Virtual Event | Illicit Tobacco and the Threat to National Security: How Black Market Tobacco is Driving Organized Crime, Drugs and Terrorism

March 2021

Past Event

Virtual Event | Illicit Tobacco and the Threat to National Security: How Black Market Tobacco is Driving Organized Crime, Drugs and Terrorism

Past Event

Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters

March 29, 2021

March 2021

Past Event

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

Read Transcript

Speakers:

Gretchen Peters

Executive Director, The Center on Illicit Networks and Transnational Organized Crime (CINTOC)

Dr. Christopher Corpora

Director of Strategy & Research, IN2 Communications

Dr. Aparna Pande (Moderator)

Research Fellow and Director, Initiative on the Future of India and South Asia, Hudson Institute

Please be advised: This event will premiere LIVE on this page at 12:00 p.m. EDT, Monday, March 29.

Join Hudson Institute Research Fellow Dr. Aparna Pande and expert panelists Gretchen Peters and Dr. Christopher Corpora for a discussion on the national security threat posed by the illicit tobacco trade.

The illicit tobacco trade has been linked to organized crime, drug cartels, and terrorist networks around the world—prompting a 2017 U.S. Department of State report to label it “a threat to national security.” Both Afghanistan and Pakistan have experienced a high concentration of illicit tobacco growing, cigarette manufacturing, and trade linked to criminal and terrorist networks. What should the policy response be to this growing problem? Please join our distinguished panel for this important discussion.

March 2026

In-Person Event | Invite Only

Operation Epic Fury: Strategy, State of Play, and Theories of Victory

Featured Speakers:

Michael Doran

David Albright

Can Kasapoğlu

Rebeccah L. Heinrichs

Ray Takeyh

Nadav Samin

Ilan Berman

Zineb Riboua

H.E. Yechiel Leiter

Joel Scanlon

Mariam Memarsadeghi

March 2026

In-Person Event | Invite Only

Operation Epic Fury: Strategy, State of Play, and Theories of Victory

This conference convenes leading experts and policymakers to examine why the conflict began, assess the current state of play, and explore competing theories of victory.

Featured Speakers:

Michael Doran

David Albright

Can Kasapoğlu

Rebeccah L. Heinrichs

Ray Takeyh

Nadav Samin

Ilan Berman

Zineb Riboua

H.E. Yechiel Leiter

Joel Scanlon

Mariam Memarsadeghi

Learn More

March 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Operation Epic Fury and the Future of Warfare: A Conversation with Senator Joni Ernst

Featured Speakers:

Peter Rough

Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

John P. Walters

March 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Operation Epic Fury and the Future of Warfare: A Conversation with Senator Joni Ernst

Please Join Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Armed Services Committees, for a discussion with Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia Peter Rough on Operation Epic Fury, the future of American foreign policy in the Middle East, and how the conflict is shaping the future of warfare and strategy.

Featured Speakers:

Peter Rough

Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

John P. Walters

Learn More

March 2026

In-Person Event | Invite Only

Postponed | Updating US Trade Policy: A Discussion on the Strategic and Economic Importance of Central Asia with Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA)

Featured Speakers:

Michael Doran

Congressman Jimmy Panetta

March 2026

In-Person Event | Invite Only

Postponed | Updating US Trade Policy: A Discussion on the Strategic and Economic Importance of Central Asia with Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA)

Please Join Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Senior Fellow Michael Doran for a discussion on the region’s significance and why updating US trade policy is key to unlocking its potential in an era of renewed great power competition.

Featured Speakers:

Michael Doran

Congressman Jimmy Panetta

Learn More

March 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and U.S. Strategy

Featured Speakers:

Michael Doran

Congressman Michael Baumgartner

March 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Congressman Michael Baumgartner on Operation Epic Fury and U.S. Strategy

Together, Baumgartner and Doran will examine the objectives and risks of Operation Epic Fury, the broader regional implications, and the policy choices facing Washington in the weeks ahead.