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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 →
In the late 1980’s Daniel Dayan and Elihu Katz developed their theory of Media Events. They argued that certain high-profiled Media Events may have prolonged societal impacts. The two scholars were influenced by the historic visit of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to Israel in 1977. Dayan and Katz argued that this Media Event altered the... Continue Reading →
Social media sites are predicated on the concept of reciprocity. When a user follows one of his peers, he expects his peer to respond in kind. The same is true with content engagement. The basis of social media is a social contract where users “Like” and “Share” one another’s content. Given that the ultimate goal... Continue Reading →
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 →
Traditionally, diplomacy rested on proximity. Ambassadors to foreign nations resided in court so that they could assess the temperament of a monarch, create alliances with noble families, gather gossip from local scoundrels and coordinate action with their peers. Proximity has remained important in the 21st century. Ambassadors to multi-lateral organizations essentially reside in a new... Continue Reading →
Last week I had the pleasure of attending the International Communication Association's 68th Annual Conference in Prague. My presentation focused on the digital and public diplomacy activities of the Palestinian government in the West Bank, specifically it's Facebook Embassy to Israel. While presenting my work I mentioned that unlike other virtual Embassies, Palestine's Facebook Embassy... Continue Reading →
NOTE: This blog post originally appeared on the USC CPD Blog and was co-written with Professor Marcus Holmes In 2011, the U.S. State Department launched Virtual Embassy Iran, a web-based platform that aimed to promote American “values and culture” to Iranians. This embassy served as an example of how diplomats can use digital technologies to... Continue Reading →
Images & Diplomacy Images have traditionally played an important role in diplomacy. For instance, paintings were often used to bare testimony to diplomatic summits and conferences. Such is the case with Gerard ter Borch’s painting of the treaty of Munster. Additionally, political cartoons were used to narrate a nation’s foreign policy, frame its adversaries, manage... 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 →
Throughout my exploration of digital diplomacy, I have found time and again that smaller nations can use social media in order to leverage their diplomatic standing. I refer to this phenomenon as social media mobility. This week I was interested in examining if Palestine is using social media to increase its visibility, promote its foreign... Continue Reading →
Exploring Digital Diplomacy 