Digital Diplomacy and Its Effect on International Relations (original) (raw)
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DIGITAL SIEGE, 2021
The process of globalization has led to important paradigm shifts in the understanding of classic diplomacy. In addition to the established diplomacy of the elite, these shifts have created a new sense of diplomacy based on the understanding of civil society, which inherently aim towards social persuasiveness and are of a civilian nature. With this new sense of diplomacy, the private sector, business people, academicians, think tanks, members of the media, etc., have also participated in this process, leading to a wave of diplomacy which has acquired a more civil and democratic character. Undoubtedly, these changes have also led to other important changes in the language, style, and management of diplomacy. Developments in information technologies and the construction of a digital world have wasted no time in becoming reflected in diplomacy; diplomatic missions have begun to change in terms of structure and operation, and steps have begun to be taken in accordance with the requirements of the digital world rather than through classical methods. These new forms of relationships and communication channels, which have resulted from developments in communication, informatics, and information technologies, have helped diplomatic processes move quickly towards the use of virtual media. What is now prominent are concepts such as network diplomacy, e-diplomacy and social media diplomacy, and this has resulted in the era of digital diplomacy. This article focuses on the parameters of the digital changes and evolution in the field diplomacy, as well as the effects of these changes on the state, society, and individuals. As a case study, the article focuses on the digitalization of diplomatic activities in Turkey and the role of digital media in the ability of Turkey to adequately express itself is discussed.
DIGITAL DIPLOMACY AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR FOREIGN POLICY
Greenfield Journal of International Relations and Security Studies (GJIRSS), 2022
Digital Diplomacy is the talk of the town in the corridors of international diplomacy. Digital diplomacy as an instrument or tool for foreign policy is the transformation of traditional way of foreign relations to a more advance method. Digital Diplomacy is the growing use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and social media platforms within the conduct of Public Diplomacy. This is believed that the medium has changed but not the message. Instead of talking to foreign publics over the radio, one now communicates with them through a twitter and other channel through the internet. The paper adopted soft power theory to analyze the work; soft power describes the utilization of positive attraction and persuasion to achieve foreign policy objectives. The paper finds out that one of the benefits of digital diplomacy is its ability to foster two-way communication which has improve the practice of foreign policy. Also, the paper discovers that there are challenges faced by digital diplomacy one of which is cyber security; the rapid spread of information which is often an advantage for digital diplomacy, can also turn out to be a great disadvantage. The paper concludes that technology is an asset that can greatly benefit those who use it in the right way; it is not a requirement and should not replace all parts of diplomacy. That when it comes to international affairs, technology will never replace the expertise that can be gained from sending diplomats to foreign countries to view these places first-hand.
The Encyclopedia of Diplomacy, 2018
Digital diplomacy describes a moment, capturing the novelty of information and communication technologies put to use for diplomacy. The term conveys a concurrent set of issues at the intersection of technology and diplomacy: how the practice and context of diplomacy is influenced by the availability of digital platforms for communication, information gathering, and analysis. Technology has catalyzed change for both policy-makers and practitioners. Information and communication technologies have created emergent challenges for foreign policy decision-makers, who must contend with how digital platforms have enabled new forms of public engagement, commerce, and warfare.
Digital diplomacy: success at your fingertips
Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 2018
It is claimed that digital diplomacy will radically change how diplomats engage with the populace in the countries to which they are stationed. Facebook in particular is seen as a means by which embassies can speak to sections of the local population that have previously been difficult to engage. The European Union has signalled its intent to embrace social media more purposefully and meaningfully as part of its diplomatic effort. This article examines those claims made for digital diplomacy relying on data that show the patterns of use of Facebook by European embassies in Kazakhstan. The results show that, primarily, Facebook's features are used for one-way communication of banal and routine information. However, little policy dialogue is evident.
DIGITALIZATION OF DIPLOMACY: A NEW WAY OF MAKING DIPLOMACY
Information and Communication Technology has made great developments these past decades. Its manifestation through the Internet has not only affected the way people interact but lately even the way States communicate with their audiences. This however, leads to new situations which international arena has to deal with and quickly adapt. Such an occurrence happens to be even more new to the way Diplomacy conduces itself. Authors and ambassadors have taken different approaches on the topic but they all agree at one point, Classic Diplomacy is not prepared for this. Thus, it is important to have a look on how these occurrences can be interpreted in the lens of the current international right. The existing treaties on diplomatic and consular relations offer the space for an extended interpretation of certain articles, yet there is a point where this interpretation cannot be done. Simultaneously, the Internet is a phenomenon from which Diplomacy has no escape. Therefore Diplomacy is left with two choices: either to keep up the pace of its legal aspects at the same level of the technological development, or to wait until a customary attitude takes place. mind the limits diplomacy itself imposes. We can see now Foreign Ministers using social media such as Twitter or Facebook, to communicate with each other and also with their public. This has grown the role of non-governmental organizations and interested public to have a bigger impact on the policies taken by States. Thus, it is now happening what many call "the democratization of diplomacy". Not only technology and the Internet could be used as a means for public diplomacy and exchanging messages between diplomats. It has been possible that through the Internet diplomats can develop negotiation processes. Of course, this isn't widely practiced, but anyhow steps have been made into this. E-negotiations, as they are called, would have many beneficial aspects regarding costs, time and also discreteness. A negotiation process made in through such tools would become less visible to the public and thus the decision-making would be done without much pressure. But as everything, it has its drawbacks. As much as secrecy may happen, at the same time cyber attacks, can happen so the information exchanged between diplomats can be used in other means. This is why this whole activity needs also to be regulated in legal forms.
