Background

The White House Conference on Culture and Diplomacy will bring together diplomats, artists, and scholars for a discussion on how to better integrate cultural concerns into the day-to-day conduct of American foreign policy and strengthen cultural exchange programs that serve as invaluable forms of international communication. As part of a Department of State public diplomacy campaign following the merger of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Information Agency, the Conference will address the importance of promoting cultural exchange and the role of culture in foreign policy. Building on a meeting hosted by Secretary Albright last March with diplomats, Members of Congress, international leaders of cultural institutions, the arts, foundations, multinational companies, and nongovernmental organizations, the White House Conference on Culture and Diplomacy will focus on the intersection of culture and foreign policy, more specifically the role of culture in the formulation and conduct of foreign policy. At the March meeting, Secretary Albright said, "culture and American foreign policy are not often used in the same sentence, or even paragraph, and I want to change that."

The Conference will focus on four specific, interrelated issues:

• Preserving and Promoting Diverse Cultures in a Global Economy;

• The Role of Culture in the Practice of Diplomacy;

• The Role of Multinational Companies, NGOs, and Multilateral Organizations in Promoting Cultural Understanding and Exchange; and

• The Arts and Humanities Abroad -- Sharing America's Cultural Diversity.

Less than 1% of the federal budget is appropriated for foreign affairs, and within that tiny fraction, support for cultural programming has decreased during the past 15 years. Calling attention to this severe decline, the Conference will acknowledge support among American diplomats for strengthening cultural exchange programs to help create a stronger base for advancing U.S. interests overseas and introducing U.S. citizens to the arts and scholars of other nations.

The U.S. Government has a long history of supporting international cultural exchange. Its flagship international educational exchange program, the Fulbright Program, designed to "increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries," has provided more than 230,000 participants -- graduate students, scholars and professionals, and teachers and administrators from the U.S. and other countries, chosen for their leadership potential -- with the opportunity to learn from each other. Public-private partnerships also play an integral role in furthering international cultural exchanges and presenting the diversity of American culture overseas -- benefiting both the foreign policy and the arts of the United States. Educational and arts institutions are also active in sponsoring cultural activity from abroad in the United States.

Under Secretary Evelyn S. Lieberman has led a broad public diplomacy effort to focus on culture's role in foreign policy, which includes the launching of large-scale, model cultural exchange projects in China and Nigeria and the development of working partnerships with public and private cultural organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the White House Millennium Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Library of Congress, the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Rockefeller Foundation, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the World Bank, and Arts International.

Culture shapes and pervades all aspects of governments' policy. The Conference aims to sensitize the U.S. foreign policy establishment to this reality, and at the same time raise awareness of how culture shapes attitudes, positions, and policies. In other countries, cultural values and practices influence other issues, including trade and national security. Cultural presentations provide excellent opportunities for U.S. professionals to meet necessary contacts in an atmosphere conducive to mutual understanding and trust.

On numerous occasions, arts, humanities, and sports groups have made noticeable impact in countries with which the United States has either difficult relations or a fragile, nascent relationship. Ping pong diplomacy with China, Vladimir Horowitz returning to play the piano in his native Russia, performances of the Dance Theater of Harlem in South Africa prior to end of apartheid are but a few examples. Culture speaks a "universal" language that can have powerful effects when the discourse of diplomacy is not established. Cultural expressions often represent a symbolic step forward, leading to diplomatic initiatives.

The White House Conference on Culture and Diplomacy represents both the culmination of current policy discussions and the springboard for the next administration to move ahead with the ideas and proposals that the conference will generate. Indeed, such movement will contribute to a greater mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries and societies, redounding to the benefit of our government, our artistic, scholarly and business communities, and our whole society.

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Culture and Diplomacy Conference | Educational and Cultural Affairs | Department of State