01
July 2020
Past Event
Video Event | The Once and Future West: A Discussion with Peter Berkowitz and Michael Kimmage

Video Event | The Once and Future West: A Discussion with Peter Berkowitz and Michael Kimmage

Past Event
Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters
July 01, 2020
01
July 2020
Past Event

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

Speakers:
Peter Berkowitz

Director of Policy Planning, U.S. Department of State

Michael Kimmage

Professor of History, Catholic University

tod_lindberg
Tod Lindberg

Senior Fellow

**This event will premiere on this page at 12:00 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, July 1.**

Join Hudson Institute for a discussion with Michael Kimmage on his new book, The Abandonment of the West: The History of an Idea in American Foreign Policy." Hudson Senior Fellow Tod Lindberg, who recently reviewed the book in the "Wall Street Journal, will moderate the event. State Department Director of Policy Planning Peter Berkowitz will join the conversation.

Reference to “the West” as a geopolitical organizing principle and to “Western civilization” as a cultural and political heritage was once common in discussions of the United States as a leading global power and as an exemplar of government dedicated to securing the liberty and rights of Americans. The publication of William H. McNeill's "The Rise of the West" in 1963 was perhaps a high-water mark for a concept then almost unanimously promoted by American universities. It was also a time at which a powerful critique of the idea of the West and of injustice in the United States was beginning to gain a foothold. Two generations later, the critique is predominant in the universities and on the streets in a demand for “social justice.”

The principles of liberty and rights contain within themselves a basis for criticism of existing social and political practice for failure to live up to their universal promise. But are those principles strong enough to absorb and contain the criticism? In short, the West has a past—but does it have a future?

Related Events
01
August 2025
Past Event
Peru’s Strategic Moment
Featured Speakers:
Diego de la Torre
Francisco Tudela
Marc Wachtenheim
Amb. Hugo de Zela
Moderator:
Daniel Batlle
Getty Images
01
August 2025
Past Event
Peru’s Strategic Moment

Join Hudson Adjunct Fellow Daniel Batlle and a panel of leading analysts as they examine what lies ahead for Peru and whether the country can convert its economic potential into lasting security and sovereignty ahead of its 2026 elections.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Diego de la Torre
Francisco Tudela
Marc Wachtenheim
Amb. Hugo de Zela
Moderator:
Daniel Batlle
31
July 2025
Past Event
How Congress Can Rebuild US Shipbuilding and Boost Maritime Security
Featured Speakers:
Austin Gray
Capt. Christian Lee (Ret.)
Matthew Paxton
Scott Sloan
Mike Smith
Lawrence Ryder
Moderators:
Bryan Clark
Michael Roberts
DVIDS
31
July 2025
Past Event
How Congress Can Rebuild US Shipbuilding and Boost Maritime Security

Join Hudson Senior Fellows Bryan Clark and Michael Roberts for a discussion with government and industry leaders about the challenges the US Navy and Coast Guard face amid modernization efforts and how new legislation and regulation can help restore America’s maritime superiority.

DVIDS
Featured Speakers:
Austin Gray
Capt. Christian Lee (Ret.)
Matthew Paxton
Scott Sloan
Mike Smith
Lawrence Ryder
Moderators:
Bryan Clark
Michael Roberts
30
July 2025
Past Event
Gaza: Aid, Influence, and Information War
Featured Speakers:
Johnnie Moore
Michael Doran
Getty Images
30
July 2025
Past Event
Gaza: Aid, Influence, and Information War

Join Hudson Institute Senior Fellow and Director for the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East Michael Doran for a conversation with Reverend Johnnie Moore, president of the Congress of Christian Leaders and founder of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Johnnie Moore
Michael Doran
29
July 2025
Past Event
Other Approaches to the US-Canada Trade Impasse
Featured Speakers:
Hon. Ed Fast
Jamie Tronnes
Moderator:
Matthew Boyse
Getty Images
29
July 2025
Past Event
Other Approaches to the US-Canada Trade Impasse

Join Hudson Senior Fellow Matt Boyse for a discussion with former Canadian Minister for Trade and Economic Development Ed Fast, and CNAPS Executive Director Jamie Tronnes, as they explore a new path forward for US-Canada relations and what other allies can learn from the process.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Hon. Ed Fast
Jamie Tronnes
Moderator:
Matthew Boyse