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Historian Eric Hobsbawm dedicated much of his academic work to exploring the impact of the past on present-day societies. For Hobsbawm, the past was always present. Yet the function that the past plays in the present could differ greatly. During times of upheaval, the past can serve as a roadmap or template for overcoming adversity.... Continue Reading →
Ever since its launch in November of 2022, ChatGPT has attracted considerable media coverage. News reports have positively depicted the chatbot’s capabilities with journalists marveling at its ability to pass entry exams to law schools and medical schools, formulate court petitions, author legislation, and even pass medical licensing exams. These news reports all suggest that... Continue Reading →
Each week, I publish a list of interesting articles, essays and reports that may be of interest to the digital diplomacy community. This week- The TikTok Teens Go To Washington (Data & Society) The Data Delusion (The New Yorker) The Vulkan Files: Secret trove offers rare look into Russian cyberwar ambitions (The Washington Post) ChatGPT... Continue Reading →
In recent works, scholars and diplomats have begun to experiment with ChatGPT, the generative AI bot that has taken the world by storm. For scholars of diplomacy, ChatGPT is yet another digital innovation that may disrupt the work of diplomats. Just like social media, big data, messaging apps and bots, ChatGPT may prove both useful... Continue Reading →
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 advertisers aren’t coming back to Twitter (Vox) Google and Microsoft’s chatbots are already citing one another in a misinformation show (The Verge) The AI Moves In: ChatGPT's Impact on Diplomacy... 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 →
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 →
Over the past few months, I have dedicated much time to analyzing the social networks of digital diplomacy. My assumption was that ministries of foreign affairs, embassies and other diplomatic institutions now routinely follow one another on social networks such as twitter and Facebook. This assumption was based on the fact that by following their... Continue Reading →
A Swedish diplomat once asked me how one can reduce the complexities of international diplomacy to a 140 character tweet. I responded by saying that Twiplomacy must be regarded as an art form, one that uses the language of twitter in order to condense foreign policy initiatives or official statements into short bursts of diplomacy.... Continue Reading →
Traditionally, the mass media has played an important role in the world of diplomacy. This is a result of the fact that the majority of the population learns about its government's foreign policy and global events from the news. However, journalists and news organizations do not simply relay information to the public but rather offer their... Continue Reading →
Exploring Digital Diplomacy 