Canadian consulates across the U.S. are commemorating NATO’s 70th anniversary this year!
In Atlanta, Consul General Nadia Theodore hosted a luncheon earlier in April with Joseph Bankoff, the former Chair of the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), Eric Toler, the Executive Director of Georgia’s Cyber Command Center and a veteran of multiple tours in Bosnia and Afghanistan, and military attaches from our allies in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Speakers praised NATO’s relevance in the 21st Century and the Alliance’s ability to adapt to new priorities including energy & environmental security and gender equality.
Following the luncheon, the Consulate convened a panel discussion, moderated by Ambassador Charles Shapiro, President of the World Affairs Council in Atlanta and a former 2-time U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela. Panelists included:
– General Philip Breedlove, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO Forces in Europe and current guest advisor and lecturer to the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech
– Consul General William De Baets, Consul for Belgium in the southeastern United States and former Belgian Naval Officer
– Major General Simon Hetherington, Senior Defense Attaché to the United States for the Canadian Embassy in DC
– Commodore Andrew Betton, British Naval Attaché to the Embassy in DC
All speakers reiterated NATO’s historical importance with an eye toward the next 70 years. NATO’s ability to address each variable it encounters has been integral to the growth of the Alliance for decades.