Kleptocracy Initiative

Hudson’s Kleptocracy Initiative (KI) examines the growing threat posed to Western democracies by autocratic regimes. The Achilles’ heel of today’s autocracies is they are politically structured as kleptocracies, creating the potential to expose the massive and often hidden financial mechanisms used to shelter misappropriated assets. Today’s unchecked autocracies/kleptocracies are demonstrating contempt for international law, resulting in territorial expansionism and cyber attacks that seriously threaten US national security.

KI conducts original research on the financial practices of autocratic governments and their leaders, and works to design new and effective policies aimed at limiting the ability of hostile foreign actors to abscond with national assets and use those assets against both their own citizens and the United States and its allies. KI promotes its work through in-depth research, daily news updates, frequent briefings for policymakers and journalists in the U.S. and overseas, and on this webpage, which features a broad array of resources for policy professionals in and out of government—and for the public-at-large:

• A library of books and articles, and a database of primary documents
• Text, podcasts, and video associated with KI’s policy studies, meetings, and conferences
• Links to other organizations working on related issues