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In 2014, Russia launched a stealth invasion of Ukraine. Resulting in the annexation of Crimea, the 2014 invasion saw the mass utilization of social media by Russian state authorities, the Russian foreign ministry and Russian diplomats. Russia’s digital communications rested on four arguments. First, that the democratically elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted from... Continue Reading →
The Russia-Ukraine war has witnessed the emergence of new social media practices. The Ukrainian government, for one, has been using social media to crowdfund its armed forces and create an IT army charged with cyber-attacks against Russia. Yet the war has also seen the growing use of memes. Ukrainian diplomats and government ministries have published... Continue Reading →
Negotiations have been a cornerstone of diplomacy since its very inception. Historically, Ambassadors to foreign courts held the title of “Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary”. This grandiose title meant that Ambassadors had the authority negotiate and sign treaties on their nation’s behalf. This was necessary due to the technology of the days- letter sent by horseback that... Continue Reading →
Since the onset of Russia’s War against Ukraine, social media users have authored and disseminated thousands of memes. At times, memes respond to trending news stories. Such was the case with the barrage of memes depicting Ukrainian tractors towing Russian tanks and armored vehicles. Other times memes have been used to try and galvanize international... Continue Reading →
Two weeks ago, the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Department of Communications at Ben Gurion University, held a one day workshop on the future of the Metaverse. The workshop explored how the Metaverse may impact society and diplomacy. Below, are my comments in which I call on diplomats to partake in shaping the vision of... Continue Reading →
In his renowned article from 1990, Joseph Nye hoped to conceptualize how America would exercise power following the Cold War. Power, asserted Nye, rests on the ability to change the behavior of other states. This can be achieved through co-opetive, or Soft Power, or coercive Hard Power. Nye therefore distinguished between two policies that could... Continue Reading →
The War in Ukraine has been substantially impacted by digital technologies. In fact, it has been a war of many digital firsts, and there is little doubt that Ukraine’s innovative use of digital technologies will alter the nature of modern conflict. Ukraine’s approach during the war has not rested on employing new technologies but, rather,... Continue Reading →
The age of social media is the age of total transparency. Studies have found that the more personal a tweet or Facebook post, the more a user bares his soul, the more Likes they will garner. And as social media users wish to be seen and Liked, they become accustomed to sharing all facets of... Continue Reading →
Digital diplomacy is not a new phenomenon. Beginning in the 1990s, foreign ministries (MFAs) sought to adopt and leverage digital technologies. In some cases, this was as rudimentary as using emails as opposed to diplomatic cables or creating intranets, internal networks that enabled diplomats to share information and knowledge with peers. By the early 2000’s,... Continue Reading →
Yesterday I set out to understand the current state of affairs in Ukraine. The day began, as always, with a barrage of memes mocking a meeting between Russian President Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The news was not all bad. Though the two gentlemen seemed distanced, Lavrov emphasized that there may still be... Continue Reading →
Exploring Digital Diplomacy 