ABSTRACT
A COMMANDING STATUE of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, mounted on his horse, dominated the hall where the Italian prime minister and the Ira-nian president met in early 2016. But the Iranian leader could not see many of the other statues at the Capitoline Museum in Rome where the meeting took place. Naked statues in the museum were covered up with white panels. e oce of the Italian leader made the decision to censor the nude statues out of respect and consideration for Iranian culture. e decision, however, annoyed many Italians. In their blogs, they accused the government of betraying Italy’s rich and proud history and culture in order to please an international guest. Cross-cultural psychology is particularly helpful in such instances, since diplomacy at its core involves understanding other people and countries (as well as an expectation that they will make a similar eort to understand you) and by applying knowledge of history and culture to real-life situations.
