RESTORING THE US STANDING LIES IN RESTORING CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

By Martin Davidson Reprint | | Print |

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LONDON, Jan 16 2009 (IPS) - The global response to the election of Barack Obama is widely accepted as signalling the desire, at home and abroad, for a new era in US foreign policy. But as he prepares to take office on 20 January, hope alone is not enough and the question remains as to how President Obama will meet the huge expectations of him. In a poll commissioned by the British Council, we found that nearly two-thirds of Americans were worried about the US’s standing abroad, over 8 out of 10 thought it was important for the US to build better relationships with other countries and 79% said that improving the country’s reputation and understanding abroad should be a major priority for the new government. When asked what the biggest threat is facing the world today, two-thirds said the global economic situation. Just over half saw terrorism as the second biggest threat, with cultural and religious intolerance being voted the main cause of conflict and instability in the world. ItÂ’s perhaps not surprising that Americans rank the economy as their biggest worry at the moment, but it is also clear that they’d like to see more than just financial solutions and domestic programmes from their new president. Obama must act to seize the opportunity at home and capitalise on goodwill internationally to restore America’s standing on the world stage. During campaigning, President Obama pledged to “renew American diplomacy to meet the challenges of the 21st centuryÂ… rebuild our alliancesÂ…meet with all nations, friend and foe, to advance American interests”, but also admitted that “resources for cultural diplomacy are at their lowest level in a decade.” In my view, the answer to rebuilding these alliances lies precisely in Barack Obama embracing cultural diplomacy, or what we call cultural relations, as an invaluable instrument in his foreign policy toolbox and re-invigorating the resources depleted over the last decade. The United States Information Agency, which for almost half a century ran cultural and educational exchanges among other things, closed in 1999 when it was folded into the State Department. Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, called for its resurrection during his election campaign. And last month the American think-tank, the Brookings Institution, recommended the creation in the US of a new public diplomacy body. But restoring trust and understanding in the US overseas won’t be a quick fix. President Obama needs the courage and staying-power to invest heavily in the long-term business of cultural relations, if he’s to rebuild lasting relations with other countries on a mutually beneficial and respectful footing. Cultural relations is not about business, not about governments, not about institutions, it’s about people. Cultural relations fosters the cooperation that contributes to a safer, more prosperous world. It encourages co-existence by promoting trust, building understanding, and allowing people to explore what they have in common as well as their differences. This two-way sharing of knowledge, ideas, creativity, skills and expertise transforms lives. By broadening horizons and giving people opportunities to engage internationally, it benefits all countries. But for cultural relations to work there needs to be a clear distance between the organisations charged with this activity and the government of the day; it is not about direct messaging of the views of one or other government. Cultural relations is only effective when it is undertaken in partnership with others and informed by mutual respect for other cultures. Cultural relations is different from other areas of public diplomacy because it is built over, and for, the long term. In 2009 the British Council enters its 75th year, we currently link 900 schools in the UK and overseas as part of our global school linking programme; we help generate over £8 billion for the UK economy promoting educational opportunities to prospective students abroad; we serve over 350,000 English students through our teaching centres and in India alone are training 750,000 English language teachers; we hosted the first foreign arts exhibition in Tehran after the revolution and are currently showing the largest-ever Turner exhibition in Russia; and we work with the Premier League to build the leadership and English language skills of young people overseas through football. But we are not unique. Other countries have similar organisations and we encourage, work with and support them. The world needs more cultural relations. This is President Obama’s opportunity. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS) (*) Martin Davidson is chief executive of the British Council, the UK’s international cultural relations organisation.