Category: Cultural Diplomacy

25 Year Anniversary Special Blog Series: The Future of Soft Power and Strategic Narratives

Cultural Diplomacy, Global Communication, IPDGC, public diplomacy

Written By: Ben O’Loughlin

…it is a national security imperative for the United States to achieve and maintain unquestioned and unchallenged global technological dominance. (Trump, cited in 2025 US AI Action Plan)

What does that sound like to the rest of the world? What does this line signal about how international communication works in 2025? It is the opening statement of this Action Plan. That plan promises that American AI companies will deliver ‘[a]n industrial revolution, an information revolution, and a renaissance — all at once’; economy, knowledge, culture. But ‘it is ours to seize, not lose’. It is remarkably similar to OpenAI’s mission to become a monopoly and control AI entirely (see Hao, 2025). The narrative: a race the US will win. But in what sense is that strategic? And does it even try to generate soft power to publicly aim to be unquestioned and unchallenged? 

Melissen (2005: 9) writes that ‘most successful public diplomacy initiatives were born out of necessity’. Germany and France invested in national image repair after humiliations in World War II and a need to project a different identity. The US invested after the 11 September 2001 attacks because it had a new story to tell, a global war on terror. Consider the current turmoil in global order, the many wars and conflicts, and – according to the IMF’s former chief economist Gita Gopinath – the immediate threat of global financial crisis far worse than previous crises, this would be a time for keeping cooperation and enhancing mutual support. Soft power should be a technique states are exercising.

We witness changes that put this into question for some but not all. This is not necessarily structural. Some states are projecting antagonistic narratives. And this is where the difference between soft power and strategic narrative becomes important.

To a state, soft power must serve its interests, usually security and economic prosperity. It has been used to boost good relations so that exchange of culture, tourists, science, and students brings economic benefit and makes possible long-term dialogue on harder security matters. This works over generations. It creates good-feeling that is hard to quantify. Finance ministries wonder whether this exists. But most states commit to soft power activities. It sidesteps questions about “power over”. And it means downplaying instances in which your state did not live up to its projected ideal values. But many states commit to this blurry, long-term project. They are not turning away from this.

A change that challenges this is the turn to illiberalism happening in many states – Orban, Milei, Trump and others are not interested in appearing “nice”. David Runciman and Ayse Zarakol explore what it means to live in the age of strongmen: where leadership is individualised and personalised, and power is not plural and dispersed, it is centralised (autocratic); the projection of power and insistence on public conformity to certain values (authoritarian); and by actors willing to overrule institutions and law, and they may say that public good or private favours depend on and come from them (the strongman). This is a pre-modern and monarchical politics; I am the state. The state-society relation is the I-society relation.

This affects soft power and cooperation. Across borders, everything depends on the personal relations our leader can have with other strongmen. This also weakens international institutions and norms. The July 2025 US AI Action Plan has a whole section on diplomacy. That section actually expresses a geopolitical strategy to pressure all non-adversaries to buy US services and not China’s. Most countries, most publics, think the notion of a binary choice nonsensical. They are looking for diplomacy, dialogue, and muddling through. 

Some structural conditions help drive this: social media polarisation, economic uncertainty, but also leaders learning how to seize or manipulate institutions — subvert and staff a supreme court, de-prioritise human rights, restrict free news media. The conditions for a public in country X to have stable perspectives on other countries is more volatile.

This is where strategic narratives come in. Strategic narratives are ‘a means for political actors to construct a shared meaning of the past, present, and future of international politics to shape the behaviour of domestic and international actors’ (here). A narrative is a sequence of events in which actors try to address problems and reach a better ending, for now at least. For Trump, the US was prosperous until it replaced tariff revenue with federal income tax revenue in 1913 (here). This led to a botched century, he said. Today, he will return to that pre-1913 model because he believes in it. This is part of becoming unchallenged and, perhaps, unquestioned. It is a narrative few saw coming. It is not a soft power-friendly narrative. It is not a narrative the rest of the West can make sense of.

China is doing exactly this narrative work. At its recent summit welcoming Russia, India and others, Xi Jinping re-narrated World War II. This war was Russia vs. German Nazism and China vs. Japanese militarism. This indicates the world was always multipolar and that these states helped found the post-45 multilateral order. That narrative recasts what the international system is, with their identity at its core.

