President Barack Obama signed the Interior Appropriations Bill, which appropriates 167.5 million dollars to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), report Natasha Aftandilians and Neil Thakor for New University.

In addition to funding the NEA and the NEH, funding for establishments such as the Smithsonian Museum and the National Art Gallery will also increase substantially.

Aftandilians and Thakor believe that the signing is a “historic move” benefiting artists, aficionados, and patrons alike, as funding for the arts was not a priority for the previous administration. For the Obama Administration, art is 'in,' and cultural diplomacy has a prominent role on the political agenda.

Despite a lack of emphasis on cultural diplomacy in American foreign policy, the concept itself is not new. At American Diplomacy, Scotty Greenwood traces the origin of modern cultural diplomacy to the Cold War-era, when the United States government sent jazz musicians, painters, writers, and actors around the world to enhance the image of US culture. “Since then, the US federal government's cultural efforts ebbed and flowed, re-surging in the wake of September 11th,” recalls Greenwood.

Both the State Department and private initiatives bolster the efforts of cultural diplomacy. Greenwood details the creation of the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE) in 1986. The FAPE, a non-profit organization, works in conjunction with the State Department to contribute art to US embassies around the world.

Now an important part of the Obama Administration's agenda, top officials laud the benefits of cultural diplomacy as an effective component of US policy. “As our nation and world confront the multiple challenges of our time, effective communication is imperative. Bypassing written and spoken words, art expresses the human spirit and human creativity, connecting all citizens on a deeper level,” noted Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

However, the very concept of cultural diplomacy is not without its naysayers. Aftandilians and Thakor cite examples of conservative backlash against federal support for the arts, such as former Speaker Newt Gingrich's attempts to eliminate NEA funding completely.

In a lecture to mark the 75th anniversary of the British Council, Benjamin Barber applauded the benefits but also attacked the very nature of cultural diplomacy.

“The trouble with cultural diplomacy – don't get me wrong, I like cultural diplomacy – is that it is redundant. Culture is diplomacy,” said Barber in a lecture printed in The Independent.

“Which is to say, cultural diplomacy cannot pretend to change how countries do business and probably should not even try,” continued Barber. He stated that sending Black Watch to New York did little to change President Bush's perception of American engagement in the Iraq War. While the acts of cultural diplomacy have inherent value, Barber maintained that they “need to be allowed to speak on their own terms.”

John Brown details the backlash against cultural diplomacy for The Huffington Post. While he advocates the US government’s support for cultural events overseas, he also takes the critical stance into “serious consideration.”

Brown cites “The Embassy's spoof of cultural diplomacy” as an example. The Embassy, a multi-disciplinary group show, which conceptualized that globalization, has rendered the sometime patronizing kind of cultural exchange once conducted by embassies outdated.

“While it can always use rejuvenation and must avoid becoming propagandistic, cultural diplomacy remains as important as ever,” he concludes, while remaining aware of the possible shortcomings of cultural diplomacy.

Greenwood also approves using cultural diplomacy to promote values such as democracy and free expression. “At a time when two wars rage and our safety has proven intricately related to our world-image, art and architecture remind us that we are all part of a common human experience – one that shares the daily sentiments of life beyond politics, governments, and national borders,” he asserts.