2022 Lectures
Professor John Hsieh presented his observations and expertise on China and Taiwan relations amid the Russian war in Ukraine
USC alumni Will Brown shared his experience in being part of the SIRIUS 21 mission that took place in Moscow during Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Attorney Tamta Muradashvili told her story of fighting for media freedom and human rights again the rising power of oligarchs and authoritarian politicans.
2021 Lectures
Title: What is Attractive and What is Not? Countries' Battle for Soft Power in the Cyberspace
Speaker: Judit Trunkos, Faculty Associate, Walker Institute of International and Area Studies
Date: December 2nd, 2021
Time: 12:30pm
Note: This online event is free and open to the public. The Walker Institute will send out a Zoom link to the RSVP list two days before the event. Please double check your email address before submitting this form.
Title: The Making of a Cold War Journalist: Marvin Kalb's 'Long Letter Home After an Unforgettable Personal Adventure'
Speaker: Marvin Kalb, a non-resident senior fellow with the Foreign Policy Program at Brookings
Date: May 5th 2021
Time: 12:30pm
Note: This online event is free and open to the public. The Walker Institute will send out a Zoom link to the RSVP list two days before the event. Please double check your email address before submitting this form.
Title: Covid Crisis from an International Perspective: Competing Models, Scars and Silver Linings
Speaker: Michel Gerebtzoff, Consulate General of Belgium in Atlanta
Date: April 7th, 2021
Time: 12:30pm
Title: Understanding the Conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean
Speaker: Dr. Ali Demiridas, Contributor to National Interest and other news media.
Date: March 3rd, 2021
Time: 12:30pm
Note: This online event is free and open to the public. The Walker Institute will send out a Zoom link to the RSVP list two days before the event. Please double check your email address before submitting this form.
Title: US Intelligence in the Information Age: Are we prepared for the next fight?
Speaker: Major General Christopher Ballard, U.S. Army Retired, Greenville SC
Date: Wednesday, February 3rd, 2021
Time: 12:30pm
Note: This is a free event and we will meet online. The Walker Institute will send out a link to the RSVP list two days before the event. Please double check your email address before submitting this form.
2020 Lectures
Wednesday – Dec. 2, 2020 - 12:30 --- 1:30pm
Title: “US-Venezuela relations: How we got here and where we are going”
Speaker: Ambassador Jimmy Story Venezuela Affairs Unit, Bogota, Colombia
This is a free event.
Wednesday – Nov. 4, 2020 - 12:30 --- 1:30pm
Title: “The Rise and Challenges of Authoritarian Populism In Europe And The U.S.”
Speaker: Dr. David Sirakov, Director of the Atlantic Academy Rheinland-Pfalz
This is a free event.
Must RSVP by Monday, 11/2/2020 before (11:45pm)
*RSVP: https://walkerinstitute.wufoo.com/forms/r1i3r1ix0atrtd4/
Sponsored by: This year we are co-sponsoring the virtual session of the Palmetto Forum with the Columbia World Affairs Council
Location: The Walker Institute will send out a Zoom link to the RSVP list.
For more information: Please check website, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or call (803) 777-8180
Wednesday – March 4, 2020 - 12:30 --- 1:30pm
Title: “Putin’s “2024 Problem””
Speaker: Dr. Gordon Smith, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Political Science, University of South Carolina
Cost and Payment Information: We have two payment options: check and online, cash will not be accepted
Must RSVP by Sunday, 3/1/2020 before (11:45pm)
By check: https://walkerinstitute.wufoo.com/forms/qxelsug1bppp2j/
Sponsored by: The Walker Institute and The Palmetto Forum is made possible in part by generous support from South State Wealth.
Location: The Palmetto Club, 1231 Sumter Street
For more information: Please check our website, like us on Facebook, or call (803) 777-8180
Cancellation Policy:
If you have reserved your spot for this event and cannot attend, please call our office
(803) 777-8180 to cancel your reservation no later than 2 days prior to the event.
Reservations that are not canceled will be billed.
