1. Sports Diplomacy: Dispelling Myths and Building Bridges in an Age of Disinformation
- Author:
- Elise Crane
- Publication Date:
- 09-2017
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- The Ambassador's Review
- Institution:
- Council of American Ambassadors
- Abstract:
- Russia’s forays into hybrid warfare have elevated disinformation to a critical foreign policy concern. Technological innovations such as bots and trolls enable the Kremlin to target Europeans with falsehoods intended to undermine citizens’ faith in their own leaders and institutions. In doing so, the Kremlin is attempting to erode the backbone of transatlantic unity and discredit the basic organizing principles of post-Cold War Europe. As the public diplomacy desk officer for Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus, I have worked with interagency teams to coordinate a whole-of-government approach to addressing disinformation across Europe. This experience suggests that as we work to formulate a cohesive response, we should capitalize on new technology and also preserve such classic public diplomacy programs as people-to-people exchanges. Sports diplomacy exchanges are a particularly powerful tool to correct false narratives, promote open societies and build lasting ties in even the most difficult contexts.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Culture, Sports, and Cultural Diplomacy
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus