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On Tuesday, the White House launched a new twitter channel (@TheIranDeal) in an attempt to bolster domestic and international support for the agreement reached between the P5+1 and Iran regarding the latter's nuclear weapons program. According to Politico, this is the first time the Obama administration has launched an issue specific twitter handle. US officials... Continue Reading →
One of the greatest difficulties facing foreign ministries in the digital age is the need to react to events in real time. The need for speed, as it were, is in direct contradiction to diplomacy's need for time to respond to events by pooling resources, gathering intelligence and formulating policy recommendations. However, this week saw... Continue Reading →
The US and LGBT rights On the 26th of June 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that the country's constitution guarantees the right to same-sex marriage thereby legalizing gay marriage across the United States. The ruling, seen as a major achievement for LGBT activist around the world, had both domestic and global implications. In recent... Continue Reading →
Philip Seib argues that the advent of social media and social networking sites have brought about a new form of diplomacy, one that must contends with global events taking place in real time. In an age when a single video documenting the brutal oppression of a demonstration circles the globe within hours, foreign ministries are... Continue Reading →
The Catholic Church is no stranger to diplomacy. Indeed since its formation the Church has been at the forefront of diplomatic activity, firs in Europe and then around the world. Popes often served as arbiters in European conflicts while Papal legates served as ambassadors to foreign courts. Even the first foreign ministry was founded by... Continue Reading →
The 20th century saw the rise of multi-lateral diplomacy. Within one century, the major European powers were bound together politically and economically in the European Union while all nations of the world convened regularly in the great halls of the United Nations. In addition, the Cold War led to the creation of two multi-lateral organizations... Continue Reading →
Digital Diplomacy- Between Revolution and Evolution Much of the current debate regarding digital diplomacy tends to focus on the question of evolution vs. revolution. The focal question of this debate is does digital diplomacy represent a revolutionary way of conducting diplomacy or is it merely an evolution in the practice of diplomacy. While answering this question is... Continue Reading →
What causes an 18 year old boy from France to board a plane to Turkey, cross the border into Syria and join a fanatical terror organization named the Islamic State of whose practices include rape, murder, beheading and the destruction of historical relics that have withstood the decline and fall of numerous empires? According to... Continue Reading →
In recent years, several international relations scholars have called on nations to adopt a network model of diplomacy. The term Network Diplomacy often refers to nations' need to create temporary coalitions in order to achieve their foreign policy goals. Such coalitions may be viewed as networks with each member of the coalition serving as a... Continue Reading →
On the 7th of May 2014, the First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama uploaded a Selfie of herself holding a sign saying "#BringBackOurGilrs" onto her twitter account. The Selfie was part of social media campaign calling for the release of 250 Nigerian school girls taken captive by the Islamist Boko Hraam group. https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/status/464148654354628608/photo/1... Continue Reading →
Exploring Digital Diplomacy 