Culture and Global Engagement in the Coming Decade

What opportunities can culture create for deeper U.S. engagement with the world, and where can it have the greatest impact in the decade ahead?

By Irina Bokova

August 19, 2026

Culture may be one of the most effective tools for deepening U.S. engagement with the world—not because it projects power, but because it creates relationships, builds trust, and fosters collaboration.

Culture may be one of the most effective tools for deepening U.S. engagement with the world—not because it projects power, but because it creates relationships, builds trust, and fosters collaboration. The U.S. has a long history of cultural and educational diplomacy, from museum exchanges and Jazz Ambassadors to its foundational role in world heritage protection, where it helped shape the 1972 World Heritage Convention and was the first country to ratify it. By supporting the conservation of cultural sites endangered by conflict or climate change, and by expanding its preservation and archaeological partnerships worldwide, the United States can simultaneously advance diplomacy, education, scientific cooperation, and cultural understanding while creating benefits that endure well beyond the 250th anniversary itself.

Irina Bokova

Basilinna Executive Director

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