Sports in International Politics

Timothy D. Sisk is Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver. His research, teaching and policy-oriented work focuses on conflict prevention, management, and peacebuilding in fragile and post-war contexts. He works with fellow scholars, international and regional organizations, and students on international peace and security concerns such as peacemaking, peacebuilding, and inclusive governance and democracy building. Prior to joining the University of Denver in 1998, Sisk served as a Program Officer and Research Scholar in the Grant Program of the United States Institute of Peace in Washington D.C., and earlier earned a doctoral degree in political science from The George Washington University and an MA in international journalism and BA in international studies and German from Baylor University. Having been “raised on” baseball, basketball, and football, he is an avid cyclist, skier, and all-around outdoor-sport enthusiast.

• List of Illustrations, Tables, Concept Boxes, Case Studies, and Documentary InsightsPrefaceAbbreviationsPart I Sport, Power, and Peace in a Turbulent World1. Sport between Power and PeacebuildingTurbulent World, Uncertain TimesOrienteering through the Global Sport UniverseSport Liberalism in a Realists’ World: A Ukraine StorySymbolic Power: The Achilles’ Heel of International SportAbout this Book: Finding Sport’s Contribution to PeacePart II Situating Sport in a Globalized World2. The Wide World of Sport GloballyWhat is Sport? A Social ConstructionThe Evolving and Changing Nature of SportWhy Sport Matters: Well-beingImplications: The Imperative of Inclusivity in Sport3. Mindsets of Devotion: The Social ‘Power’ of SportThe Sociology of Sport: A PrimerSport in Globalized SocietiesSport and Social DynamicsImplications: Harnessing Sport’s PowerPart III Politics in Sport: Comparative and International Perspectives4. Power: Sport in the National InterestSymbolic Politics and the Politicization of SportPerforming Social Identity: Nationalism in SportSport Diplomacy: ‘Soft Power’ in a Hard WorldImplications: Sport, a Political Instrument 5. The Olympic Games: Swimming in the Currents of HistoryOlympism: Peace, Mostly SymbolicThrough Wars Hot and Cold: The Olympicsin the 20th CenturyBack to the Future: The Olympic Games into the 21st CenturyImplications: The Olympic Games, Still SwimmingPart IV The Basis of Peace: Human Rights and Sustainable Development6. Sport for Human Rights: A Long AssociationAdvancing Human Rights in and Beyond SportBreaking Barriers: Advancing Human Rights through SportNaming, Shaming, and BoycottsImplications: Sport, An Arena for Rights-Claiming7. Sport for Sustainable Development Sport and the SDGsSport and Environmental SustainabilityFrom Catalyst to Causalities: Debating SDPImplications: Furthering EvidencePart V Sustaining Peace: Humanitarianism, Peacebuilding, and Social Cohesion8. Sport for Humanitarian Action, Peacebuilding, and Social Cohesion Sport in Humanitarian ActionPsychosocial Interventions: Reaching Vulnerable YouthPeacebuilding: Overcoming Enmity, Sustaining PeaceImplications: Reflective PracticePart VI Conclusion9. Imagining More Effective Sport for Peace Reprioritizing Sport for Peacebuilding and Social CohesionReforming Global Sport GovernanceRevisiting a ClichéBibliographyIndexAbout the Author

Easily accessible and with deep insight, Sports in International Politics provides an exploration into key trends in the relationship between, on the one hand, sports and global politics, and, on the other hand, the ‘every day’ dimensions of sports in the nurturing of peace and tolerance. By offering the reader a conceptual tool box and mapping empirical trends it is essential reading for understanding the double-edged nature of sports in promoting peace and driving conflict, locally and internationally.