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Distinguished Speaker Series

2024/2025 Distinguished Speaker Series

The Distinguished Speaker Series, our principal program, usually takes place on the first and third Fridays of each month at the First Presbyterian Church – October through May. Speakers come from around the globe who are known for their international experience in government, business, military affairs and academia. International speakers are supported by our Global Speakers Program.

Meetings are hosted at First Presbyterian Church, 540 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head. Programs start at 10:00 AM with the featured speaker addressing the audience for approximately 50 minutes, followed by a Q & A session. Programs end at 11:30 AM. The Council is a 501 (c) 3, nonpartisan educational organization that takes no political position on the topics presented.

Download the 2024-2025 Speaker Program Calendar (PDF)

See who came last season in 2023-2024: 2023 2024 Speaker Program Calendar

Date	Presenter	Topic
10/4/2024	Brian Katulis	Foreign Policy Challenges for the Next President
10/18/2024	Aaron David Miller	Israel and Palestine: What’s in the Future for Their Relationship?
11/1/2024	Jennifer Rasamimanana**	The U.S. and Morocco: 200 years of Peace and Friendship
11/15/2024	Gonul Tol	Erdogan’s Recipe for Turkey: Autocracy or Reform?
11/22/2024	Mohammed Tabaar	The Politics of Islam in U.S.-Iran Relations
12/6/2024	Adam Szubin	Economic Warfare: U.S., China and Beyond
1/10/2025	Mona Yacoubian	The Israel-Hamas conflict and the emerging new order in the Middle East.
1/24/2025	Ajay Chhibber	Making India an advanced Country by 2047: What Will It Take?
2/7/2025	Emily Harding	Bytes vs. Bullets: How Technology is Changing Warfare
2/21/2025	Barbara Slavin	Risks and Opportunities in Iran-U.S. Foreign Policy
3/7/2025	Emma Ashford	Does the U.S. Have a Foreign Policy Grand Strategy?
3/21/2025	Leonardo Villalon	Instability in the Sahel Region of Africa and Implications for the West.
4/11/2025	Kotaro Shiojiri**	Political Challenges and Opportunities for the U.S., Japan, and Beyond
5/2/2025	Elizabeth Beavers	How the U.S. Defense Budget Shapes Policy and our Global Reputation

**Made possible by the Global Speakers Program

2024/2025 Distinguished Speaker Series

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