Wednesday – February 5, 2020 - 12:30 --- 1:30pm
Title: “From Mine to Market: Diamonds and 19th-Century Transatlantic Trade”
Speaker: Dr. Saskia Coenen Snyder, Associate Professor of History, University of South Carolina
Cost and Payment Information: We have two payment options: check and online, cash will not be accepted
Must RSVP by Sunday, 2/3/2020 before (11:45pm)
*By check at https://walkerinstitute.wufoo.com/forms/q1eibf30981lka/
*Online payment(credit card) at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/palmetto-forum-february-2020-tickets-89646399795 (This is a non-refundable purchase)
Sponsored by: The Walker Institute and The Palmetto Forum is made possible in part by generous support from South State Wealth.
Location: The Palmetto Club, 1231 Sumter Street
For more information: Please check our website, like us on Facebook, or call (803) 777-8180
Cancellation Policy:
If you have reserved your spot for this event and cannot attend, please call our office (803) 777-8180 to cancel your reservation no later than 2 days prior to the event. Reservations that are not canceled will be billed.
2019 Lectures
Wednesday – December 4, 2019 - 12:30 --- 1:30pm
Title: “Breaking Down the Breakdown of Democracy in Venezuela”
Speaker: Dr. Matthew Wilson, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of South Carolina
Cost and Payment Information: We have two payment options: check and online, cash will not be accepted
Must RSVP by Sunday, 12/1/2019 before (11:45pm)
*Pay By using the form at: https://walkerinstitute.wufoo.com/forms/qhkcrwu188kh9q/
Sponsored by: The Walker Institute and The Palmetto Forum is made possible in part by generous support from South State Wealth.
Location: The Palmetto Club, 1231 Sumter Street
For more information: Please check our website, like us on Facebook, or call (803) 777-8180
Cancellation Policy:
If you have reserved your spot for this event and cannot attend, please call our office (803) 777-8180 to cancel your reservation no later than 2 days prior to the event. Reservations that are not canceled will be billed.
Audience: Open to all of USC and general public
Attire: Business/Professional
Wednesday – November 6, 2019 - 12:30 --- 1:30pm
Title: “Democracy building after authoritarianism - THE CHALLEGES TO LIBERAL DEMOCRACY
IN POLAND (and Eastern Europe) 30 years after the 1989 reFolution”
Speaker: Dr. Bohdan Szklarski, Visiting Professor of Political Science, University of South Carolina
Cost and Payment Information:
Checks must be made payable to Walker Institute, no cash will be accepted
*Payments at the Door, by check only
*Payments in Advance, pre-paid online, non-refundable purchase
Sponsored by: The Walker Institute and The Palmetto Forum is made possible in part by generous support from South State Wealth.
Location: The Palmetto Club, 1231 Sumter Street
For more information: Please check our website, like us on Facebook, or call (803) 777-8180
Cancellation Policy:
If you have reserved your spot for this event and cannot attend, please call our office (803) 777-8180 to cancel your reservation no later than 2 days prior to the event. Reservations that are not canceled will be billed.
Audience: Open to all of USC and general public
Attire: Business/Professional
Title: “The Middle East after the Israeli elections”
Speaker: Dr. Josef Olmert, Adjunct Professor of Political Science, University of South Carolina
Sponsored by: The Walker Institute and The Palmetto Forum is made possible in part by generous support from South State Wealth.
Location: The Palmetto Club, 1231 Sumter Street
Cost and Payment Information:
Checks must be made payable to Walker Institute, no cash will be accepted
*Payments at the Door, by check only
Must RSVP by Sunday, 9/29/2019 before (11:45pm)
*Payments in Advance, pre-paid online, non-refundable purchase
For more information: Please check our website, like us on Facebook, or call (803) 777-8180
Cancellation Policy:
If you have reserved your spot for this event and cannot attend, please call our office (803) 777-8180 to cancel your reservation no later than 2 days prior to the event. Reservations that are not canceled will be billed.
