Commentary
Wall Street Journal

The Hard Power behind Olympic Triumph

The Games in Paris succeeded because they were protected by a ring of steel.

walter_russell_mead
walter_russell_mead
Walter Russell Mead
Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship
Walter Russell Mead
Team United States Men's Rowing Four gold medalists Justin Best, Liam Corrigan, Michael Grady and Nick Mead on day eleven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on August 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (Carl Recine via Getty Images)
Team United States Men's rowing four gold medalists Justin Best, Liam Corrigan, Michael Grady, and Nick Mead on day 11 of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on August 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (Carl Recine via Getty Images)

The Summer Olympics were a triumph for the beleaguered President Emmanuel Macron, for the city of Paris and above all for the athletes. The Games reminded the world why we look to France for elegance and why France receives more tourists than any country in the world.

They also reminded everyone why the Games matter. Launched in 1892 by the French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937), the modern Olympic movement reflects and embodies the strengths and weaknesses of the current world order in a way that no other global event comes close to doing.

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