US Embassy Support for Hollywood’s Global Dominance: Cultural Imperialism Redux

Abstract

Hollywood’s global market power has been attributed to several factors, but little attention has been given to the support it receives from the US government, and State Department embassies in particular. However, the release of over 250,000 US diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks in 2010, has provided scholars with an opportunity to examine this aspect of US government support for Hollywood’s market power in detail. This article will explore how the State Department’s global network of embassies support Hollywood’s economic interests. I conclude that this State/Hollywood relationship is evidence of contemporary American cultural imperialism.