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Recently, I published a post dealing with the potential use of digital diplomacy among African MFAs. It was my contention that African foreign ministries may use social media to improve their national brand, reach out and strengthen ties with Diasporas and practice network diplomacy. This post was predicated on the assumption that when it comes... Continue Reading →
It’s Complicated Diplomacy and International Relations scholars have argued that ours is the age of complexity. Global challenges such as health pandemics, climate change and migration necessitate trans-national cooperation as no nation can address these issues alone. Furthermore, in a globalized world domestic policies have international ramifications. One country’s open border policy can lead to... Continue Reading →
Sociologist Erving Goffman separates the realm of social life into two distinct spheres: the front, in which people play certain roles, and the back region or backstage in which their true character lies. It is in the back region where the illusion portrayed onstage is meticulously prepared. According to Goffman, credibility is key to human... Continue Reading →
NOTE: This blog first appeared on http://www.cop21live.com In a fascinating article published in 2015, scholar Piki Ish-Shalom argued that world leaders have begun to take charge of the routine workings of diplomacy rather than limiting their involvement in diplomacy to times of crises. According to Ish-Shalom, world leaders are now King Diplomats. King Diplomats have long... Continue Reading →
On Nation Branding: While the practice of digital diplomacy brings with it many benefits to foreign ministries, its practice also poses many challenges. From the need to coordinate messages on a global scale, to the training of diplomats and ambassadors in the use of social media platforms, the practice of digital diplomacy requires a growing... Continue Reading →
As the violence between Israel and Palestine continued to escalate over the past week, both parties took to social media in order to offer their narrative of events. Last week I explored Israel’s official narrative by analysing tweets published by Israel’s MFA. What struck me most was the fact that Israel’s narrative seems to completely... Continue Reading →
The last two weeks have seen a violent wave of Palestinian terror in Israel. Nearly every day terrorist acts are committed against Israeli citizens in cities and towns throughout the country. This Wednesday alone saw four such attacks in one day. On Thursday evening, Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed Israeli citizens stating that as was the... Continue Reading →
One of the major questions arising from the study of digital diplomacy deals with its practical application. In other words, what can we really learn from digital diplomacy? In the past, I have conducted several analyses which suggest that MFAs now routinely follow one another on twitter. As such, MFAs may be using social media... Continue Reading →
Over the past two weeks, I have published two posts dealing with Russia's digital diplomacy apparatus. While the first post focused solely on Russia's digital diplomacy reach, the second post compared between the social media reach of the US and Russia. However, both posts dealt primarily with the extent to which the US and Russia... Continue Reading →
Recent moths have seen an abundance of articles dealing with Russia's use of trolls in order to shape online public discourse regarding its foreign policy. According to one article, the Kremlin now manages a troll army used to promote Russia's stance on numerous issues (e.g., Ukraine, Syrian Civil War, Iran nuclear agreement) and discredit Russia's opponents.... Continue Reading →
Exploring Digital Diplomacy 