Audience: Open to all of USC and general public
Attire: Business/Professional
Wednesday – May 1, 2019 - 12:30 --- 1:30pm
Title: “The Cosmology of Brexit”
Speaker: Dr. Robert Cox, Director, Walker Institute of International and Area Studies, Professor of Political Science, University of South Carolina
Sponsored by:The Walker Institute and The Palmetto Forum is made possible in part by generous support from South State Wealth.
Location: The Palmetto Club, 1231 Sumter Street
Cost and Payment Information:
Checks must be made payable to Walker Institute, no cash will be accepted
*Payments at the Door, by check only
Must RSVP by Sunday, 4/28/2019before (11:45pm)
*Payments in Advance, pre-paid online, non-refundable purchase
Must RSVP and pre-pay by Sunday, 4/28/2019before (11:45pm)
For more information: Please check our website, like us on Facebook, or call (803) 777-8180
Cancellation Policy:
If you have reserved your spot for this event and cannot attend, please call our office (803) 777-8180 to cancel your reservation no later than 2 days prior to the event. Reservations that are not canceled will be billed.
Audience: Open to all of USC and general public
Attire: Business/Professional
![Flyer Download [pdf]](/study/colleges_schools/artsandsciences/walker_institute/images/coxp.jpg){kind=link}
Wednesday – April 3, 2019 - 12:30 --- 1:30pm
Title: “Avoiding Day Zero – Perspectives on Financing the Global Water and Sanitation
Water Infrastructure Transition”
Speaker: Dr. David Fuente, Assistant Professor, School of Earth, Ocean & Environment, University of South Carolina
Sponsored by: The Walker Institute and The Palmetto Forum is made possible in part by generous support from South State Wealth.
Location: The Palmetto Club, 1231 Sumter Street
Cost and Payment Information:
Checks must be made payable to Walker Institute, no cash will be accepted
*Payments at the Door, by check only
Must RSVP by Sunday, 3/31/2019 before (11:45pm)
*Payments in Advance, pre-paid online, non-refundable purchase
Must RSVP and pre-pay by Sunday, 3/31/2019 before (11:45pm)
For more information: Please check our website, like us on Facebook, or call (803) 777-8180
Cancellation Policy:
If you have reserved your spot for this event and cannot attend, please call our office (803) 777-8180 to cancel your reservation no later than 2 days prior to the event. Reservations that are not cancelled will be billed.
Audience: Open to all of USC and general public
Attire: Business/Professional
![Download the Flyer [pdf]](/study/colleges_schools/artsandsciences/walker_institute/images/fuente.jpg){kind=link}
Speaker: Professor Joel Samuels, School of Law, University of South Carolina.
Title: A Local Battle with Global Implications: The Dispute Over the South China Sea
The South China Sea has become a flashpoint for tensions between China and several Southeast Asian nations who have overlapping claims over territory in that region. It is also an essential national security issue for the United States. In this interactive presentation, University of South Carolina School of Law Professor Joel Samuels will explore the legal dimensions to the South China Sea Dispute, including China’s expansive claims and how international law might address those claims. Please join us in this timely discussion of one of the most important simmering global disputes today Sponsored by: The Walker Institute and The Palmetto Forum is made possible in part by generous support from South State Wealth. Location: The Palmetto Club, 1231 Sumter Street
Cost and Payment Information:
Checks must be made payable to Walker Institute, no cash will be accepted
*Payments at the Door, by check only
Must RSVP by Sunday, 3/3/2019 before (11:45pm)
*Payments in Advance, pre-paid online, non-refundable purchase
Must RSVP and pre-pay by Sunday, 3/3/2019 before (11:45pm)
For more information: Please check our website, like us on Facebook, or call (803) 777-8180
Cancellation Policy:
If you have reserved your spot for this event and cannot attend, please call our office (803) 777-8180 to cancel your reservation no later than 2 days prior to the event. Reservations that are not canceled will be billed.
