University of South Carolina to host public forum Sept. 17 on impact of Russia-Georgia Conflict
September 16, 2008
COLUMBIA, SC – September 16, 2008 – The impact of the Russia-Georgia Conflict on the region, the world and U.S. foreign policy will be the topic of a panel discussion Sept. 17, featuring University of South Carolina faculty and students.
The event, which will be held at 7 p.m. in Gambrell Hall, Room 151, is free and open to the public. Titled “Crisis in the Caucasus: How Does the Russia-Georgia Conflict Affect the Region, the World and U.S. Policy?,” the panel will address the history and context of the conflict between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the impact of the conflict on other post-Soviet nations and the implications on U.S. and European foreign policy.
Dr. Alexander Ogden, director of the university’s Russian and Eurasian Program, will moderate the panel, which will include Charles Bierbauer, dean of the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies and a former Moscow bureau chief for ABC News; Elena Osokina, associate professor of history and expert on Russian history; Dr. Kara Brown and Dr. Doyle Stevick, assistant professors in education; Mariam Dekanozishvili, a doctoral candidate in political science; and undergraduate student Matthew Cox.
The event is co-sponsored by the Walker Institute for International and Area Studies and the Russian and Eurasian Studies Program in the department of languages, literatures and cultures.
