U.S. Sports Diplomacy as Counterinsurgency
An Anti-Imperialist Perspective
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23309866 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Chen Chen (0000-0002-9786-8003, University of Connecticut), Nida Ahmad (0000-0002-5922-9796, Film Independent) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-13 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociology of Sport Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0741-1235 • E-ISSN: 1543-2785 |
| Publisher | Human Kinetics (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1123/ssj.2025-0211 |
| OpenAlex | W7171858905 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 24 |
The mainstream discourse of sport diplomacy perpetuates a form of epistemic liberal Eurocentrism that sidesteps questions of capitalism, (neo)colonialism, and imperialism. Against this colonial amnesia, this paper draws upon theories of counterinsurgency to examine the contemporary sport diplomacy programs directed by the U.S. government and carried out by various state/nonstate actors. A critical reading of diplomatic cables and public sources reveals that, on the one hand, sport diplomacy was discussed internally by U.S. diplomats as a crucial means to reestablish U.S. legitimacy overseas; on the other hand, it was presented to the public as a depoliticized, good-for-all activity. This analysis situates U.S. sports diplomacy within an ensemble of counterinsurgency tactics to advance foreign policy objectives of the U.S. settler empire.
Colonialism · Diplomacy · Eurocentrism · Foreign policy · Legitimacy · Mainstream · Perspective (graphical) · Martial Arts: Techniques, Psychology, and Education · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sports, Gender, and Society
Music Pushed, Music Pulled
Whither WikiLeaks? The Case for the Critical Diplomatic History Method in American Empire Studies
The green economy as counterinsurgency, or the ontological power affirming permanent ecological catastrophe
Sport Diplomacy and National Identity
Marketing Politics and Resistance
Peacebuilding as counterinsurgency in the occupied Palestinian territory
Israeli Hasbara and the NBA's Palestine Exception
The Nineteenth Century Origins of Counterinsurgency Doctrine
From Black Power to Indigenous Activism
Settler colonial counterinsurgency
Football, colonial doctrine and indigenous resistance
Sport, Cultural Imperialism, and Colonial Response in the British Empire
Settler Colonialism–Genocide–Athleticide
Can There Be “Normal” Sport in an Abnormal World? Sport Boycott and Athlete Activism for Ceasefire in Gaza
Current political uses of sport revised
The Afterlife of Fascism
Managing violence
Good Muslim, Bad Muslim
| Highly cited | No |
|---|