2017
2017 marks a decade since the advent of “digital diplomacy”. What began as an experiment by a select number of foreign ministries, has now become standard practice for diplomatic institutions the world over. The past decade has also witnessed increased academic interest in “digital diplomacy” with scholars evaluating the digital practices of embassies, diplomats and MFAs. To date, scholars and practitioners have a proposed a plethora of terms to conceptualize the growing influence of digital technologies on diplomacy. These have included net diplomacy, public diplomacy 2.0, networked diplomacy and real-time diplomacy. Numerus scholars have also adopted the term “digital diplomacy”. However, these have yet to offer a clear definition of this term. This working paper argues that what follows is a state of fractured terminology in which some terms are too broad, such as “digital diplomacy”, while others are too narrow, such as “public diplomacy 2.0”. Moreover, this paper argues that none of the terms employed thus far fully characterize the impact digital technologies have had on diplomacy. Therefore, this paper puts forth a new term, “the digitalization of diplomacy”, which regards digitalization as a long term process that influences four domains: the audiences of diplomacy, the institutions of diplomacy, the practitioners of diplomacy and the practice of diplomacy. This term also distinguishes between normative influences and behavioural, procedural and conceptual influences. The paper ends by demonstrating how this new term can aid scholars map the existing digital research corpus and identify new avenues of research. Thus, the “digitalization of diplomacy” can help bring order to a somewhat chaotic research field. Keywords: Diplomacy, Digital Diplomacy, Digitalization, Public Diplomacy, Narratives
Foreign policy in an era of digital diplomacy
Cogent Social Sciences , 2017
The Internet revolution has affected all aspects of life, including International relations. Diplomacy as a tool of foreign policy has also being transformed by this revolution. This paper examines the concept of digital diplomacy, focusing on the use of digital media in the field of diplomacy and how countries are utilizing these tools in the pursuit of their foreign policies. It examines the opportunities and challenges these media offer for diplomatic activities, and argues that countries cannot afford to be left behind in this era of digital diplomacy as they can greatly benefit from these emerging diplomatic trends. Digital diplomacy and Internet activities as a whole can greatly assist in projecting a state's foreign policy positions to domestic and foreign audiences.
The Communicational Dimension of Digital Diplomacy
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN THE AIR FORCE, 2022
Diplomacy has emerged in interstate relations as a mechanism that facilitates the achievement of state objectives, with the task of promoting and protecting state sovereignty. It has had to be reinvented with every important discovery in world history and with every substantial change in the field of communication. The fourth industrial revolution changed the whole panoply of interpersonal and interstates relations, having an important effect on the way international relations unfolded. The emergence of 24/7 news networks, social networks, blogs and streaming has led diplomacy to enter a new stage of its transformation and adaptation to the realities of the contemporary world, giving rise to the so-called digital diplomacy. In this article cyber diplomacy is described from its communicational dimension point of view underlining its importance for assuring national interest of states.
Cyber Diplomacy in the Era of Internet and Social Media
2022
A state's national interests in cyberspace are typically expressed in national cyber security policies, which include cyber diplomacy as a means of achieving such interests. It is important to note that cyber diplomacy involves a wide variety of diplomatic objectives, including the establishment of communication and interaction between government and non-actors, the avoidance of a cyber arms race, and the formation of global standards. On top of that, it discusses changes in the way diplomats do their duties, as well as restructuring of various agencies and ministries in foreign affairs to accommodate new technology in diplomacy, such as cyber security. In the era of the internet and the use of social media, the old diplomatic tactics are replaced by a new and modified form named 'cyber diplomacy.' This qualitative document analysis critically focused on the issues of cyber diplomacy in which the internet and social media are playing their proactive roles in the changing dynamics of international affairs.
Introduction: The Digitalization of Public Diplomacy Towards a New Conceptual Framework.pdf
Recent years have seen the digital disruption of diplomacy. The global proliferation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and mass adoption of social media networks created a new set of opportunities and challenges that diplomacy had to grapple with. Alongside the ability to manage consular crises in near real time and shape a nation’s image, diplomats had to contend with calls for more open and transparent forms of diplomacy as well as develop a digitally literate diplomatic corps . The disruptive nature of digitalization has also been evident in the realm of public diplomacy. Digitalization has enabled diplomats to interact with foreign populations, establish global virtual embassies and overcome traditional gatekeepers such as the news room elite. Yet digitalization has also seen the rise of an opinionated online public that is clamouring to be heard as well as the transformation of social media into competitive framing arenas in which multiple actors vie over public attention and support. More recently, digitalization has become a tool for strategic use of dis-information and mis-information. It is amid this backdrop of digital disruption that this issue of the Revista Mexicana de Política Exterior (RMPE) aims to offer a more comprehensive understating of the current state of public diplomacy.