KENNESAW, Ga. | Oct 2, 2025

Gvantsa Kiknavelidze, majoring in International Affairs at the SGIA, and future JD candidate at the University of Georgia School of Law (Class of 2029), recently returned from Germany after participating in the 23rd Annual Global Atlanticists Meeting, hosted by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.

The weeklong program brought together policy professionals, think tank scholars, military officers, and academics from around the world to explore Germany’s evolving security identity and its role in addressing global challenges. Traveling from Hannover to Hamburg, Berlin, and Potsdam, participants examined key issues including the Russia–Ukraine conflict, European defense, and transatlantic cooperation in an era of shifting U.S. engagement.

Program highlights included a visit to Rheinmetall’s defense testing center, an exchange at the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College, and a closing dinner and discussion with Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Zeitenwende, Germany’s historic shift in security policy. Kiknavelidze and her cohort also met with global leaders such as Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, Julianne Smith, and U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett.

Kiknavelidze expresses gratitude to the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Washington, D.C., for the opportunity to engage in global dialogue on international security and cooperation and for providing an unforgettable experience.