The Place of Culture in Developing Diplomatic Relations: An Analysis of Nigeria-United States of America Ties

Abstract

This paper analyzes the role of culture in developing and sustaining diplomatic relations in contemporary times. As cultural diplomacy has become an evolving practice of establishing diplomatic relations and formulation of foreign policies, the study examines its application in Nigeria’s efforts to expand and improve foreign relations with countries abroad; particularly the United States of America. The Post-Cold War era has continued to witness the growth in the use of culture to foster relations among nations to promote a peaceful and secured ties in the face of growing tensions of “nuclear powerâ€.  Nigeria been a non-nuclear and a “third world powerâ€, the study suggests that harnessing the rich cultural diversities and uniqueness (the most populous black nation) of Nigeria remains an excellent means of improving diplomatic relations especially with the United States of America. The goal of this paper is to present in a scholarly way how the use of culture can inform foreign policies to improve and strengthen diplomatic ties between Nigeria and the United States. The study further aims to highlight various aspects of culture that has impacted on  Nigeria’s diplomatic relations with the USA and how they can be improved for better use in the future. The historical analytical method was adopted to arrive at the conclusion. Findings from the study shows that culture is a soft point for negociations and a veritable platform/medium of exchange for proffering solutions. Moreover, culture is identified as the most compelling ways of gaining alliances and establishing relationships between countries.

Keywords: culture, cultural diplomacy, foreign polcy, diplomatic ties.