This is where it becomes interesting. By analysing the strategic narratives states will advance in the coming decades, we see the lines of contestation and we can unpick exactly how actors use or mobilise points of narrative similarity or difference. Don’t expect simple clear narratives from anyone. When the pressure is on, and you don’t want to be bound to promises you don’t realise, keep narratives ambiguous when needed (see chapter 14 here).

This is a murky, messy, but realistic picture of the future of soft power and strategic narrative. There are many games being played, in many ways. For all these reasons, everything will be questioned and challenged.

 –

Ben O’Loughlin is Professor of International Relations and Director of the New Political Communication Unit at Royal Holloway, University of London. He is co-editor of the journal Media, War & Conflict. He was Specialist Advisor to the UK Parliament Select Committee on Soft Power and Thinker In Residence on ‘Disinformation and Democracy’ at the Royal Academy in Brussels.

Email: ben.oloughlin@rhul.ac.uk

BlueSky: @benoloughlin.bsky.social

25 Year Anniversary Special Blog Series: A Flagrant Act of Cultural Diplomacy

Cultural Diplomacy, Global Communication, IPDGC, public diplomacy, Uncategorized

Written By: Mark Taplin

Not so long ago, on a fragrant July evening in Sarajevo, in the courtyard of a 19th century
house-museum, a Spanish musicologist, a Bosnian singer, and a handful of traditional sevdah
musicians committed a flagrant act of cultural diplomacy. Hosted by the Spanish ambassador,
the program linked the centuries-old vocal music of Sarajevo’s Ladino-speaking Sephardic
Jewish population — today reduced to a few dozen elderly city dwellers — to what are today
some of the best-loved folk songs among Bosnian Muslims. As dusk turned to moonlit night,
the one-hundred-some audience of cultural figures and music lovers were invited by the
musicians to join in the singing. Everyone except for the smattering of foreign diplomats knew
the lyrics by heart. It was incontrovertible evidence of how Bosnian Muslim culture was linked,
across some five centuries, to medieval Spain, to Jewish history and to the post-conflict present
of Bosnia-Herzegovina.


How useful to the Government of Spain was that summer Sarajevo gathering? Certainly, there
were some expenses: to finance the stay of a Spanish scholar, to rent the venue, to publicize
the event, to pay the musicians. Did the evening in any measurable manner advance Spain’s
immediate foreign policy agenda? Unlikely. Yet the Spanish government, along with its
ambassador, apparently felt the effort was worthwhile. Were there really benefits to be had
from an historical riddle, wrapped in a musical evening, inside a contemporary bilateral
relationship?


Over nearly four decades in the U.S. Foreign Service, I concluded that cultural diplomacy, along
with educational exchanges and information programs, were as vital to successful statecraft as
the other elements of national power, hard or soft. Armies and advanced technologies are
important, but so too are a country’s capacity for finding common ground internationally and
making itself attractive to others. Public diplomacy offers some of the best engagement tools of
all.


Let’s face it. It is a rare formal demarche that anyone, sender or recipient, might recall years
later. High-level official visits, with few exceptions, disappear quickly into the memory hole of
today’s frenetic global news cycle. A lot of the good work performed by diplomats, in fact, never
sees the light of day.


On the other hand, lots of people recall vividly, even decades later, their involvement in one or
another cultural diplomacy initiative. It might be an orchestral performance, an art exhibition, a
jam session, a film director’s talk, a hip-hop workshop. These types of in-person experiences,
bridging cultural boundaries, truly register. They connect to individuals in a direct way and,
repeated, at scale and over time, can even help shape how societies view one another.
To take an example from my own time in diplomacy, I doubt whether anyone who attended the
acclaimed pianist Vladimir Horowitz’s 1986 recital in Moscow — he was performing in his native
Russia for the first time in over half a century — has forgotten it. The Russian-American maestro’s appearance was a powerful signal from the two superpowers that they intended to
lessen tensions and promote understanding. It was one of countless public diplomacy
initiatives, both large and small, that helped build a measure of trust and confidence between
the West and the Soviet bloc during the Cold War. Undoubtedly, it helped bring that
superpower confrontation to a happier conclusion than many had anticipated.

