2025/09/02 by Maroš Timko · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics #History and International Relations #Political and Social Dynamics in Chile and Latin America
paper · doi:10.1080/14701847.2026.2628693
openalex publication_date 2025/09/02 · openalex created_date 2026/03/06 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
After the Cuban Revolution, Czechoslovakia sought to strengthen its influence in Latin America through a more active and multidimensional foreign policy. In the case of Colombia, Czechoslovakia intended, through the transfer of people, goods, and information, to harness in this country also its cultural diplomacy while at the same time fulfilling its economic necessities. The Czechoslovak cultural propagation took place in various spheres (Radio Broadcasts, Film and Cinema, Press and Literature, Educational and Scientific Cooperation, and Exhibitions and Tours); still, Prague has decided to complement its cultural diplomacy in the region with the activities of its foreign intelligence service. This contribution aims to clarify the entanglement of Czechoslovak trade, culture, and secret service within the Czechoslovak-Colombian relations in the 1960s. It focuses on the forms, actors, motivations, and objectives of the Czechoslovak cultural propagation in Colombia. The study also sheds light on the role of Colombian citizens who acted within the mutual relations not only as cultural brokers but also as collaborators of Czechoslovak State Security and its foreign intelligence.