MICHAEL KAISER ON CULTURAL DIPLOMACY
Some may see other value in international exchange in the arts, but here is Kaiser’s take:
While other countries have been active exporters of their arts — China and Great Britain come to mind — the United States government has been reticent to invest in this form of diplomacy.
This was not always the case: both American Ballet Theatre and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater added the word ‘American’ to their names at the request of the State Department about half a century ago when they were sent on government-sponsored international tours.
But while some American embassies abroad have been active in bringing American artists and arts groups to ‘their’ countries in recent years, this is still a very minor activity of the Department of State.