For much of the 20th century, the British Royal Family captured the world’s attention. Thanks to Prince Phillip, Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 Coronation attracted an estimated 227 million viewers from across the world, a record at that time. Princess Diana’s wedding was viewed by 750 million people, while her funeral was viewed by 2.5 billion viewers.... Continue Reading →
America’s New Rhetoric of Alliances
In a recent article, Guy Golan and I argued that the 21st century will be governed by three giants: The US and China, thanks to their military and financial power, and India thanks to its status as the world’s telecommunications hub. In the world of giants, no single nation will be able to later the... Continue Reading →
Wikipedia is a Digital Diplomacy Priority
By the end of the 18th century, the Palace of Versailles was no longer home to France's greatest thinkers. These had migrated to Paris where they attended the city's salons. French salons were never as ostentatious as those of Versailles, nor as rigid and overburdened with ceremony. The salons were simple parlor gatherings hosted by... Continue Reading →
How MFAs Celebrated International Women’s Day Online
Comment: This post about International Women’s Day was written from a man’s perspective. It is thus highly likely that the analysis in this post would benefit from the insight of women. I encourage women readers to comment on this post and offer their own analysis of the tweets analyzed below. This insight will be integrated... Continue Reading →
Biden’s 100 First Tweets in Office
The term ‘First 100 days’ in office was coined by US President Franklin D Roosevelt and referred to a windfall of legislation that Presidents promote during the earliest days of their administration. In Roosevelt’s case, the first 100 days were used to introduce 15 bills all meant to alleviate the Great Depression through ‘New Deal’... Continue Reading →
The Iran Deal is already being negotiated on Twitter
Digital platforms are now increasingly used for diplomatic signaling. MFAs and diplomats often use Twitter to comment on crises, address other nations’ policies and even criticize state action. They do so knowing full well that their Twitter accounts are monitored by their peers, and influential social media users such as journalists and blogger. Already in... Continue Reading →
National Memories and Holocaust Remembrance
January 27th marked the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Notably, this day carries little significance in Israel. There are no national ceremonies or moments of silence to commemorate the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Israel has a dual relationship with the Holocaust. On the one hand, the Holocaust is commonsensical to Israelis. For... Continue Reading →
Biden Goes Viral; But Not Among Diplomats
On January 20th, as President Joe Biden took the Oath of Office, he also gained control of the @POTUS Twitter account (President of the United States), one of the most followed accounts on Twitter. Both his predecessors had amassed a vast following online with Donald Trump reaching some 90 million followers and Barack Obama 137... Continue Reading →
How Biden & Harris used Twitter to signal the world
Historically, the transition of power in one global empire necessitated extensive diplomatic efforts on the part of all other powers. A new Austrian emperor, for instance, would have to be studied carefully so as to ascertain his political mindset, his commitment to peace, his zeal for war and his willingness to maintain ties with old... Continue Reading →
The Two Faces of Maria Zakharova
In 1956, Erving Goffman introduced his theory of impression management. His book, The Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life, contended that individuals always strive to manage their impressions during social settings. To do, individuals must first identify the social setting they are in (e.g., a theatre or dinner party), adopt the most appropriate behaviors... Continue Reading →