Audience: Open to all of USC and general public
Attire: Business/Professional
Title: “A global energy transition? The increasing role of renewable energy in the global energy mix”
Speaker: Dr. Connor Harrison, Assistant professor of Department of Geography at the University of South Carolina
Sponsored by: The Walker Institute and The Palmetto Forum is made possible in part by generous support from South State Wealth.
Location: The Palmetto Club, 1231 Sumter Street
Cost and Payment Information:
Checks must be made payable to Walker Institute, no cash will be accepted
*Payments at the Door, by check only
Must RSVP by Sunday, 2/3/2019 before (11:45pm)
*Payments in Advance, pre-paid online, non-refundable purchase
Must RSVP and pre-pay by Sunday, 2/3/2019 before (11:45pm)
For more information: Please check our website, like us on Facebook, or call (803) 777-8180
Cancellation Policy:
If you have reserved your spot for this event and cannot attend, please call our office (803) 777-8180 to cancel your reservation no later than 2 days prior to the event. Reservations that are not canceled will be billed.
Audience: Open to all of USC and general public
Attire: Business/Professional
2018 Lectures
Title: Fascism and the Demise of Democracy.
Speaker: Dr. Donald Puchala, the James F. and Maude B. Byrnes Professor of International Studies Emeritus at the University of South Carolina
Sponsored by: The Walker Institute and The Palmetto Forum is made possible in part by generous support from South State Wealth.
Location: The Palmetto Club, 1231 Sumter Street
Cost and Payment Information:
Checks must be made payable to Walker Institute, no cash will be accepted
*Payments at the Door, by check only
Must RSVP by Sunday, December 2, 2018 before (11:45pm)
*Payments in Advance, pre-paid online, non-refundable purchase
Must RSVP and pre-pay by Sunday, December 2, 2018, 2018 before (11:45pm)
For more information: Please check our website, like us on Facebook, or call (803) 777-8180
Cancellation Policy:
If you have reserved your spot for this event and cannot attend, please call our office (803) 777-8180 to cancel your reservation no later than 2 days prior to the event. Reservations that are not canceled will be billed.
Audience: Open to all of USC and general public
Attire: Business/Professional
Wednesday, September 5, 2018 - 12:30pm
Speaker: Dr. Gerald McDermott, Professor of Darla Moore School of Business, USC
Title: “Assessing the Future of the Divided Korea”
Sponsored by: Walker Institute and The Palmetto Forum is made possible in part by generous support from South State Wealth
Location: The Palmetto Club, 1231 Sumter Street
Cost and Payment Information:
Checks must be made payable to Walker Institute, no cash will be accepted
*Payments at the Door
Must RSVP by Wednesday, August 29, 2018 before (11:45pm)
$25.00 at the door by check only
*Payments in Advance
Must RSVP and pre-pay by Wednesday, August 29, 2018, 2018 before (11:45pm)
$25.00 pre-paid online, non-refundable purchase
Cancellation Policy:
If you have reserved your spot for this event and cannot attend, please call our office (803) 777-8180 to cancel your reservation no later than 4 days prior to the event. Reservations that are not canceled will be billed.
Audience: Open to all of USC and general public
Attire: Business/Professional
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 - 12:30pm
Engage America Series: Oman 2018
Speaker: Ms. Haura Al Wahaibi- Commercial Attaché of the Sultanate of Oman
Sponsored by: This event is jointly-sponsored by the Columbia World Affairs Council and The Walker Institute .The Palmetto Forum is made possible in part by generous support from South State Wealth.
Location: The Palmetto Club, 1231 Sumter Street
Cost and Payment Information:
Checks must be made payable to Walker Institute, no cash will be accepted
*Payments at the Door
Must RSVP by Thursday, September 27, 2018 before (11:45pm)
$25.00 at the door by check only
*Payments in Advance
Must RSVP and pre-pay by Thursday, September 27, 2018, 2018 before (11:45pm)
$25.00 pre-paid online, non-refundable purchase
Cancellation Policy:
If you have reserved your spot for this event and cannot attend, please call our office (803) 777-8180 to cancel your reservation no later than 4 days prior to the event. Reservations that are not canceled will be billed.
