If the 20th century was the era of tanks, planes and bombs, the 21st is shaping up to be a time when bits, bytes and “soft power” are becoming weapons of choice. That’s according to retired Air Force Gen. Phil Breedlove, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and now a distinguished professor at Georgia Tech’s Sam Read more
A Life of Labor: Former Mayor Sam Massell Says His Biography Highlights Work Ethic ‘From 9 to 90’
At 9 years old, former Atlanta Mayor Sam Massell operated a successful corner Coca-Cola stand called Bud’s Place, but some days he was even more enterprising than usual. Buddy, as he was known back then, would sneak a Guinness beer from his father’s refrigerator and sell it on the side. “It was 100 percent profit,” he said Read more
Jimmy Carter to Headline Methodist Church’s Korea Peace Forum in Atlanta
Former President Jimmy Carter is set to headline the United Methodist Church’s three-day summit in Atlanta on achieving lasting peace on the Korean peninsula. The peace forum will be hosted by UMC Global Ministries, the denomination’s Atlanta-based missions arm. Along with ecumenical leaders from Korea and beyond, the event will be attended by a range Read more
Who Owns the News? European Journey Shows Press Freedom Is More Fragile Than We Think
Editor’s note: This commentary piece is written by Rickey Bevington, local host for NPR’s “All Things Considered.” The author’s views are her own and don’t necessarily represent those of the Global Atlanta editorial staff. Imagine if nearly every news organization in the United States only published stories that promoted one political or social viewpoint. In such Read more
Traveling the Globe to Interview Korean War Veterans, ‘Like Weaving a Great Quilt’ on Behalf of Peace
For years now, Hannah Y. Kim has been focused on July 27 — the date that she would like to see a peace treaty signed with North Korea officially recognizing the end of the Korean War. The Korean War unofficially ended on July 27, 1953, when a negotiated agreement was signed in Panmunjon, a village Read more
AJC: Nonprofit Reimburses City for South Africa Airfare With Reed’s Money
Former Mayor Kasim Reed caught flak from many sides last year when it was revealed that the city spent $90,000 on his team’s trip to South Africa, largely on business-class airfare. At the time, the mayor said he had lined up “private funds” to pay for nine team members’ upgrades from coach class on the grueling Read more
Expert: Turkey Fast Becoming ‘Elected Autocracy’ Under Erdogan
Turkey was once held up in the West as a model of how a predominately Muslim country could thrive as a secular democracy. With the consolidation of power by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in recent years, that illusions is gone. And that’s complicating the way the U.S. deals with its NATO ally at a tumultuous time Read more
Atlanta Council on International Relations Puts Spotlight on Korean Peace Prospects
Sunny Park has received more prestigious awards both in Atlanta and in Korea than you could count on all of your fingers. He also has been a member or board director of 15 nonprofit organizations and he is the first Asian to have served as vice chairman of the Georgia Ports Authority. He also has been Read more
Former Liberian President: Despite Challenges, African Democracy Gaining Steam
Just weeks removed from a 12-year stint in office, former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf didn’t seem keen to talk about specific transitions of power during a World Affairs Council of Atlanta breakfast Thursday. She was curt on the performance so far of her successor, former soccer star George Weah, and she only had a brief comment about Read more
France’s Southeast U.S. Rep Switches Party and Forms Law Firm With Political Ally
The twists and turns of French electoral politics send out repercussions as far as Atlanta where the law partners Dominique Lemoine and Frederic Lefebvre have abandoned their allegiance to France’s Republican party in a move partially motivated in response to France’s National Front far-right party, which is following policies made popular in the U.S. by Read more
