Digital Diplomacy

Dejan Dinčić
dejan@tolmao.com
Agenda
Diplomacy in the digital age

● Introduction and terminology

● The changing face of digital diplomacy

● New topics on the diplomatic agenda

● Competencies for the digital diplomacy

● Digital diplomacy in 2030

What is digital diplomacy?

Terminological confusion: different words

with different connotations:

E-diplomacy?
Digital diplomacy?
Cyber diplomacy?
Virtual diplomacy?
Online diplomacy?
Digital diplomacy?

“My god, this is the end of

diplomacy”

Lord Palmerston, British Prime

Minister in the 1860s
Digital diplomacy?

Alec Ross, former senior advisor for innovation of the U.S.

Department of State, on Khan Academy, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNLyARr8pD8, now REMOVED

Public Diplomacy 2.0

Use of digital technology in public

diplomacy activities

Overwhelming focus on social media

Other applications

A simplified timeline…
1990 - Websites 2005: social media 2012: institutionalisation
UK FCO: 2012
Hindsight?

● strong focus on social media and public diplomacy

● excited about technology

● narrowing down the discussion?

● effects on the core diplomatic mission?

Digital diplomacy today

Changing Environment

● New (digital) topics on diplomatic agenda

● Old topics re-framed in a digital context

● Using digital tools to conduct diplomatic work

Maturity?

digital diplomacy = diplomacy?

The changing face of digital diplomacy
Broader changes in the
diplomatic practice?
Billiard balls vs Lego worlds

‘States were like billiard balls. We tried

to prevent them from crashing into
each other. We did not...look inside
them...did not think we could change
what happened inside them and we
did not care what happened inside
them...the focus was on how the
states were configured relative to
each other. This was the world of the
Cuban Missile Crisis.’

The Lego World ‘is associated with the

shift in power from governments to
state actors’. In this world, ‘states Anne Marie Slaughter,
come apart’. Remarks, The Big Picture:
Beyond Hot Spots &
Crises in Our
Interconnected World,
2012
Unpacking the state

Diplomats are adjusting to working in the lego world, at the same

time as they continue to operate in the billiard ball world. ...
... the new 'unpacked states' call into question ...
... between state and civil actors have traditionally involved
diplomats in mediating roles.
... But e-diplomats who are adept at using social media tools, are
already integrated into the networks which develop around the
platforms...
... tools were free,social actors have been active in social media
since it first began: ...
... So e-diplomats have direct and flexible access through a variety of
channels with those with whom they seek to build alliances...

Pete Cranston, https://www.diplomacy.edu/blog/e-diplomacy-lego-

world
Velocity
Content policy, fake news,
and violent extremism content

From October 2017 onwards, social media platforms

with more than two million German users need to
remove 'obviously illegal' content within 24 hours or
risk a fine that could rise to €50 million.

Internet companies join forces with French news

organisations to combat 'fake news'; Facebook,
Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube form a Global Internet
Forum to Counter Terrorism, collaborating with the
ICT4Peace Foundation to establish the knowledge-
sharing network techagainstterrorism.org
No borders?
New Actors
New actors
Casper Klynge, ambassador of Denmark to Silicon Valley (2017).
Now Vice President at Microsoft.
New Topics on the Diplomatic Agenda
Digital topics on
diplomatic agenda

Internet Governance
Net Neutrality
Data sovereignty
Cybersecurity
Fake News
Filter Bubbles
5G
AI
e-Commerce
digital taxation
...
Digital policy realpolitik

Bilateral agreements in cybersecurity

Governments striking tax deals with Internet

companies

States establishing their sovereignty online

Data localisation
Geostrategic elements
Geostrategic elements
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ex7uTQf4bQ
Multilateral diplomacy

UN Secretary’s High Level Panel

on Digital Cooperation - Geneva
12 July 2018

Co-chairs

● Melinda Gates (USA), Co-Chair of The Bill &

Melinda Gates Foundation
● Jack Ma (China), Executive Chairman, Alibaba
Group

Download the report https://digitalcooperation.org/

Multilateral diplomacy
Autonomous weapons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_DsE9f5gyk

In Geneva: UNOG, UNIDIR, ICRC

2018 Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal

Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS)
Cyber détente

Biden-Putin summit in Geneva, June 2021

Source: https://dig.watch/trends/cyber-detente
Ukraine conflict

● Cybersecurity
○ NATO - Article 5 of NATO charter
● Tech sanctions
○ US, EU and other technology export sanctions
○ Russian countermeasures
● Economy
○ Chip shortage
○ Credit cards and PayPal
● Cryptocurrency

Based on https://dig.watch observatory

UN norms
Digital
Competences
Your social graph?
Digital competencies

Framework developed by DiploFoundation

www.diplomacy.edu
Create

Make digital content including audio,

image, text, website, blog, video, wikis

Track your digital footprint

Critique

Monitor online media

Assess the validity and authenticity of

information

Get closer to the source

Corroborate the content

Reflect on one’s own practice and that of

one’s peers: blogs, forums, etc.

Coherent voice
Mark McDowell interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBnqISZ91NA

what do you think are the most important points from

the video?
Case study:
The Ambassador’s car
Case study:
The Ambassador’s car
Case study:
The Ambassador’s car
A look into the future: diplomacy in 2030?
A look into the future: E-diplomacy in 2030?
A look into the future: E-diplomacy in 2030?
Big data

“Data is the new oil”

WEF: data and oil are different

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/01/data-is-not-the-new-oil/
Blockchain
How much technology
you need to know?

What are the key properties of new technologies…

● that have economic impact

● that have social impact

● that have political impact

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

New wave

Neural networks

Deep learning

AI

Big
IoT
Data
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-96BEoXJMs0
Source: World Bank’s 2016 World Development Report, p. 131
AI and diplomacy

Becoming extremely good at spotting patterns

Predictive analysis, combined with big data

Can help prepare negotiators, not replace them

AI and diplomacy

● AI as a tool for diplomatic practice

● AI as a topic for diplomatic negotiations

● AI as an element shaping the environment in

which diplomacy is practised
From the report...

‘Irrespective of where it may be found, it is the potential

of AI to discriminate and infringe on human rights
which matters, even if there is no underlying intention
to do so. The rights to privacy, family, home, and
correspondence; the prohibition of discrimination; and
the right to hold opinions and to freedom of expression
are areas that will be particularly impacted by AI.’