Germany Study Tour Underscores Importance of Citizen Diplomacy

What image does “diplomacy” evoke in your mind? Highly trained State Department diplomats in crisp suits, shaking hands with world leaders and working to solve complex global crises? 

Of course, such professionals are vital for projecting power and influence, but increasingly, nations are recognizing the value of “citizen diplomacy,” the deepening of binational ties through interpersonal exchange.    

Since its founding by German-born Coca-Cola executive Claus Halle in 1986, building peace by linking ever closer the U.S. and Germany has been the objective of the Atlanta-based Halle Foundation.  

Thanks to its generosity, I was able to join seven other World Affairs Council of Atlanta Young Leaders on a study tour to Berlin in October, spending a week in the German capital to gain insight into this key transatlantic relationship at the highest levels, while also getting a feel for the foreign-policy issues that matter to everyday Germans.   

Throughout our discussions with experts in various aspects of German society, the Young Leaders learned that many of trials and opportunities the U.S. faces are also found across Germany, and that policy must be informed by personal experience. 

Fittingly, one of our early meetings came with an Atlantan working at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. 

Linnette Franco, the deputy counselor for public engagement, described how foreign policy impacts Atlantans locally, even if we cannot see its direct effects. Challenges abroad, such as the energy crisis touched off by the Ukraine war, can trickle down to our wallets as food and gas prices increase. 

Similarly, Germany is facing economic challenges due to a mix of local factors and global shocks, said Stefan Rouenhoff, a Christian Democratic Union representative in the Bundestag, Germany’s federal parliament. 

During a meeting with the Young Leaders, Mr. Rouenhoff emphasized that while Germany remains a strong industrial center within the European Union, demographic changes have led to labor challenges and tax burdens. Like the United States, Germany has a robust middle class, but both nations are beginning to worry about decline.  

Also like many cities in the U.S., Berlin is facing a housing crisis, where the supply is not meeting the increasing demand amid an influx of new residents. However, locals in Berlin are experimenting with a cooperative housing model, which accounts for 11 percent of all rental housing in the city. 

The contributing factors might be different, but Germany is also facing a surge of migrants like the U.S. Ukrainian refugees have been seeking safety in Germany, and organizations like Vitsche are helping coordinate advocacy efforts and guiding newly arrived refugees to the resources they need to integrate into society. Many refugees are hoping to return to their homes in Ukraine, but their future remains uncertain as the conflict persists. 

Businesses like UPS, which is headquartered in Atlanta but maintains a significant share in the German logistics market, are aiming to be part of the solution in helping refugees. 

While discussing German labor standards and sustainability with representatives at UPS, the Young Leaders spoke with a Ukrainian refugee who was partaking in a three-week rotational training program. She emphasized that she misses her family but is aiming to receive training that she can utilize to support herself in Germany and one day take her experience back home. 

Hearing these firsthand perspectives brought “world affairs” home in a new way, said Young Leader Anthony Reyna, customer strategy manager at Georgia-Pacific. 

“Immersive programs like the Berlin Tour help develop a broader global understanding and empathy,” he told me in reflecting on the trip. “For me, this made me a more nuanced global citizen, sparked my curiosity for the host country and my home country, and provided a renewed passion to build a better local community in response to what I learned.”

Indeed, it’s important to learn from Germany, but the real value of citizen diplomacy lies in the mutual exchange of ideas to foster innovative solutions to solve problems at the national and local level. While the Young Leaders learned about German history, society, culture, and government, we Atlantans also brought a little taste of the South to our German hosts. 

As Javion Blake, founder of I&I Foods by Jus_Chill, Inc. and participant of the study tour, told me:

“I am tremendously grateful for the World Affairs Council of Atlanta and its sponsors for providing us with the opportunity to show some of the best of what the city of Atlanta offers to the world.”

Ana Petrova currently works at the Mayor’s Office of International and Immigrant Affairs (MOIIA) at the City of Atlanta. In this role, Ana oversees an integrated communications and social media strategy for the Office, with the goal of elevating Atlanta’s global presence. In addition, she supports exchanges and provides support for incoming delegations, missions abroad, and community events. Ana is an active member of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta Young Leaders Executive Board, where she serves as the chair of the Speaker Committee. She helps conceptualize and organize speaker programs by researching potential topics and speakers, proposing programs, establishing program goals, and coordinating logistics.

A proud double Panther, Ana received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Georgia State University, with a minor in International Business, and a master’s degree in Public Policy from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. Her studies have focused on international relations, foreign affairs, and diplomacy.

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Learn more about the World Affairs Council of Atlanta at https://www.wacatlanta.org. 

Learn more about The Halle Foundation and Claus M. Halle, a former German soldier who began working as a delivery driver for Coca-Cola in Germany after World War II, rose through the ranks and eventually became president of Coca-Cola International in Atlanta. He believed the relationship between the United States and Germany was vital to world peace, and today the foundation funds opportunities for organizations to promote peaceful activity between the two nations. The Halle Foundation is headquartered at a Buckhead estate that serves as the backdrop for many German-American cultural meetings.