Ulla Rønberg
Chief Advisor to Creative IndustriesDanish Chamber of Commerce
Denmark
Traditionally there is political diplomacy – and then there is cultural diplomacy. Cultural diplomacy is seen as a variant of power that is often labelled as ‘soft power’; it is seen as a form of diplomacy that goes unnoticed at levels of state and instead creates bonds between nations at people-to-people level; between cultural institutions, academia and artists. Cultural diplomacy operates in and exchanges values, ethics, notions; cultural diplomacy reproduces and reinstates our cultural beliefs and codes that are handed down through shared history. In cultural diplomacy we exchange these beliefs across borders – as a token of good will and in the end, to strengthen our relations on a political level.
At this point of time in history, one could argue that the era of traditional cultural diplomacy is over. Or one could argue that cultural diplomacy needs to be reinvented to not only reproduce what we already know and cherish; cultural diplomacy needs to address some of the challenges we face on a global level – and point at solutions. Otherwise, cultural diplomacy will lose its ‘soft power’ and become irrelevant. Why so? Because the challenges we face both environmentally, societal, geopolitically and in terms of upholding democratic values are dire and cultural diplomacy needs to reflect this.
The world is changing. The liberal world order, build in the image of the Western alliance after the Cold War, that has served us so well during the last more than 30 years, is under pressure. Geopolitical turmoil and great power rivalry has led many to question the rule based global order governed by multilateral institutions, harvesting the benefits of globalization through global value chains and division of labour, creating the interdependence between countries that was considered leading to peaceful regulation of conflicts – and ultimately to democracy and market economies in all corners of the world. With the war in Ukraine, unrest in the Middle East, countries also in the West are turning inwards and forgetting the historical and cultural ties, not least between Europe and the US. The liberal foundations are shaking. The open challenge of the idea of the liberal world order clearly reflects that we are entering a new cycle of world politics, where nothing less than the global rules of the game are at stake.
This is also a challenge to the traditional notion of cultural diplomacy – and not least cultural diplomacy within the transatlantic alliance – between Europe and the US. On the one hand, the development during the last years has created doubts about the transatlantic alliance on both sides of the Atlantic, which underlines the need for cultural diplomacy, reminding us about the beliefs, ideas and values that has for so long been the fundamental glue in the Western alliance, and has served as the foundation for the Liberal World Order. On the other hand, traditional cultural diplomacy is out of cards to play. Mere reproduction of old ideas and beliefs is no longer enough. We need to address the new problems and challenges associated with a changing world order, and we need to point a way out of our problems. This line of thinking needs to be part of cultural diplomacy.
But how can this be done? Where can we find the drive, the innovation, and the insistence on finding new solutions to new challenges? Let us have a look at the industries that deliver products to our cultural sector, the creative industries. Innovation and problem solving is embedded in the way creative industries work and therefore they should be a powerful addition to cultural diplomacy in the coming decades. Creative industries are solution-seekers. They are at the core innovative and transformative; their products are constantly adapting new findings to new purposes. Take the development of digital technology – for instance the evermore present AI tools. Creative industries like music, gaming, film are already producing and testing ways to optimize production – and they are using AI tools as means in the creative process. The use of AI in creative industries will lead to explorative tracks and visionary findings that will forever change the industries. This will affect not only production – but consumption and in the end, the very way we communicate through media and the arts. Another case; take the development of sustainable architecture and design. In architecture and design a persistent search for ways to transform production into greener alternatives has long been underway. Today we are ready to take the full leap in Denmark with new forms of sustainable housing that are ready to be put into large scale production by entrepreneurs in close collaboration with the building industry.
Creative industries are transgressing the notion of habits; the habitual processing and the habitual production that only repeat patterns of thinking. It is this thinking that will help us propel us to where we ought to be; dealing with the challenges. When investing in cultural diplomacy it should therefore be paired with the new findings and developments in the creative industries – in this way cultural diplomacy would be reinstated to uphold – not soft power – but the power of innovation.
What we need is a creative and cultural industrial alliance reminding us about, why we need to preserve our common values and ideas, and ultimately why we need to fight for the liberal world order. At the same time, we need to be able to point to new solutions to the major challenges that needs to be overcome. This will be one step towards preserving the transatlantic alliance that has proven immensely powerful and beneficial.