Typically, policymakers and appropriators shrug their shoulders about investing in U.S. cultural
diplomacy efforts. Their attitude might be conveyed in just two words: “Why bother?” Often,
they frown at the cost of sending living, breathing performers and cultural figures abroad —
leaning instead towards the pennywise strategies of launching tweets across borders or
spamming the world with the utterings of senior officials. American popular culture permeates
the globe, they argue, so why not simply allow the private sector to keep on keeping on? They
find frustrating the inability of, say, a ballet performance to increase support in realtime for their
latest policy initiative. Even George Kennan, probably the most intellectually sophisticated of all
20th century American diplomats, preferred to keep cultural diplomacy at arms’ length — best
dealt with well outside the sober halls of the State Department so as not to interfere with the
“serious” work behind closed doors.


But is it possible that cultural diplomacy, like the slow-food movement, requires patience but in
the end results in something more wholesome — emotionally and intellectually — than the fast
food ethos of today’s hostile X bouts and flash-fry TikTok vids? Research has shown a striking
shift in the orientation of Millennials and Gen Z, away from the materialism of their parents
towards valuing direct experiences like travel, learning and personal engagement in shared
causes. Does that open the door to new forms of cultural diplomacy that would emphasize
collaboration and openness across borders rather than the thin-skinned nationalism and
chauvinism that of late has been ascendant in so many places? On the global stage, mutual
respect and understanding is a better recipe for winning hearts and minds than ridicule and
bullying.


For countries intent on building trust and a positive reputation, another factor may argue for
greater reliance in the years ahead on cultural diplomacy and people-to-people exchanges. It
seems plausible that the value of in-person exchanges and cultural diplomacy will increase
relative to other forms of public diplomacy, especially as the credibility of news and information
sources are increasingly undermined by opaque algorithms and aggressive propaganda. AI
hallucinations and outright forgeries — some of which are much more consequential than fake
videos of Tom Cruise and Taylor Swift — appear to be just the tip of tomorrow’s hulking iceberg
of falsity. When seeing is no longer believing, can “experiential” cultural and educational
programs — a form of “doing is believing” — provide an antidote?
As I write these words, I cannot recall for the life of me the last Truth Social post I read, just this
morning. But I do remember an evening not so long ago in Sarajevo, when I discovered that a
Bosnian sevdah classic, “When I Went to Bentbasa,” is based on an old Spanish Sephardic
melody, “Mi Kerido, Mi Amado,” that in turn is a Hebrew prayer song still sung in synagogues
today. It was a lesson in cross-border connectedness that any embassy or government could
feel proud of.

25 Year Anniversary Special Blog Series: Looking Ahead to the Future of Cultural Diplomacy

Cultural Diplomacy, in the field, IPDGC, public diplomacy

Written By: Robert Ogburn

Note: The opinions and characterizations in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the U.S. government.

Next month, the George Washington University’s Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC) will mark its 25th anniversary with a two-day conference on November 6–7. Over the past quarter century, the Institute has been a hub connecting scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to explore how nations communicate their values in a volatile, interconnected world. It’s fitting that this celebration takes place in Washington, D.C.—a city that lives and breathes global communication every day.

On November 7, I’ll join a panel on the future of cultural diplomacy. While colleagues will discuss the role of Washington agencies and institutions, my perspective centers on practitioners in the field—the Public Affairs Officers (PAOs) who engage daily with local communities abroad. They are the on-the-ground architects of cultural diplomacy, constantly navigating complex social, political, and digital environments to build mutual understanding.

Having served as or in support of PAOs in Washington, D.C. and at U.S. missions in Seoul, Cairo, Baghdad and Ho Chi Minh City, I’ve seen firsthand how success in cultural diplomacy depends on context and creativity. The strongest programs grow from genuine collaboration with local partners. Each post brings different challenges—limited resources, shifting priorities, new technologies—but also moments of profound connection where relationships, not rhetoric, become diplomacy’s true medium.

In Vietnam, American programs supported through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation are restoring architectural treasures in Hue and Hoi An, while educational partnerships have expanded English training and STEM exchanges. cultural diplomacy is now central to the country’s international identity. And Battery Dance Company brought some of the first postwar modern dance engagements to the country. Cultural diplomacy by the Vietnamese government is now central to the country’s international identity. Vietnam MFA’s annual Days Abroad festival builds bridges worldwide—recent editions in Paris, Tokyo, and Seoul showcased Vietnamese fashion, film, and cuisine. Efforts like these, combined with non-governmental initiatives such as PeaceTrees Vietnam, which has some USG funding, use culture to transform wartime history into shared environmental and humanitarian projects that bring communities together.

