Searching for the Successor Generation: Public Diplomacy, the US Embassy's International Visitor Program and the Labour Party in the 1980s

Abstract

This article looks at the influence of US public diplomacy in the UK, in particular the use of the International Visitor Program as a channel for encouraging dialogue and the introduction of new ideas into the Labour party during the 1980s. The drift towards the left and the adoption of unilateralism caused great concern for the Americans. What was at stake was the future direction of the party and the need to realign its international stance with American interests. A keen eye was always kept on new talent entering the House of Commons after each election. In 1983 the ‘best and the brightest’ were undoubtedly Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. By using the Program to open up the United States to these young politicians and their political allies, the Embassy contributed to the linkage and cross-fertilisation between those who would become New Labour and the New Democrats a decade later.