US cultural diplomacy after the Cold War provides an in-depth account of American cultural diplomacy from the end of the Cold War through the start of the second Trump administration (1991-2025). The volume is principally concerned with investigating American cultural diplomacy through the lens of its programs, policies, and institutions. The various studies featured in the book offer a much fuller and current analysis of the subject than exists elsewhere. Drawing on a wealth of evidence, mostly untapped, they highlight the practical challenges, contradictions, continuity and change of US cultural diplomacy after 1991, and how these have been reflected through the use of dance, museums, films, music, and expos.

The book also tackles specific questions, such as how the success of cultural diplomacy is assessed, how the State Department was able to promote cultural diplomacy during the post-9/11 period and the Covid lockdown, and how America's cultural diplomats have sought to counter negative images of the United States due to its controversial climate change policies, racial equity issues, and fractious, polarised political landscape. Covering a period of US cultural diplomacy characterized by a post-Cold War decline followed by a post-9/11 recovery, the book anticipates a more negative scenario with the onset of the second Trump administration.