Obama: Restoring US's standing lies in restoring cultural relations

In a British Council-commissioned poll released today

• Nearly two-thirds of Americans said they are worried about the US’s standing abroad
• Over 8 out of 10 thought it was important the US do more to engage and build better relationships with other countries
• Almost 8 out of 10 said that improving the country’s reputation and understanding abroad should be a major priority for the new government
• Cultural and religious intolerance was voted the main cause of conflict and instability in the world

Secretary of State-designate, Hillary Clinton herself acknowledged this week that "America cannot solve the most pressing problems on our own, and the world cannot solve them without America." She also talked about needing to use “the full range of tools at our disposal..... diplomacy will be the
vanguard of foreign policy."

“But restoring trust and understanding in the US overseas won’t be a quick fix. The new administration needs the courage and staying-power to invest heavily in the long-term business of what they call cultural diplomacy and we call cultural relations if they’re to rebuild lasting relations and engagement with other countries on a mutually beneficial and respectful footing,” said Martin Davidson, chief executive of the British Council.

"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, allowing people to explore what they have in common as well as their differences.”

During campaigning, Barack Obama pledged to “renew American diplomacy to meet the challenges of the 21st century.…rebuild our alliances….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.”

The United States’ public diplomacy body, USIA, closed in 1999 when it was folded into the State Department. Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, had called for its resurrection during the election campaign. And the American think-tank, the Brookings Institution, recently recommended the creation of a new public diplomacy body in the US.

The British Council is celebrating 75 years of cultural relations work in 2009. We operate in over 100 countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Burma, to build trust, engagement and opportunities, reaching over 128 million people worldwide each year.

Please contact Victoria Harrison Neves on 07825732466 or Eleanor Hutchins on 07810383049 for more information, further poll results or an interview with Martin Davidson. We also have graphics and stills available for media use.

ENDS/

NOTES TO EDITORS

The British Council commissioned a poll through YouGov of 2000 adults on each side of the Atlantic to compare their views on the challenges we face in 2009 and the responses their respective governments should take. The results are strikingly similar in both the US and UK.

Similarly to the US, over three-quarters of adults here would like to see the UK strengthen relationships with other countries and 4 out of 5 would like the government to prioritise improving the UK’s standing overseas. 9 out of 10 people in both the US and UK also think that it is important that nations have populations with an understanding of other countries and cultures.

Regarding the biggest threat facing the world today, two-thirds of US adults said the global economic situation and just over half saw terrorism as the second biggest threat. In the UK, two-thirds of adults jointly ranked the global economic situation and terrorism as the biggest threats. In both countries, cultural and religious intolerance was viewed as the main cause of conflict and instability in the world.

3 out of 4 adults in both the United States and United Kingdom ranked the US as the most influential player in the world today, followed in both by China. And half of all people polled in the UK and US thought their governments should build closer ties over the next decade, firstly with China and secondly with the Arab world. However, only around a fifth of adults in either the UK or the US wanted their government to build closer ties with the other.

Please contact Head of Press, Victoria Harrison Neves, on +44(0)7825 732 466 for more information or further poll results  We also have graphics and stills available for media use.  View the Press Pack

BACKGROUND TO SOME OF OUR WORK

We work with over 6000 schools in the UK supporting international between children across the world, reaching 1 million pupils - internationalising their horizons and preparing them to work in the global economy.

We help generate over £8 billion for the UK economy by promoting higher and further education opportunities to prospective students abroad and forging international educational links and facilitating joint courses between universities and colleges here and overseas.

We serve over 350,000 English students through our teaching centres in other countries, provide online learning and teaching resources for others, and are training 750,000 English language teachers with the government in India.

We hosted the first foreign arts exhibition in Tehran after the revolution and are currently showing the largest-ever Turner exhibition in Russia.

We work with the Premier League using football to develop young people’s leadership and English language skills.

We have developed a network of young climate change campaigners from 13 countries, who now share their experiences and lessons with each other and more widely at home through a range of activities, and have addressed international leaders at meetings like the G8 in Kobe.