Diplomacy

There’s something irresistible about the Harlem Globetrotters. Denis Sullivan felt it as a 12-year-old growing up in Cork, Ireland, when he and 800 others from the town watched the team’s ball handling acrobatics and unique brand of basketball. Today he’s in charge of the team’s world tours and is proud to note that the visit […]

Korean General Calls on the U.S. to Adopt a ‘Containment’ Policy in the Face of N. Korea’s Belligerence

When he last spoke at a luncheon of the Atlanta Council on International Relations (ACIR) in February , Lt. Gen. (Ret.) In-bum Chun, predicted that an upcoming summit between North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, and President Donald Trump was brewing. He also said that his aim at the luncheon was to “scare” the attendees […]

Former KGB Spy Tells Kiwanians Soviet Ideology May Be Dead, But Russian Nationalism Is Alive and Well

Jack Barsky, the former Soviet spy who now lives in the state of Georgia, said at a Kiwanis Club of Atlanta luncheon May 28 honoring the city’s Consular Corps that he could have saved the U.S. government the $30 million spent on the Mueller report to determine whether or not the Russian government colluded with […]

Consul General: Despite Trade Challenges, U.S.-Canada Ties ‘Too Big to Fail’

President Trump’s approach to trade may have strained the U.S.-Canada relationship, but these “best friends and allies” are in no danger of breaking up, according to Canada’s top diplomat in the Southeast. Nadia Theodore, a trade expert-turned-consul general, said both countries may be pursuing independent trade priorities, but the primacy of their neighborly relationship has never faded, […]

Incoming Lead Diplomat Highlighted at Consular Ball

The Georgia Council for International Visitors’ annual Consular Ball this year saw the passing of the torch from the longest serving diplomat in Atlanta to the next. In his brief remarks, Miguel Aleman, consul general of Peru, pointed out the incoming dean of the Georgia Consular Corps — Shane Stephens of Ireland, who will gain […]

Belgium and the South: Linked Through a History of Global Trade

The big story out of the Masters at Augusta National this year was the major victory that cemented Tiger Woods’ comeback story. But William De Baets had his mind more on the golf course grounds than the tournament itself. Since his arrival in 2017, the Belgian consul general has undertaken an investigation of historical ties […]

U.S.-Korea Ties Highlighted by Ceremonies Honoring Korean War Veterans

While tensions on the Korean peninsula remain high the historic bonds between the U.S. and South Korea remain as important as ever. Posco, the South Korean steel company which has an office in Johns Creek, has been raising the awareness of the interdependence of the two nations by producing commemorative plaques Korean War veterans can […]

Quebec’s ‘Smart Mobility’ Sector to Shine During Annual Canada-Southeast Conference

It’s an opportunity that comes around just once every 12 years, and Quebec, perhaps more than some provinces or states, knows how to make the most of it. From June 2-4, the Southeast U.S.-Canadian Provinces Alliance annual conference will land in Montreal, where it originally began thanks largely to a commitment by the leaders of […]

Europe Day: European Investment in Georgia Strong Despite Trade Tiffs

Trade tumult isn’t exactly undermining Georgia’s foundational relationship with the European Union, but volatile U.S. policies are causing some firms to rethink the timing and intensity of their investments here. That was the somber undertone of a Europe Day luncheon at the Metro Atlanta Chamber that otherwise served as a celebration of deep historic linkages […]

Canada’s New Export Finance Office in Atlanta Is a Rebuke to Zero-Sum Trade Policy

When Canada opened its first-ever U.S. office for the country’s export credit agency in Atlanta last week, it was making a multilayered statement on its trade philosophy. The message? The country is both bullish on the U.S. South and committed to the idea that Canadian and American firms (and their economies) work better when they […]

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