In Korea, cultural diplomacy is evolving alongside an unstoppable pop culture wave. Collaborations between U.S. embassies and Korean institutions—such as hip-hop diplomacy workshops in Seoul, youth exchange programs, and the Arts Envoy series connecting K-pop producers with American musicians—illustrate a dynamic partnership rooted in creativity. Beyond entertainment, such programs reveal how shared artistic and social expression can create lasting trust and redefine America’s image through partnership rather than projection.

Egypt tells another story of longevity and reinvention. Its cultural power lies in preserving identity amid change. Through initiatives like the English Access Microscholarship Program, joint museum projects with the Smithsonian, and the U.S.-Egypt Cultural Heritage Preservation Partnership, the focus has been on youth, archaeology, and community exchanges. Egypt’s lively art spaces—like Zamalek’s independent galleries and Cairo’s music festivals—embody cultural diplomacy as dialogue, not doctrine. Here, public diplomacy officers and Egyptian cultural leaders collaborate to build platforms that amplify local voices and celebrate shared heritage.

Beyond the bilateral, cultural diplomacy’s reach is expanding through global initiatives that blend art, sport, and music. Here are some examples from the USG…the Sports Envoy Program have sent American athletes—Olympians, coaches, and players—to over 60 countries each year to promote teamwork, women’s entrepreneurial empowerment, and not forgetting the most needy. Arts Envoys—including visual artists, actors, and poets—conduct workshops and build creative communities across continents. Meanwhile, American Music Abroad and Next Level, which pairs hip-hop artists and dancers with local performers, have proven that even beats and lyrics can spark dialogue faster than speeches ever could. These programs exemplify cultural diplomacy’s profound strength: people engaging people through shared passions.

Such examples highlight a consistent lesson. Whether restoring monuments in Vietnam, collaborating with K-pop creators in Seoul, or co-creating art installations in Cairo, the enduring power of cultural diplomacy lies in respect and reciprocity. It succeeds when it listens and adapts, when it emphasizes partnership over persuasion.

Looking ahead, the next 25 years of cultural diplomacy will depend on how institutions and practitioners respond to global change. Washington policymakers must keep supporting these practitioners—the ones bridging the “last three feet” with creativity and local insight. That means addressing administrative barriers, investing in flexible programs, and empowering embassies to shape initiatives that reflect their communities’ realities. Cultural diplomacy succeeds when Washington trusts the field to lead and innovate.

We also need new frameworks that combine traditional exchange with digital engagement. Virtual tools cannot replace human connection, but they can extend it. Hybrid programs, like online artist residencies and e-sports diplomacy exchanges, will shape the next generation of engagement, making global participation more inclusive.

As IPDGC marks its quarter century, its legacy is a reminder that the conversation about cultural diplomacy is always evolving. For those of us who’ve practiced it in the field, the future feels less like an abstract policy challenge and more like a continuation of the work already being done—in art studios and classrooms, at community centers and concert halls, in every handshake and shared story across borders.

The task ahead is to ensure that this work continues, grows, and inspires the next generation. Because the future of cultural diplomacy depends on people—the practitioners who listen, the artists who exchange, and the citizens who connect.

Here’s to IPDGC’s next chapter—and to the human links that keep diplomacy real.

Creating connections with cultural programs

Cultural Diplomacy, PDx, public diplomacy

By Sydney Teabout

For this PDx podcast, GW senior Sydney Teabout speaks to Nancy Szalwinski, Director for Cultural Programs at the US Department of State.

Ms. Szalwinski has had almost two decades of experience with the U.S. Foreign Service. Her experiences have taken her to several posts in Latin America and also to Eastern Europe and Australia.

In the conversation, Sydney learns more about the goals of cultural programs and how they are part of U.S. public diplomacy. 

Enjoy the PDx episode through this LINK.

Sydney Teabout is a student in the SMPA 3350 Public Diplomacy class taught by Public Diplomacy Fellow Emilia A. Puma. She is a senior studying Journalism and Mass Communication as well as American Studies.

The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author. They do not express the views of the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication or the George Washington University.

Building Enduring Networks: The ECA

Cultural Diplomacy, PDx, public diplomacy

By Brian O’Rourke

Established in 1961, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs works to establish cultural exchanges between the United States and other countries around the world. Through academic, professional, athletic, and artistic exchanges, the ECA allows people from around the world to experience life in the United States and Americans to experience life in a variety of other countries. Through these exchanges the ECA fosters deep, meaningful relations between countries and is able to advance diplomacy through genuine connection between cultures. 

