#FranceAndUS Sports Diplomacy: Stronger Transatlantic Relations Hiding in Plain Sight

Earlier this month, we had a Transatlantic Forum in-person on #FranceAndUS Sports Diplomacy: Stronger Transatlantic Relations Hiding in Plain Sight. 

Today, there’s greater urgency to forge stronger transatlantic relationships beyond traditional policymaking circles. Last fall’s Franco-American fallout over the AUKUS submarine deal illustrated the need for closer relations between French and Americans more broadly—and sports diplomacy can play an impactful role. From the Olympics diplomacy between the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games to hoops- and football (soccer)-diplomacy, French-American sports ties are forging closer relations through the unique power of sport.

The guest speaker was Dr. Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff, a historian, writer and consultant working at the intersection of global sport, communication and diplomacy. Director of FranceAndUS and co-director of the SOAS University of London “Basketball Diplomacy in Africa” project, she is the author of The Making of Les Bleus: Sport in France (2013) and Views From the Embassy (2014), has written about global sports for the Athletic, CNN International, VICE Sports, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and others, and lectures on sports and diplomacy at the Robert Preston Tisch Institute for Global Sport, New York University. A Research Associate with the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, SOAS University of London and veteran of the U.S. Department of State’ Office of the Historian, Krasnoff holds a PhD in History from The Graduate center (City University of New York), MA in Journalism and French Studies (NYU), and BA in International Affairs (The George Washington University). Remy Raisner, Founder & CEO at The Raisner Group and Forum member moderated the discussion.