Beyond the Final Whistle: Lessons in Sports Diplomacy from the 2026 World Cup
Join us for Session 1 of the Fall 2026 Cultural Diplomacy Initiative Study Group--a five-part series designed for anyone interested in exploring how culture can serve as a source of connection, dialogue, and resilience amid rapidly changing political, social, and technological conditions. Across five sessions, the series will explore sports as a platform for diplomacy and international cooperation; cultural institutions as enduring channels of communication; the implications of artificial intelligence for creativity and cultural ownership; storytelling, identity, and belonging; and the protection of cultural heritage during conflict.
Bringing together leading artists, athletes, cultural institutions, policymakers, scholars, and practitioners, the sessions will connect historical case studies with contemporary challenges and examine both the possibilities and limitations of culture as a diplomatic tool. Together, the series aims to deepen our understanding of how cultural exchange—in stadiums and concert halls, through technology and storytelling, and in the preservation of shared heritage—can build trust, sustain relationships, preserve identity and memory, and create space for dialogue when other channels of communication become more difficult.
The series is led by Carla Dirlikov Canales, a Fellow for the Program on Diplomacy and Statecraft at the Belfer Center. Canales is also a Visiting Professor at the Korbel School of International Studies. She served the first Senior Advisor and Envoy for Cultural Exchange at the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities during the Biden Administration, and has served as a U.S. State Department Arts Envoy since 2005.
Fall 2026 Sessions:
September 16th: Beyond the Final Whistle: Lessons in Sports Diplomacy from the 2026 World Cup
September 30th: Keeping the Door Open: Culture, Trust & Diplomacy in Difficult Times
October 28th: Culture in the Age of AI: Identity, Ownership & Human Creativity
November 10th: Who Owns a Story? Culture, Identity & Belonging
December 2nd: What Do We Save? Protecting Cultural Heritage in an Age of Conflict
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