The Folks Center for International Business, in partnership with USC’s Walker Institute for International and Area Studies, is hosting a special event with former Russian ambassador and The New York Times best-selling author Michael McFaul.
The main event will be Oct. 22, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. in the Moore School’s W.W. Hootie Johnson Perfomance Hall room 101. McFaul will discuss his latest book: Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America and the New Global Disorder.
A select number of spots are available for a book signing with McFaul from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Register to attend the book signing. »
During the fireside chat, McFaul will provide remarks and participate in a Q&A. Registered attendees will be offered an opportunity to submit questions in advance and on-site during the fireside chat.
McFaul is the Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies in Political Science, Director and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, all at Stanford University. He is also an international affairs analyst for NBC News.
McFaul served for five years in the Obama administration, first as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council at the White House (2009-2012), and then as U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation (2012-2014). He was also the Distinguished Mingde Faculty Fellow at the Stanford Center at Peking University in the summer of 2015.
The event is free. Please register to reserve your seat. »
Members of the press will have the opportunity to interview the ambassador before the program starts at 4:30 p.m.
If media would like to schedule an interview with McFaul, please contact Marjorie Riddle Duffie, Moore School associate director for content and media relations: marjorie.duffie@moore.sc.edu.
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ABOUT THE DARLA MOORE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
The Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina is among the
highest-ranked business schools in the world. Well known for international business
education and research, the school also has highly ranked operations and supply chain
programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and ensures that all undergraduates
and most graduate students leave the school data proficient, analytically capable
and functionally based. Founded in 1919, the school has a history of innovative educational
leadership, blending academic preparation with real-world experience through internships,
consulting projects, study abroad programs and entrepreneurial opportunities. The
Moore School offers undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees, as well as distinctive
executive education programs. In 1998, the school was named for South Carolina native
and New York financier Darla Moore, making the University of South Carolina the first
major university to name its business school after a woman. Learn more at sc.edu/moore.
ABOUT THE FOLKS CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
The Folks Center for International Business is the hub for global business education,
research and leadership at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of
South Carolina. Established in 2015, the Folks Center builds upon and accelerates
the school’s investment and leadership in international business; the Moore School
has been recognized for international business for more than 40 years. The center
engages companies, government agencies, international organizations and academic institutions
on key issues impacting international strategy, risk, innovation and leadership development.
The Moore School’s international business program has been nationally ranked as
No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report for more than 20 years. Learn more at sc.edu/moore/folkscenter
ABOUT THE WALKER INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND AREA STUDIES
The Walker Institute of International and Area Studies is the center for global research
and outreach on the University of South Carolina’s Columbia campus. Founded in 1961,
the Walker Institute of International and Area Studies is dedicated to fostering cross-cultural
understanding on campus, in South Carolina and around the world. As the university’s
portal to the world, we help students, faculty and the public see the world through
a global lens. We direct two interdisciplinary majors and six area minors. Learn more
sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/artsandsciences/walker_institute