1776: American Independence and The Wealth of Nations

July 2026

Past Event

1776: American Independence and The Wealth of Nations

Past Event

Online Only

July 02, 2026

A 300-foot-wide by 150-foot-tall American flag is suspended across the Hoover Dam on June 30, 2026. (Getty Images)

July 2026

Past Event

Speakers:

Luke Coffey

Senior Fellow, Center on Europe and Eurasia

Rt. Hon. Sir Liam Fox

Former British Secretary of State for International Trade

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, it is a good time to reflect on the enduring significance of the year 1776—not only as the year of the Declaration of Independence, but also as the year Adam Smith published The Wealth of Nations. Together, these two milestones helped shape the political and economic foundations of the modern world’s most productive economy.

But anniversaries should invite honest assessment as well as celebration. This speech will examine three warnings facing the United States today: unsustainable fiscal debt, a cultural drift away from contribution and toward self-definition, and weakening confidence in institutions. It will also consider what renewal requires: restoring fiscal discipline, making competence and contribution fashionable again, modernizing capitalism for the age of artificial intelligence, and rebuilding civic cohesion.

Join Hudson Institute as the former British defence secretary and international trade secretary, the Right Honourable Sir Liam Fox, delivers a keynote address on this important issue.

September 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Colombia Recalibrates: Security, Stability, and the US Alliance

Featured Speakers:

Marcela Prieto Botero

Evan Ellis

Sergio Guzmán

Antonio Garrastazu

Daniel Batlle

September 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Colombia Recalibrates: Security, Stability, and the US Alliance

Join Hudson Institute for a panel that will examine how far de la Espriella can advance economic and security reforms without a legislative majority and how his approach will shape Colombia’s relations with the United States.

Featured Speakers:

Marcela Prieto Botero

Evan Ellis

Sergio Guzmán

Antonio Garrastazu

Daniel Batlle

Learn More

September 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Tablet Magazine’s What Really Matters: A Live Episode at Hudson Institute

Featured Speakers:

Walter Russell Mead

Jeremy Stern

September 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Tablet Magazine’s What Really Matters: A Live Episode at Hudson Institute

Join Hudson Institute and Tablet Magazine for an exclusive live recording of What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead. Mead, the Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship, and his cohost Jeremy Stern, editor in chief of Colossus, will bring their wide-ranging perspectives to help make sense of the news and understand the most consequential developments in American politics and world affairs.

Featured Speakers:

Walter Russell Mead

Jeremy Stern

Learn More

September 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Inertial Confinement Fusion Bolsters Strategic Deterrence

Featured Speakers:

Mark Herrmann

Keith LeChien

Rebeccah L. Heinrichs

Madelyn Creedon

September 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Inertial Confinement Fusion Bolsters Strategic Deterrence

Join Hudson Institute’s Keystone Defense Initiative for a discussion of Inertial Confinement Fusion Is Key to America’s Nuclear Deterrent, a new memo authored by Senior Fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs and Former Principal Deputy Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration Madelyn Creedon.