Audience: Open to all of USC and general public
Attire: Business/Professional
Wednesday, November 7, 2018 - 12:30 --- 1:30pm
Title: “Genocide: The Law and Its Ambiguities”
Speaker: Dr. Anu Chakravarty, Associate professor of political science, USC
Sponsored by: The Walker Institute and The Palmetto Forum is made possible in part by generous support from South State Wealth.
Location: The Palmetto Club, 1231 Sumter Street
Cost and Payment Information:
Checks must be made payable to Walker Institute, no cash will be accepted
*Payments at the Door, by check only
Must RSVP by Sunday, November 4, 2018 before (11:45pm)
*Payments in Advance, pre-paid online, non-refundable purchase
Must RSVP and pre-pay by Sunday, November 4, 2018, 2018 before (11:45pm)
For more information: Please check our website, like us on Facebook, or call (803) 777-8180
Cancellation Policy:
If you have reserved your spot for this event and cannot attend, please call our office (803) 777-8180 to cancel your reservation no later than 2 days prior to the event. Reservations that are not canceled will be billed.
Audience: Open to all of USC and general public
Attire: Business/Professional
2017 Lectures
Wednesday, April 4, 2018 - 12:30pm
Speaker: Dr. Helmut Albrecht- Heyward Gibbes Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine, USC
Title: " If you thought nukes were scary, try bioterrorism"
Sponsored by: Walker Institute and The Palmetto Forum is made possible in part by generous support from South State Wealth
Location: The Palmetto Club, 1231 Sumter Street
Cost and Payment Information:
Checks must be made payable to Walker Institute, no cash will be accepted
*Payments at the Door
Must RSVP by Wednesday-March 28, 2018 before (11:45pm)
$25.00 at the door by check only
*Payments in Advance
Must RSVP and pre-pay by Wednesday- March 28, 2018 before (11:45pm)
$25.00 pre-paid online, non-refundable purchase
Cancellation Policy:
If you have reserved your spot for this event and cannot attend, please call our office (803) 777-8180 to cancel your reservation no later than 4 days prior to the event. Reservations that are not canceled will be billed.
Audience: Open to all of USC and general public
Attire: Business/Professional
Palmetto Forum Seminar
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 - 12:30pm
Speaker: Dr. Krista Van Fleit- Director, Center for Asian Studies and Islamic World Studies, USC
Title: "Bollywood to Beijing: Film Exchange in the Asian Century"
Sponsored by: Walker Institute and The Palmetto Forum is made possible in part by generous support from South State Wealth
Location: The Palmetto Club, 1231 Sumter Street
Cost and Payment Information:
Checks must be made payable to Walker Institute, no cash will be accepted
*Payments at the Door
Must RSVP by Wednesday-February 28, 2018 before (11:45pm)
$25.00 at the door by check only
*Payments in Advance
Must RSVP and pre-pay by Wednesday- February 28, 2018 before (11:45pm)
$25.00 pre-paid online, non-refundable purchase
Cancellation Policy:
If you have reserved your spot for this event and cannot attend, please call our office (803) 777-8180 to cancel your reservation no later than 4 days prior to the event. Reservations that are not canceled will be billed.
Audience: Open to all of USC and general public
Attire: Business/Professional
Dr. Stanislav MarkusAssociate Professor of International Business and Business Partnership Foundation Fellow – Darla Moore School of Business at USC
"Putin's Russia Inside Out"
2016 Lectures
December 7
Dr. Helmut Albrecht, Professor and Chair of Clinical Internal Medicine at USC
"MERS, Ebola and Zika, Oh My!"
November 2
Donald Fowler, Adjunct Faculty - Department of Political Science at USC
"Who will win in this WEIRDEST election ever? Guesses and maybe reasons."
October 5
Dr. Gordon B. Smith, Emeritus Faculty - Department of Political Science at USC
"What Makes Vladimir Putin Tick?"
September 7
Dr. Robert Cox, Director at Walker Institute and Professor with Department of Political
Science at USC
"Brexit: The Future of the European Union"