In this PDx interview, GW third-year student Brian O’Rourke talks to Acting Assistant Secretary Lussenhop about the importance of cultural exchange programs in US diplomacy at large and the role of public diplomacy in strengthening relationships between countries.

Matthew Lussenhop serves as the Acting Assistant Secretary of the ECA. He has served as a Foreign Service Officer since 1990. His career in Public Diplomacy has extended from serving as Public Affairs Counselor in the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan to the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy to Belgium. And he has held positions in various US embassies including Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Kuwait; Muscat, Oman; Rabat, Morocco; Sofia, Bulgaria; and Manila, Philippines.

Lussenhop also discusses the importance of cultural exchange programs in US diplomacy at large and the role of public diplomacy in strengthening relationships between countries. He explains how the ECA’s cultural exchange programs have been impacted by COVID 19 and his own experience as a Foreign Service Officer. 

Enjoy the PDx episode: Building enduring networks: The ECA

Brian O’Rourke is a student in the SMPA 3350 Public Diplomacy class taught by Public Diplomacy Fellow Emilia A. Puma. He is an undergraduate student in International Affairs and Political Communication, Class of 2022.

The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the interviewer. They do not express the views of the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication or the George Washington University.

Public Diplomacy Council and U.S. global engagement

Cultural Diplomacy, Exchanges, Global Communication, IPDGC, PDx, public diplomacy

Dr. Sherry Mueller heads the Public Diplomacy Council, a non-profit organization that supports the practice, academic study and advocacy for public diplomacy. The Council looks at the engagement by U.S. Government, especially the State Department and U.S. international broadcasting, but it also observes and learn from the experience of other nations.

Dr. Mueller talks about the Council, its activities and membership.

She promotes the role of PDC as a champion for better US engagement: “I’m a real believer that for any organization, it’s not enough to deliver good programs and services, you’ve got to try to impact the policy environment within which you function.”

At the same time, PDC is looking to encourage and support a new generation of professionals in the field: “If we’re not drawing new young people into the field and into professional associations that serve that field, we’re missing what I would call an opportunity for multi-generational leadership.

“In my view, it’s, it’s so important that any vibrant organization have active members of every generation, and the real art of leadership is bringing those generations together, getting them to work well together, and to tap into their complementary talents and skills.”

Please enjoy the conversation between PDx interviewer and SMPA graduate Victoria Makanjuola and Dr. Sherry Mueller HERE.

The importance of citizen engagement in PD 

Cultural Diplomacy, PDx, public diplomacy, Youth

Nonprofit Learning Life logoAlso, the US State Department presents 2020 Citizen Diplomacy Awards

B&W photo of Learning Life founder
Paul Lachelier

Our interconnected world is ever-changing, and if recent months have shown, having global connections does not always mean better understanding and cooperation among people and their governments. Diplomacy has been always been a practical approach to addressing these moments of disconnect and tension. However, non-government organizations have sometimes led the way by spearheading programs that get citizens involved in diplomacy.

PDx interviewer Victoria Makanjuola talks to Paul Lachelier, founder and director of Washington, DC-based non-profit lab Learning Life. The mission of the organization is to promote lifelong learning and citizen engagement. By using innovative approaches, Paul explains, Learning Life seeks to encourage and provide ways to know more about the wider world – especially amongst communities who do not always have that economic or social access –  finding ways to “democratize opportunity” with programs such as International Mentoring and Family Diplomacy Initiative.

To find out more about Learning Life and its programs, go to their website or write to email@learninglife.info

Here is the latest PDx podcast with Paul Lachelier: Learning Life and the sharing of democracy.

***

Also happening on Wednesday, September 30, is the U.S. State Department presentation of the 2020 Citizen Diplomacy Award to Mr. Mohamed Amin Ahmed, Founder, Chairman, and Executive Director of “Average Mohamed”. Average Mohamed is a counter ideology organization dedicated to stopping extremism and hate. The mission of Average Mohamed is to use ideas to defeat ideas, to find local solutions to global problems, and to promote peace, anti-extremism, and democracy to kids where they are: on social media.

Read more about the Citizen Diplomacy Award: https://www.state.gov/citizen-diplomacy-award/

2020 International Women of Courage award

Cultural Diplomacy, Events, Women
The Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC) is awed and inspired by the recipients of the Secretary of State’s 2020 International Women of Courage (IWOC).

