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From a diplomatic perspective, the European Union (EU) is a baffling entity. On the one hand, it represents a political union of 28 member states. As such, it has governing bodies, legislative bodies and a foreign service that promotes the E.U.'s interests around the world. On the other hand, each member state in the E.U.... 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 →
Last week I had the opportunity to address a group of ambassadors to the UN Headquarters in Geneva. The topic of discussion was the current practice and potential of digital diplomacy at the embassy level. Following my presentation, the ambassadors asked me what are followers of digital diplomacy channels looking for? Why have they decided... Continue Reading →
Over the past few months I have attempted to imagine the world of digital diplomacy as social networks. This has enabled me to explore the potential use of digital diplomacy as a source for gathering and disseminating information amongst various diplomatic institutions such as ministries of foreign affairs and embassies. My research has often focused... Continue Reading →
On July 17th, Israel's Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer held a Q&A session on twitter aimed at answering questions relating to the current outbreak of violence between Israel and Hamas which now includes a ground offensive by the Israeli Army into the Gaza strip named Operation Protective Edge. Twitter followers were asked to... Continue Reading →
I have often wondered if a foreign ministry's decision to follow another foreign ministry on twitter or Facebook is regarded as a political decision. In attempt to answer this question, I decided to search for "follow-mies", countries that are enemies in the go-political world but that follow one another on twitter. This was made possible... Continue Reading →
Social Networking Sites such as twitter and Facebook have long since become a fixture in our lives. Whether they are used as a tool for maintaining and deepening friendships, seeking new employment opportunities or even gathering information on past lovers, social networks have impacted numerous areas of daily life. Yet what is truly remarkable is... Continue Reading →
Over the past few months I have analyzed the twitter accounts of various embassies and ministries of foreign affairs. A recurring finding is that Sweden is a world leader in the field of digital diplomacy. As the United Nations headquarters in New York is one of the most important hubs of diplomacy in the world,... Continue Reading →
Last week I attempted to visualize world embassies to the United Nations in New York as a social network. Using a sample consisting of the twitter accounts of 56 embassies to the UN, my analysis explored which embassies are the most popular in this network, which embassies are most connected to other embassies and which... Continue Reading →
Several weeks ago I wrote a blog post in which I attempted to illustrate and analyze the social network of the world's foreign ministries. This analysis was the result of a series of interviews I have been conducting with foreign policy practitioners at the Israeli foreign ministry who told me that they use social media... Continue Reading →
Exploring Digital Diplomacy 