Culture or propaganda? Reflections on Half a Century of American Cultural Diplomacy

In a self-critical attempt to analyze the successes and failure of the US in the context of global efforts to understand and relate to other nations, Richard T. Arndt tracks the course of formal us cultural outreach since World War II. Viewing the last century as a latter-day development in the history of formal and informal us outreach since 1776, he turns a searching light on the current state of play, suggesting that others look behind the pronouncements of policy to actual experience on the ground. A particular major US concern has been the ongoing tension between cultural outreach and the temptations of propaganda. He describes the us attempt to design a style of formal cultural diplomacy consonant with its preceding history of informal but activist cultural outreach. He notes, with a cosmopolitan and optimistic outlook, that culture is the end and education the means, hence that cultural diplomats, more artists than social scientists, aim at sharing educational experiences that offer opportunities to improve the lives of others, thereby opening avenues to a better future for their countries. Arndt differentiates between cultural relations, which happen by themselves, and cultural diplomacy, which attempts to shape elements of cultural relations to serve the interests of one or more nations, over time. There is as yet no end to the us debate between “culturalists”— who try to depict the US realistically on the basis of recognizable truths, honest dialogue, and the search for mutual understanding—and the “informationists”—who spin and shape information so as to mold foreign perceptions. Arndt believes that honest dialogue contributes more to shaping lasting perceptions than the inevitable pamphlets or press-releases. Even if the US experience could be completely understood—no easy task, it can do no more than pose the probing questions each nation must answer before it reaches out in a consistent and constructive way—over time—to engage with the rest of the world.