America’s amateur diplomats

WHEN Jim Byrum returned to America in 1970 after a two-year tour of Chile with the Peace Corps, he found himself hankering for Chileans to hang out with. Then he discovered the Columbia Council for Internationals, a volunteer organisation that receives visiting scholars, students, journalists and foreign government officials on State Department fellowships. Half a century later, Mr Byrum remains closely involved with the council, which has 100-odd members. They organise meetings and field visits, potluck dinners and Sunday brunches, and sometimes become friends with their guests.

Mr Byrum is one of thousands of what the State Department call “citizens diplomats” at nearly 90 non-profit organisations in more than 40 states. Each year about 5,000 foreigners visit the United States on the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Participants are chosen by embassies and invited to America for tailored tours. Alumni include more than 500 current or former heads of state or government, including Margaret Thatcher, Nicolas Sarkozy and Indira Gandhi. The programme is administered by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), which also runs the Fulbright programme. But visitors’ hosts are everyday people like Mr Byrum. The State Department reckons some 40,000 Americans participate in programming IVLP.