About me
Explaining Washington from Spain
Cristina Crespo Palomares holds a PhD in American Studies from the Universidad de Alcalá and analyzes US politics and Spain–US relations. She wrote La alianza americana (Catarata, 2016) and edited Vote for America. Cómo entender las elecciones en Estados Unidos (Catarata, 2022). Since 2014 she has analyzed US elections on television, on the radio and in print. She spent 18 years at the Universidad de Alcalá, first at the Franklin Institute-UAH and later as Chief of Staff to the Rector.
I hold a PhD in American Studies from the Universidad de Alcalá.
My dissertation, on the Atlanticist strategy of Spanish foreign policy between 1996 and 2004, became the book La alianza americana [The American alliance]. Before that I studied Translation and Interpreting at the Universidad de Málaga and European Studies at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.
I worked at the Universidad de Alcalá for 18 years. At the Franklin Institute-UAH, one of Spain's leading centers for the study of the United States, I was Director of Research (2008-2016) and then General Coordinator and Director of External Relations (2016-2022). Among other projects, I ran the seminar series on transatlantic relations at Casa de América and was editor-in-chief of the journal Tribuna Norteamericana. From 2022 to 2026 I was Chief of Staff to the Rector, as part of the university's executive team, with three departments and 14 people reporting to me. Before joining the university, I worked in the private sector, directing communications projects and corporate events for large companies.
In 2014 the State Department selected me for its International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), and I followed that year's midterm elections on the ground. I have explained every election cycle since then on La Sexta, Antena 3, Telecinco, RTVE, Cadena SER and COPE, and in the Spanish dailies ABC and El País. I have taught undergraduate and graduate courses such as US Institutions and Government, Bilingual Education and Teaching, International Studies, and English-Spanish Translation.
What interests me most is what Washington's decisions mean for Spain and Europe on NATO and defense, and on trade. Inside the United States, I keep a close eye on the Hispanic vote and the role of women in politics. And, drawing on my years in management, I want to launch projects that bring universities, business and institutions together. My leadership experience →