When studying the Cold War, one cannot help feeling overwhelmed by the amount of acronyms used by both the US and the USSR. From NATO and ICBMS (Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles) to SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty) and VOA (Voice of America), acronyms seem to have played a major role in this prolonged global conflict.... Continue Reading →
Between Digital Diplomacy and Diplomacy 2.0
Note: This post was originally published on the Public Diplomat Website. Several weeks ago I was asked if there was a difference between the terms digital diplomacy and diplomacy 2.0 or if they are simply synonyms. At the time, my answer was that both terms relate, among other, to the incorporation of Social Networking Sites (SNS) in... Continue Reading →
In Digital Diplomacy, A Narrowing Digital Divide-Part 2
By and large; the digital divide refers to inequality in access to, or ability to use, information and communication technologies. Such a divide may exist between populations and geographic areas in a given country or between countries. The global digital divide, often refers to the fact that the internet has not spread evenly throughout the... Continue Reading →
In Digital Diplomacy, A Narrowing Digital Divide-Part 1
By and large; the digital divide refers to inequality in access to, or ability to use, information and communication technologies. Such a divide may exist between populations and geographic areas in a given country or between countries. The global digital divide often refers to the fact that the internet has not spread evenly throughout the... Continue Reading →
The Social Network of Foreign Ministers on Twitter
During 2014, I began exploring digital diplomacy through social networks. I found that social networks are an effective way of analyzing digital diplomacy given that diplomats, embassies and MFAs now routinely follow one another on social media. For diplomats and diplomatic institutions, social media has become an important working tool as it enables them to gather... Continue Reading →
How Kenya’s MFA Leads By Example
2014 Summaries Over the past few weeks, many bloggers, journalists and research institutes investigating digital diplomacy have published their summaries of 2014. One such summary that attracted much attention dealt with India's digital diplomacy achievements over the past year. While some have focused on the social media activity of India's new Prime Minister and twitter celebrity Narendra... Continue Reading →
Another Aspect of Digital Diplomacy: How the Smartphone Has Altered Diplomacy
When referring to the immerging field of digital diplomacy, many people place an emphasis on the manner in which social networking sites such as twitter and Facebook have altered the practice of diplomacy. Yet as I recently witnessed, the impact the digital age has had on diplomacy is far more reaching. Two weeks ago I... Continue Reading →
When the World Welcomed Mahmoud Abbas to Twitter
A Momentous Year in American History: 1927 would prove to be momentous year in American history. Prohibition had now entered its eighth year yet Americans were consuming more alcohol than ever. The Mississippi river had flooded bringing about one of the worst natural disasters in American history. Baseball legend Babe Ruth and the New York... Continue Reading →
How to conceptualize digital diplomacy- the nervous system and network models
A Brief Introduction to Communication Models: Throughout history, communication technologies have had a profound influence on the manner in which people perceive their world. Likewise, evolutions in communication technologies have often led to revolutions in societies. The invention of the printing press, for example, had a considerable contribution to the formation of modern nation states... Continue Reading →
Cyber Armies: Are Militaries Now Part of Digital Diplomacy? Part 2
Last week I published a post dealing with the possible integration of armed forces into the world of digital diplomacy. I was first interested in this issue after reading that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had joined twitter. The CIA's first tweet was a "tweet heard round the world" as it attracted much media... Continue Reading →