Lebanon: Israel, Iran, and US Strategy in a Fractured State
Featured Speakers:
Ludovic Hood
Hagar Chemali
Joel Rayburn
Hussain Abdul Hussain
Rubio
15
September 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
Contested Lebanon: Israel, Iran, and US Strategy in a Fractured State

Experts from leading Washington think tanks will come together to discuss the prospects for stability in Lebanon and for future Israeli-Lebanese relations.

Rubio
Featured Speakers:
Ludovic Hood
Hagar Chemali
Joel Rayburn
Hussain Abdul Hussain
15
September 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Senator Pete Ricketts on the Next Phase of Competition with China
Featured Speakers:
Joel Scanlon
Pete Ricketts
Ricketts
15
September 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Senator Pete Ricketts on the Next Phase of Competition with China

Join Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, for a discussion on the state of the United States–China relationship and Congress’s role in the competition.  

Ricketts
Featured Speakers:
Joel Scanlon
Pete Ricketts
16
September 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Transatlantic Watchtower: Iceland’s Role in Great Power Competition
Featured Speakers:
Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir
Daniel Kochis
a
16
September 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Transatlantic Watchtower: Iceland’s Role in Great Power Competition

Join us for an in-depth conversation with Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir, member of the Icelandic Parliament and leader of the Independence Party, on great power dynamics, Iceland’s role in transatlantic security, and bilateral cooperation.

a
Featured Speakers:
Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir
Daniel Kochis