Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama

April 2023

Past Event

Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama

Past Event

Online Only

April 21, 2023

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 10: (AFP OUT) U.S. President George W. Bush (R) walks on the colonnade with U.S. President-elect Barack Obama at the White House November 10, 2008 in Washington, DC. This is the first visit for Barack Obama to the White House before he is sworn into office as President of the United States. First lady Laura Bush took soon to be first lady Michelle Obama on a tour of the White House as the President and Mr. Obama walked along the colonnade to the Oval Office where they will have a meeti

President George W. Bush walks on the colonnade with President-elect Barack Obama at the White House November 10, 2008, in Washington, DC. (Gary Fabiano-Pool/Getty Images)

April 2023

Past Event

Speakers:

Stephen J. Hadley

Author, Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama and Twentieth US National Security Advisor

Moderator:

Listen to Event Audio

Join Hudson Institute Director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East Michael Doran and Director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia Peter Rough for a discussion with the Twentieth United States National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley on his new book, Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama.

About the Book

Hand-Off offers a firsthand look at the foreign policy the Bush administration turned over to President Obama. The book includes thirty newly declassified transition memoranda made public for the first time, offering an exclusive glimpse into Bush's foreign policy legacy.

In a postscript to each memorandum, national security experts from the Bush administration take a look back at their foreign policy record after more than a dozen years out of office.

June 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

How to Transform the Japan Self-Defense Force for Twenty-First-Century Deterrence

Featured Speakers:

David Byrd

Bryan Clark

Moderator:

Masashi Murano

A member of the Philippine Navy looks out at as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Takanami during a joint maritime exercise in the South China Sea on June 14, 2025. (Getty Images)

June 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

How to Transform the Japan Self-Defense Force for Twenty-First-Century Deterrence

Join report authors Bryan Clark and David Byrd, in conversation with Masashi Murano, for a discussion of the report's principal findings and their implications for how Japan should design and resource its future defense force.

Featured Speakers:

David Byrd

Bryan Clark

Moderator:

Masashi Murano

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June 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

The Code as Witness: COVID Origins, Scientific Accountability, and Preventing the Next Pandemic

Featured Speakers:

John P. Walters

Steven Quay

Senator Roger Marshall

David Asher

June 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

The Code as Witness: COVID Origins, Scientific Accountability, and Preventing the Next Pandemic

Join Hudson as David Asher sits down with Dr. Quay for a fireside chat. Senator Roger Marshall, who has been a leading voice for stronger oversight of high-risk biological research, will open the program by framing the stakes for Congress, national security, and public health.

Featured Speakers:

John P. Walters

Steven Quay

Senator Roger Marshall

David Asher

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In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

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Featured Speakers:

Rebeccah L. Heinrichs

Brandon Williams

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In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

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Join Senior Fellow and Keystone Defense Initiative Director Dr. Rebeccah Heinrichs and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration Brandon Williams for a discussion on the administration's priorities in strengthening the US nuclear enterprise.

Featured Speakers:

Rebeccah L. Heinrichs

Brandon Williams

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June 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Advancing American Interests through Trade, Investment, and Commercial Diplomacy: A Conversation with Under Secretary of Commerce William Kimmitt

Featured Speakers:

David Feith

William Kimmitt

Joel Scanlon

June 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Advancing American Interests through Trade, Investment, and Commercial Diplomacy: A Conversation with Under Secretary of Commerce William Kimmitt

Join Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade William Kimmitt for a discussion with Senior Fellow David Feith on how the Trump administration’s trade and investment strategy is reshaping economic partnerships with allies across areas like industrial policy, digital services, and strategic competition.