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Two weeks ago I evaluated the extent to which Donald Trump has been able to attract diplomats, MFAs, embassies and foreign affairs journalists to his Twitter account. My analysis suggested that most digital diplomats, and diplomatic institutions, do not follow Trump online. This week, I decided to expand my analysis and see if world leaders... Continue Reading →
On Friday, December 2nd, the Oxford Digital Diplomacy Research Group, and the Latvian Mission to Geneva, co-hosted a Digital Diplomacy event at the UN headquarters in Geneva. The purpose of the event was to examine whether there is a Return On Investment in digital diplomacy activities. The event demonstrated that the first stage of digital... Continue Reading →
Several weeks before the 2016 US elections, I analysed the extent to which Presidential candidates attract digital diplomacy followers. To do, I evaluated the number of Twitter followers Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump attracted from five epistemic communities: MFAs, UN missions in NY and Geneva, Multi-Lateral organizations and foreign affairs journalists. My results showed that... Continue Reading →
When one explores the digital diplomacy activities of embassies, he is often surprised by the number of social media accounts embassies now maintain. For instance, embassies in Washington DC are often active on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. The rationale for operating several accounts lies in the understanding that audiences use different social media platform... Continue Reading →
Introduction Over the past year, a growing number of scholars, diplomats and journalists have reflected on the growing importance of algorithms to the conduct of diplomacy. Some MFAs now employ algorithms to analyze online discourse in foreign countries in an attempt to anticipate civil unrest. Likewise, algorithms are used to identify relevant audiences for public... Continue Reading →
Note: A version of this post originally appeared on the USC Centre on Public Diplomacy's Blog From a diplomatic perspective, Palestine represents a puzzling case study. On the one hand, Palestine has been recognized as an independent state by the UN General Assembly. On the other hand, it is not a full member state of... Continue Reading →
The yearly session of the UN General Assembly may be regarded as the pinnacle of the diplomatic calendar year. Within the space of a few days, global leaders are all offered the opportunity to address the General Assembly and, through global news channels, the world. Additionally, the General Assembly is often the sight of intensive... Continue Reading →
In September of 2009, John A. Quelch and Katherine E. Jocz penned an article titled “Can Brand Obama Rescue Brand America?” In this article, the authors postulate that the traits associated with brand Obama may help bolster the international image of America which, following the Bush presidency, was that of a polluting, greedy militaristic empire.... Continue Reading →
Earlier this month, China hosted the leaders of the G20 countries for their annual summit. International summits have traditionally played an important role in diplomacy. On the one hand, summits hold ceremonial or dramatic importance as they demonstrate one of diplomacy’s function in international relations- ensuring stability and peace. On the other hand, summits also... Continue Reading →
For the past 8 years, the Gaza strip has existed as an island entire onto itself. Physically it is cut off from the rest of the world by an Israeli and Egyptian blockade. Politically it is isolated from the West Bank as it is ruled by the Hamas Party and not the PLO. Diplomatically it... Continue Reading →
Exploring Digital Diplomacy 