Together with the GW Elliott School of International Affairs and the Gender Equality Initiative, IPDGC was proud to co-host a panel discussion with three of the 2020 IWOC awardees at the school.

The IWOC award honors women around the globe who have exemplified exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality, women’s empowerment, and social progress, often at great personal risk and sacrifice. This is the only Department of State award that pays tribute to emerging women leaders worldwide.

Following the official award ceremony and meetings in Washington, D.C., the IWOC awardees embarked on an International Visitor Leadership Program to visit American organizations and businesses and collaborate with their leadership on strategies and ideas to empower women both in the United States and abroad.

IPDGC Director Dr. Janet Steele delivered welcome remarks at this event. The panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Shirley Graham, Director of the Gender Equality Initiative in International Affairs.

More with videos and photos from the event on the IPDGC website, here.

The full cohort of artists for the Dance Motion USA with DMUSA staff and Jay R. Raman, Director, Cultural Programs Division at U.S. Department of State.

Listen to the latest interview on our PDx podcast: Jay Raman

Cultural Diplomacy, IPDGC, PDx
Jay Raman, US State DepartmentGWU graduate student Chanson Benjamin talked to Jay Raman, soon-to-be Cultural Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, and former Director of the Cultural Division at the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the Office of Citizen Exchanges. Jay spoke about his foreign service career and the importance of cultural diplomacy.

Listen to the PDx interview with Jay on Soundcloud.

 

Futbol Diplomacy

Cultural Diplomacy, IPDGC
By Melody Magly, GWU student (B.A Political Communication, SMPA 2020)
 Caption: U.S. Soccer star Alex Morgan with young footballers in Tanzania.

 

As an undergraduate student studying abroad through the GW Madrid program, I was ready for a real culture change — especially in how I absorbed sports.

The soccer (futbol) team Real Madrid was everywhere once I got there: on scarves, on jerseys, on bumper stickers, and on hats. My favorite spot to study was right next to their stadium (Estadio Santiago Bernabeu) in a coffee shop with green bowls. My time studying abroad also happened to coincide with the Copa Libertadores Final game, which took place in Madrid and not El Salvador last year.

According to El Pais, the original November 2018 match of River Plate vs. Boca Junior was rescheduled when the original game in San Salvador broke down in violence.  Restaging the match in Madrid cost $726,000 in extra security.  There were about 4,000 police officers on patrol at Santiago Bernabeu at the time of the match, but it was expected to bring $42 million in revenue. Though huge sports events like this don’t happen very often, it made me interested in how sports play a role in policy relationships between countries.

I recently spoke to Matt Ferner, a Program Officer in the Sports Diplomacy section of the U.S. State Department, about how programmatic sports exchanges can play a role in international relations. The U.S. Sports Diplomacy office is under the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (exchanges) umbrella, and through its programs, bring foreign sports teams and coaches to the U.S. and sends American athletes and coaches abroad to learn about only sports techniques, and also U.S. culture.

“Sports are an avenue to promote certain life skills or values that we hold and it’s a way to bring in people, including women, girls, people with disabilities, and other people who wouldn’t have such opportunities,” said Ferner.

The Sports Diplomacy section is a small office of about six to seven employees who act as the chief liaisons between foreign diplomats and the U.S. State Department in the planning and execution of all U.S. sports programs abroad. Their work varies from bringing a group of Tanzanian soccer coaches to the United States, to bringing American soccer players to Europe.

“Sports is an avenue that diplomats can use even when the overall relationship with a country isn’t great. It can be used in many more situations,” Ferner said.

Global sports events, like the FIFA Women’s World Cup, are also an incredible opportunity to highlight these relations. Ferner spoke about using the FIFA WWC as an opportunity to expose girls abroad to American women’s soccer superstars like Alex Morgan, while also showcasing how more American girls play soccer at their schools and recreationally.

Ferner highlighted that women coming to the U.S. on sports exchanges also learn more about Title IX, and use that an inspiration to bring empowerment programs like that back to their home countries.

“We think by bringing folks to the U.S,  people in other countries will gain a different perspective about Americans.  We can break down stereotypes about what the U.S. and Americans are like and help them take greater charge of their own lives, too.”

From high-profile sports events like the FIFA Women’s World Cup and Copa Libertadores to small high school exchanges, sports diplomacy helps participants and countries score many goals.      

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