Abstract
This chapter grapples with the question of whether the EU can project a coherent image to the outside world through public diplomacy given its significant cultural diversity. Has this been an impossible task or has the EU over time managed to create successful and legitimate ways of augmenting its soft power through the export of its cultural products? To shed light on this issue, I first consider the United States as the target audience for European cultural products, and evaluate successes and failures on a practical level. To what extent and why are Americans aware of European cultures? Second, I compare American public diplomacy approaches to European ones. Given that both the EU and US have high-levels of cultural diversity, I conclude by drawing out the lessons and drawbacks of adopting an American approach to public diplomacy, especially in light of the changing geo-political landscape.
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Cross, M. (2014). Transatlantic Cultural Diplomacy. In: Henze, R., Wolfram, G. (eds) Exporting Culture. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-01921-1_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-01921-1_2
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