Cultural Diplomacy



Cultural DiplomacyInterest in public and cultural diplomacy, after a long post-Cold War decline, has surged in the last few years. The concept of cultural diplomacy – defined most broadly as the propagation of American culture and ideals around the world – has traditionally been defined by government-sponsored broadcasting, educational exchanges, cultural programming, and information or knowledge flow.

The task facing policy leaders – translating interest into action – must accommodate the reality that government cultural work has diminished in scope even as trade in cultural products and Internet communication has increased the complexity and informal character of cross-cultural communication.

A 21st century view of cultural diplomacy, grounded in a broad definition of cultural diplomacy, steps back to consider all the ways that images and symbols of U.S. culture and ideals are transmitted abroad.

Meaningful, real-world cultural-diplomacy policy takes into account the considerable impact of private-sector cultural products – such as movies, music, and television – on international sentiments toward the U.S., as well as the efforts mounted by some corporations and non-governmental organizations to influence the way the U.S. and its culture and values are perceived in the world.