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THE CHANGING CLIMATE FOR CULTURAL RELATIONS
MAR 30, 2009
 Posted by John Worne
All posts by John Worne


What’s changed about the climate for cultural relations between the peoples of the world? Pretty obvious, the global economic crisis. On the eve of the G20 summit, cultural relations might seem marginal, irrelevant or a luxury we can’t afford. All the answers surely lie with international institutions, diplomats and politicians, not international education and cultural links. And as for international consensus on climate change, can we afford to care any more? Not surprisingly as someone who works in cultural relations, I think investment in education and culture, the creative and knowledge economy and the environment should be at the top…... Full Text
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DEAF IS DUMB – WHY LISTENING IS POWERFUL
FEB 18, 2009
 Posted by John Worne
All posts by John Worne


The British Council announced at the start of February, that we have had to suspend our operations in Iran. A sad day for the British Council, and also for tens of thousands of Iranians who have engaged with our cultural and education programmes in recent years. So far so uncontroversial. However, let’s not forget the deeper loss – the loss to the people of the UK. It’s easy to think of public diplomacy as being one way – we give to (or often tell) them. The central premise of cultural relations, and I think the ‘smarter’ versions of public diplomacy…... Full Text
Tags: media • iran • british council
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THE CASE FOR CULTURE
JAN 19, 2009
 Posted by John Worne
All posts by John Worne


As Hillary Clinton said last week, "America cannot solve the most pressing problems on our own, and the world cannot solve them without America. "We must use what has been called 'smart power,' the full range of tools at our disposal," she said, embracing diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal and cultural strategies. In a poll commissioned by the British Council which we published last week, we found that nearly two-thirds of Americans were worried about the U.S.’s standing abroad, over 8 out of 10 thought it was important for the U.S. to build better relationships with other countries and 79%…... Full Text
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WHY IT’S HARDER FOR GOVERNMENTS
OCT 15, 2008
 Posted by John Worne
All posts by John Worne


In today's 24/7 news environment, governments have it hard. In my experience, working at the centre of UK government in the Cabinet Office, I found that government has to know its position on everything and be able to articulate it in a sound bite. You have to be either 'for' or 'against' any proposition, policy proposal or idea. You cannot be equivocal; you cannot have a nuanced view. If it's a significant policy or issue, then you have to be crystal clear. When government isn't clear, the media pursue, challenge and provoke you in 24 hour news cycles until you…... Full Text
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TAKING TURNER TO CHINA
OCT 1, 2008
 Posted by John Worne
All posts by John Worne


It's been great to get such thoughtful comments on our International Relations Spectrum. One way for me to understand other perspectives would be to take a piece of our work at the British Council and look at how we could frame it. Here's a case study to take views on what it could be for – in terms of intentions - and how we could/should describe it and deliver it to maximize its impact. I'll deliberately exaggerate for effect, but let's imagine you can take a J.M.W. Turner exhibition to China in three different guises: A cultural diplomacy (CD) guise;…... Full Text
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