Quote from Alex bobby on September 7, 2025, 3:05 AM

Cheese Diplomacy: How France Is Using Camembert to Raise the Profile of Diplomats

When most people hear the word “diplomat,” they imagine a champagne-soaked reception in a gilded salon, soft handshakes exchanged over petit fours, and negotiations whispered in luxurious secrecy. Popular culture hasn’t helped, with shows like The Diplomat on Netflix depicting the profession as an endless parade of glamour and intrigue. But the reality, as former ambassadors and professors insist, is often far more mundane: administrative paperwork, late-night crisis management, and constant negotiations on culture, trade, and security.

The French foreign ministry, aware of this yawning gap between perception and reality, has decided to do something unusual: explain diplomacy through cheese.

Cheese as a Diplomatic Weapon

France’s national pride in cheese is as solid as its global reputation for gastronomy. From Roquefort to Brie, these delicacies are more than food—they are cultural heritage, economic drivers, and now, surprisingly, instruments of foreign policy. That is why “diplomacy through cheese” was chosen as one of the more lighthearted yet revealing roundtables during La Fabrique de la Diplomatie (“The Diplomacy Factory”), a two-day event in Paris aimed at demystifying the world of diplomacy.

For organisers, cheese is both metaphor and message. It is instantly recognisable, deeply tied to identity, and universally appealing—much like diplomacy aims to be. If French cheese can make a foreign table feel warmer, why not use it to explain how foreign policy works?

The Image Problem

The choice of such a familiar symbol stems from a deeper issue. According to Claude-France Arnould, former French ambassador to Belgium, the public’s lack of understanding about what diplomats actually do carries real risks. Diplomats, she explained, are often viewed through clichés, which makes their work seem distant or irrelevant. In reality, their jobs span multiple dimensions: managing crises, promoting trade and business abroad, safeguarding citizens overseas, and representing cultural values.

Christian Lequesne, a professor of political science at Sciences Po, added that because the profession is so diverse—and often secretive—it becomes harder to explain. “It is both an administrative job, a file management job, also a job of intervention in crises, and of promoting the economy, businesses, culture, and language,” he said.

With wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East, rising tensions between Washington and Beijing, doubts over multilateral organisations, and climate crises escalating, diplomats argue that their work has never been more vital. Yet the public perception remains lukewarm, if not skeptical.

A Factory for Diplomacy

To bridge this gap, the French ministry of foreign affairs created La Fabrique, which launched in Paris with a packed agenda: speeches, games, roundtables, workshops, and even speed-dating sessions with ambassadors. Attendees could ask direct questions over coffee, breaking down the mystique that usually surrounds international representatives.

The aim, according to Didier Le Bret, director of the Diplomatic and Consular Academy and the event’s architect, was not just education but also transparency. “We approached the topics frankly, without any taboos,” he said. “We deliberately chose to cover all the issues that rightly concern the French people.”

Subjects ranged from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict to France’s role in Africa and Asia. Talks also unpacked the inner workings of organisations such as the United Nations and the European Union. And in the softer domain, cultural and feminist diplomacy, international justice, and, yes, cheese diplomacy, took centre stage.

More Than Politics

Behind the event lies a broader message: diplomacy is not only about presidents and prime ministers making deals at global summits. It is also about building bridges through culture, education, and business. France, with the third-largest diplomatic network in the world—after China and the United States—maintains nearly 160 embassies worldwide. These institutions assist French citizens abroad, promote cultural exchanges, and safeguard economic interests.

And while the budget for the Quai d’Orsay (the foreign ministry) was recently trimmed, organisers insist that its returns far outweigh the costs. “With less than 1% of the national budget, we do a great deal,” said Le Bret. “Every euro invested generates many more euros that subsequently return to the pockets of French citizens through the economic successes we achieve.”

Why Now?

So why did La Fabrique attract such enthusiasm, with an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people expected to attend? Arnould suggests the timing is key. In periods of global crisis, people instinctively seek to understand how diplomacy works. “I believe it is much more difficult to understand diplomacy when everything is going well,” she said. “And I think that we understand diplomacy much better in times of major strategic crises such as the one we are seeing today.”

Indeed, with war on European soil and a turbulent international order, the stakes of diplomatic work have never been clearer.

The Populist Challenge

Still, raising public awareness is only part of the battle. Diplomacy itself faces attacks not only from citizens but also from leaders. Populist politicians like Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, and Viktor Orbán have often dismissed career diplomats, insisting they alone can conduct foreign relations at the highest levels.

This approach sidelines professional diplomats and weakens institutional knowledge, experts argue. It also fuels distrust in diplomacy as a whole, reinforcing the need for initiatives like La Fabrique.

Cheese, Trust, and the Future of Diplomacy

In the end, cheese diplomacy is about more than just Camembert on a platter. It is about reclaiming trust in a profession too often hidden in the shadows, reminding citizens that diplomacy safeguards their interests, even when the results are not always visible.

The French foreign ministry hopes that by inviting the public in—through frank talks, accessible workshops, and even speed-dating with ambassadors—it can transform diplomacy from a distant concept into a relatable part of daily life. And if a slice of Roquefort helps along the way, so much the better.

Looking Forward

As France experiments with creative ways to reconnect diplomacy with its citizens, the success of La Fabrique de la Diplomatie could inspire similar initiatives worldwide. If people come to see diplomats not as distant figures but as essential guardians of security, culture, and economic prosperity, public trust may grow stronger. Looking ahead, the challenge will be to keep this dialogue alive beyond the event—through education, cultural exchanges, and open conversations. If diplomacy can continue to speak the language of everyday life, whether through cheese, art, or shared values, it may not only regain relevance but also strengthen the bonds between governments and the people they serve.

Final Thoughts

At a time of war, climate upheaval, and geopolitical rivalry, diplomacy is too important to be misunderstood. By daring to explain itself—through cheese and conversation alike—France is not only educating its citizens but also defending the very legitimacy of the diplomatic craft. In an anxious world, diplomacy must no longer remain invisible.

Conclusion

Cheese diplomacy may sound whimsical, but its purpose is serious: to make diplomacy visible, relatable, and better understood. At a time when public trust is wavering and populist leaders often sideline career diplomats, initiatives like La Fabrique de la Diplomatie show that explaining foreign policy in accessible, even playful ways can help rebuild confidence. For France, diplomacy is not just about high politics—it is about protecting citizens, promoting culture, boosting trade, and keeping dialogue alive in a fractured world. And if a piece of Roquefort or Camembert helps to bring people closer to that reality, then cheese becomes more than food—it becomes a bridge of understanding.

Meta Description:
France is turning to “cheese diplomacy” to make foreign policy more relatable. Discover how La Fabrique de la Diplomatie aims to demystify diplomats’ work, rebuild public trust, and show why diplomacy matters in today’s turbulent world.