presents
Reinventing Diplomacy
Diplomacy in Our World
President Biden meets with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House on February 9. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)
Associated Press/ Andreea Alexandru
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the G-20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro in February. In the foreground, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, speaks with Britain's David Cameron and Germany's Annalena Baerbock. (Kira Hofmann/picture-alliance/dpa/AP)
The Echo Foundation 2023 Footsteps Global Initiative: Ukraine
US Mission to the EU
Harvey Gantt is an American architect and politician who made history as the first African American mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. Born in 1943 in South Carolina, Gantt graduated from Clemson University, as the school's first African American student. Throughout his career, Gantt has been a trailblazer and advocate for civil rights and social justice, and we were very fortunate to interview him.
"SO, PAY ATTENTION, STUDY HARD, TRY TO DO SOMEHTING THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE." -Harvey Gantt
AUGUST 1, 2024 PRISONER SWAP
A Russian plane believed to be carrying released Russian prisoners leaves the airport in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday. [August 1, 2024]. (AP)
NPR's Jackie Northam gives a brief analysis of the diplomacy surrounding the August 1, 2024 prisoner swap.
From CELEBRITY ACTIVISM:
HELPFUL OR HARMFUL?
by Laura Moldoveanu
Who has the power to change the world? Oftentimes, fans put pressure on celebrities to speak out against or in support of global issues. But this does not take into account whether celebrities have an obligation to get involved or what exactly is expected of them. Does fame equal power?
On one hand, simply spreading awareness to their large audiences can be helpful. However, celebrity activism can also come across as tone-deaf at best and actively harmful at worst.
ANALYSIS OF CELEBRITY INVOLVEMENT IN THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
NPR's Elizabeth Blair delves into celebrity activism within the context of the Israel-Hamas War, as well as exploring the importance of social media, gender dynamics in celebrity activism, and the consequences that some celebrities face for speaking out.
Getty Images
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and President Ronald Reagan sign the arms control agreement banning the use of intermediate-range nuclear missiles, the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Reduction Treaty, in Washington on Dec. 8, 1987. (Getty Images)
Photo taken by Ron Haviv
U.S. State Department
President Barack Obama talks on the phone in the Oval Office with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, April 18, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Trail of Tears 1893. Painting: "Forced Move" by Alex Strandley courtesy R. Michelson Galleries
"The American Indian Removal policy of President Andrew Jackson was prompted by the desire of White settlers in the South to expand into lands belonging to five Indigenous tribes. After Jackson succeeded in pushing the Indian Removal Act through Congress in 1830, the U.S. government spent nearly 30 years forcing Indigenous peoples to move westward, beyond the Mississippi River. In the most notorious example of this policy, more than 15,000 members of the Cherokee tribe were forced to walk from their homes in the Southern states to a designated territory in present-day Oklahoma in 1838. Many died along the way." This forced relocation became known as the “Trail of Tears” because of the great hardship faced by Cherokees. In brutal conditions, nearly 4,000 Cherokees died on the Trail of Tears."
The audience at the opening session of the San Francisco Conference, April 25, 1945. (UN Photo)
