Sports Diplomacy, Soft Power, and Mohammed Ali, the Boxer.

Henry Kissinger said, “Diplomacy is the art of increasing power.” It is also the art of resisting force, and force is an element of power. In his book “Soft Power: the means to success in the world of politics,” Joseph Nye defines soft power as the ability to influence others without coercion using culture, traditions, values, and sports rather than military instruments. Sport is a tool for cultural diplomacy and soft power to achieve international financial, political, and social objectives. Sports at the international level is becoming a universal language that everyone worldwide can understand regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religion, and race. It results in bringing people and cultures together and promoting peace. However, things are not always happening in the same way; sometimes, the soft power of cultural diplomacy can become worse than hard power as it is used to develop feelings of hatred, hostility, aversion, and agony.

Moscow, the capital city of Russia, was selected to host the Summer Olympics of 1980. In December 1979, the troops of the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Western countries and the United States primarily criticized military intervention. As already, the SU and the US were big rivals and sources of polarizing the world into East and West. The idea to boycott Moscow Summer Olympics in 1980 was not new, as it was discussed in 1975 and 1976 by the US and widely circulated among human rights organizations to show anger against human rights violations by the Soviet Union. In January 1980, after the Afghan invasion, Jimmy Carter, the then president of the United States, once again raised the campaign to boycott the international events of the Olympics to build political pressure on Russia. This time Jimmy Carter played the dirtiest politics and used the political career of Mohammed Ali, the boxer, a renowned sportsman, to drum up Carter’s manifesto. As a result, more than 60 allies joined the US and boycotted the international sports event. Carter’s administration didn’t stop there but sent Mohammed Ali to Africa to deliver the message to boycott the Olympics. Times Magazine wrote, “the most bizarre mission of the history in politics.” Because Mohammed Ali, an influential figure to unite the world on one platform, was used by political agents to divide the world to gain personal or presidential interests. “Ali: A Life” is a book written by Jonathan Eig where he mentions that the task to boycott Moscow Olympics was forced on Ali, and thus, he lost for the first and last time.

This event of sports diplomacy not only divided the world and implanted further haters against the US, as it became clear that the US was inciting the fire. The event also impacted the health of the great champion of history who made unbreakable records in lifting heavy weights and could not lift the weight of division that sports diplomacy has created without using any weapons but him.

The US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy -ACPD states that “politicians are interested in sports and sports figures only when they seek their benefits, and for such purpose, their political agents keep close eyes on the performance and popularity of sports stars and sports events.”

Nuurishh

Sports Diplomacy, Soft Power, and Mohammed Ali, the Boxer.