This week I have published a new working paper examining Russia's practice of 'Selfie Diplomacy' during 2020-2021. The Working paper begins by discussing why nostalgia is such a common sentiment in todays' world, arguing that nostalgia is an attempt to force logic onto an incoherent world. Next, the working paper examines the Selfie and asserts... Continue Reading →
Monday’s Must Read List
Each week, I publish a list of interesting articles, essays and reports that may be of interest to the digital diplomacy community. This week- Why Is Beijing Micromanaging Its Technology Sector? (The Diplomat)Zoom reaches $85M settlement in ‘Zoombombing’ lawsuit (TechCrunch)Israel Aerospace Industries inks $237 million radar deal with German military (Times of Israel)Clubhouse Opens Its... Continue Reading →
Russia and India- Strategic Allies?
Although booted out of office, Tony Blair remains an astute observer of international affairs. In a recent statement, Blair argued that the 21st century will be governed by three giants: China, thanks to its military and financial power, and the US thanks to its financial prowess and mass investments in defense. The third giant has... Continue Reading →
Covid’s Diplomatic Legacy
Last month, ‘The Economist’ magazine published an extensive article examining Covid’s impact on the practice of diplomacy. According to the article, the Coronavirus has led to the accelerated digitalization of diplomacy. Once the United Nations Headquarters shut its doors, and as diplomats all over the world found themselves quarantined at home, diplomacy migrated to digital... Continue Reading →
Is it Time to Abandon State-Centric Approaches to Public Diplomacy? Summary of ISA Roundtable
During the 2021 International Studies Association conference (ISA), I had the opportunity to partake in a roundtable Chaired by Nick Cull and Nancy Snow. The two have just recently finished editing the 2020 Routledge Handbook of Public Diplomacy. Authors who contributed to the handbook, including myself, were asked to reflect on how Covid19 has influenced... Continue Reading →
UAE Ambassador to Israel Makes Positive #Digital Impression
On the 17th of February 2021, the UAE’s Ambassador to Israel took to Twitter for the first time. In a tweet published in both English, Hebrew and Arabic, the Ambassador promised to strengthen ties between Israel and Emirates by ‘fostering peace, understanding and prosperity among our people and across the region’. Within 48 hours of... Continue Reading →
Monday’s #MustRead List
Each week, I publish a list of interesting articles, essays and reports that may be of interest to the digital diplomacy community. This week- State Department says Biden to ensure U.S. technology does not support China's 'malign activities' (Reuters)Beyond the digital cold war: Technology and the future of US-African engagement under Biden (Mail and Guardian)... Continue Reading →
Monday’s #MustRead List
Each week, I publish a list of interesting articles, essays and reports that may be of interest to the digital diplomacy community. This week- Davos Agenda: What you need to know about technology (World Economic Forum)The Technology 202: Tech experts overwhelmingly approve of Trump suspensions from social media (The Washington Post)China's Foreign Policy Weapons: Technology,... Continue Reading →
2020: The Year of Digital Resurgence
Many people will wish to forget 2020. A year of fear and angst; lockdowns and isolations and one virus that brought the world to a halt. Indeed, the Covid19 virus transported the world to a previous era, one in which reaching another city, let alone another country was impossible. Airports, the signature of the networked... Continue Reading →
Monday’s #MustRead List
Each week, I publish a list of interesting articles, essays and reports that may be of interest to the digital diplomacy community. This week- Tech giants join with governments to fight Covid misinformation (The Guardian)Alibaba sets 'Single Day' sales record (The Wall Street Journal)Coronavirus to dominate Saudi-hosted virtual G20 summit (The Japan Times) Microsoft says... Continue Reading →