A Complicate Aspect of Cultural Diplomacy. The Reopening of British Council in Romania

Abstract

The paper explores the dynamic of cultural relations between Romania and the United Kingdom during the years of détente. It contributes to the exploration of soft power policies across the Iron Curtain by focusing on the activities of the British Council in Bucharest. In the spirit of détente, its representatives sought to bridge the ideological gap between the two states by gathering information about Romania and by providing Romanian citizens with a heavily curated showcase of the United Kingdom. At the beginning of the Cold War, the connections between Romania and the United Kingdom were frozen, limited only to diplomatic representation. By the second half of the 1960s, the situation changed significantly, as British interest in Romania increased rapidly. This shift must be seen as part of the redefinition of UK foreign policy, which adapted to the specificities of individual countries in Central and South-eastern Europe. My contribution shows that the study of cultural diplomacy beyond the East-West divide reveals the resilience of contacts and dialogue despite the vagaries of bilateral politics during the Cold War.