Michael Sobolik

Senior Fellow

Michael Sobolik Hudson Institute

At A Glance:

Michael Sobolik is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute.

Biography

Michael Sobolik is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. He specializes in United States–China relations and great power competition with a focus on geopolitics, net assessments, and competitive strategies. He is the author of Countering China’s Great Game: A Strategy for American Dominance (Naval Institute Press, 2024). He is also an advisory board member at the Vandenberg Coalition and a contributing editor at Providence: A Journal of Christianity and American Foreign Policy.

Prior to joining Hudson, Mr. Sobolik served as a senior fellow in Indo-Pacific studies at the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, DC, where he ran the council’s Indo-Pacific Security Program. He previously served in the United States Senate as a legislative assistant to Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX).

Mr. Sobolik has offered testimony several times before Congress, including before the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the House Natural Resources Committee. His commentary has appeared in The New York TimesThe Wall Street JournalThe Washington PostBloomberg, Reuters, Foreign PolicyWired, and The Free Press, among others. He has also appeared on Fox News, ABC, BBC, and other outlets.

Mr. Sobolik earned a master of international affairs from the Bush School of Government and Public Service and a bachelor of science in political science at Texas A&M University. He lives with his wife and son in Alexandria, Virginia.

Events
12
December 2025
In-Person Event | Invite Only
Antisemitism as a National Security Threat
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Bernard Haykel
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Can Kasapoğlu
Liel Leibovitz
Michael Sobolik
Getty Images
12
December 2025
In-Person Event | Invite Only
Antisemitism as a National Security Threat

Hudson’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East will convene policymakers, experts, and private sector leaders to examine how antisemitism, both foreign and domestic, threatens American security and Western civilization.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Bernard Haykel
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Can Kasapoğlu
Liel Leibovitz
Michael Sobolik
19
November 2025
In-Person Event | Invite Only
America’s AI Challenge: Strategic Imperatives
Featured Speakers:
Kirsten Asdal
Tarun Chhabra
Matt Cronin
Bill Drexel
Jimmy Goodrich
Sam Hammond
Divyansh Kaushik
Paul Lekas
Jack Mallery
Lorenz Meier
Shyam Sankar
Lior Susan
Patrick Wilson
Moderators:
Patrick M. Cronin
Jason Hsu
Michael Sobolik
Timothy A. Walton
(Getty Images)
19
November 2025
In-Person Event | Invite Only
America’s AI Challenge: Strategic Imperatives

This conference will bring together experts, policymakers, and representatives from leading firms to discuss the intersection of AI, strategic policy, and national security.

(Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Kirsten Asdal
Tarun Chhabra
Matt Cronin
Bill Drexel
Jimmy Goodrich
Sam Hammond
Divyansh Kaushik
Paul Lekas
Jack Mallery
Lorenz Meier
Shyam Sankar
Lior Susan
Patrick Wilson
Moderators:
Patrick M. Cronin
Jason Hsu
Michael Sobolik
Timothy A. Walton
05
November 2025
Past Event
The Limits of Autonomy: How Beijing Exploits Hong Kong’s Special Status
Featured Speakers:
Thomas Benson
Joey Siu
John Dotson
Thomas Kellogg
Moderator:
Michael Sobolik
Getty Images
05
November 2025
Past Event
The Limits of Autonomy: How Beijing Exploits Hong Kong’s Special Status

Join Senior Fellow Michael Sobolik and an expert panel for a discussion about a new report from Hong Kong Watch on the state of Hong Kong and how US policymakers can close the loopholes Beijing exploits.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Thomas Benson
Joey Siu
John Dotson
Thomas Kellogg
Moderator:
Michael Sobolik
30
September 2025
Past Event
The Politics of Purges: How Hu Yaobang’s Story Explains China’s Power Struggles
Featured Speakers:
Robert Suettinger
Piero Tozzi
Moderator:
Michael Sobolik
Getty Images
30
September 2025
Past Event
The Politics of Purges: How Hu Yaobang’s Story Explains China’s Power Struggles

Experts will discuss what Hu’s experiences and legacy can teach policymakers about contemporary CCP power struggles, purges, and the ongoing tension between reformist impulses and the pursuit of stability under Xi Jinping.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Robert Suettinger
Piero Tozzi
Moderator:
Michael Sobolik