Putt Thanakrit Thavorn-amornsri, GMBA Class of 2017

After the recent convocation of the first cohort of Schwarzman Scholars, which was created to educate the next generation of global leaders in the geopolitical landscape, Schwarzman College opened its doors on September 20, 2016 for the first time to the public. The newly opened school warmly welcomed Tsinghua students to a public lecture given by Dr. Samuel Popkin entitled, “2016 U.S. Presidential Election Insights and Analysis.” The lecture was part of the Caterpillar Lecture Series in Public Policy, which is one of the main disciplines the school upholds. The participants arrived slightly early to have a brief tour around the school’s oriental yet modern architecture and world-class education facilities and to interact with some of the Schwarzman Scholars.

Dr. Popkin is a Professor of Political Science at the University of San Diego as well as an academic analyst of the U.S. presidential electoral process. Dr. Popkin began his lecture by noting that the upcoming presidential election would perhaps be the most interesting and unusual in modern U.S. history. Public figures and politicians of both sides had voiced opinions and publicly endorsed candidates, in some cases largely inconsistent with their former Democrat or Republican preferences.

Putting one’s personal political views aside, Dr. Popkin discussed in retrospect the complexity and implication of the U.S. two-party political system, the parties’ “brand” management, the background of the election campaigns, and the upcoming presidential debates between Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump. It was quite interesting to hear candid perspective from a notable scholar who has rich research expertise in the U.S. political space. The phenomenon of Mr. Trump, transforming from real estate magnate to probable candidate, was described as a highly strategic process. Although it remained unclear who stood the best odds in the November election and whether national conversations regarding issues such as immigration and economic policy could be successfully addressed by the 45^th President, Dr. Popkin left us with deeper insights into modern politics.

As the lecture concluded following many enthusiastic questions from the audience, we walked out of Dalio Auditorium, the main underground lecture hall, which was lined on its sides with 33 different flags that represent the 33 nationalities – including my own – of the College’s first cohort. Taking in the unique environment, I found myself inspired and eager to revisit the College whenever the opportunity next arose.