Caption
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping enter the hall during a signing ceremony on May 20, 2026, in Beijing, China. (Getty Images)
Caption
Alain Berset, secretary general of the Council of Europe, speaking in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo on April 28, 2026. (Getty Images)
The Council of Europe is the oldest intergovernmental organization devoted to human rights in Europe. With 46 member states and nearly 700 million citizens, it has built a vast legal framework on human rights and democracy and has developed hundreds of conventions, treaties, and agreements since its founding in 1949.
In the aftermath of the Cold War, for example, the council supported Eastern European countries as they overhauled their legal systems. Today, it has made Ukraine its top priority and has sought to hold Russia accountable for its violations of human rights.
Perhaps because the United States is not a member state—it enjoys observer status—the Council of Europe is not well known in Washington. Worse, it is sometimes mistaken for the European Union’s European Council.
Join Secretary General Alain Berset as he explains the Council of Europe’s role today and its future plans. After his remarks, he will sit down with Senior Fellow Peter Rough for a fireside chat.
Related Events
21
October 2026
Past Event
A Discussion with US Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder
Featured Speakers:
Honorable Andrew Puzder
Harold Furchtgott-Roth
21
October 2026
Past Event
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 | Hudson Institute
A Moral Case for Zionism: A Book Launch with Casey Babb
Featured Speakers:
Casey Babb
Zineb Riboua
21
October 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
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 lives.
Featured Speakers:
Casey Babb
Zineb Riboua
22
October 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
Decision Time in Jerusalem: Inside Israel’s Election
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Ludovic Hood
David Wurmser
David Makovsky
22
October 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
Decision Time in Jerusalem: Inside Israel’s Election
Join Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Ludovic Hood for a panel with David Wurmser of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs; David Makovsky of the Washington Institute; and Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, Michael Doran, as they discuss the state of the race and potential paths forward for the United States–Israel relationship.
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Ludovic Hood
David Wurmser
David Makovsky
Related Research
Caption
Migrants attempt to swim from Morocco to Ceuta, Spain, on July 30, 2026. (Getty Images)
Caption
President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron on February 24, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
Caption
This photograph shows a Dassault Rafale aircraft parked on the tarmac of the French Air and Space Force Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur Airbase in Saint-Sauveur, France, on March 18, 2025. (Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images)
