When we talk about digital (and) diplomacy, what are we actually talking about?
Diplomats, academics, and journalists worldwide have been asking this question for over two decades. For some, it’s about negotiating cybersecurity agreements, for others, it’s digital geopolitics, the use of artificial intelligence (AI), or the flow of data. Meanwhile, others put the use of social media by diplomats centre stage.
On 7 September 2021, we bring different perspectives into the conversation at our Digital (and) Diplomacy: What Are We Actually Talking About? online conference.
Many books have been written, foreign policy strategies adopted, and new diplomatic structures introduced on the topic of digital (and) diplomacy. For Diplo, 2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the publication Information Technology and Diplomacy in a Changing Environment, written by Diplo’s Director Dr Jovan Kurbalija. We are also celebrating 25 years since Amb. Amr Aljowaily’s paper The Information Revolution and International Relations, another early publication that anticipated digital diplomacy as we understand it today.
With the practice of and scholarship on digital (and) diplomacy dating back more than two decades, it’s time to step back and try to reduce the confusion. We want to highlight the convergences, while respecting the differences, between the various ways of practicing and understanding digital (and) diplomacy.
Over the past 18 months, digital has become an even more fundamental part of our diplomatic reality. The interplay between digital and diplomacy is maturing and so should our conversations.
At Diplo’s Digital (and) Diplomacy: What Are We Actually Talking About? online conference we have four aims in particular:
- Mapping various understandings and usages of the term ‘digital diplomacy’
- Raising awareness of the differences and commonalities of various viewpoints
- Fostering conversations between leading practitioners and academics
- Looking ahead towards future practices and new research agendas.
Join us on Tuesday, 7 September, at 12:00 UTC (14:00 CEST) in our search for the meaning of ‘digital (and) diplomacy’.
SPEAKERS
Amb. Amr Aljowaily
Ambassador of Egypt to Serbia
Prof. Corneliu Bjola
Associate Professor of Diplomatic Studies, University of Oxford; Head, Oxford Digital Diplomacy Research Group
Dr Katharina Höne
Director of Research, DiploFoundation
Dr Jovan Kurbalija
Executive Director of DiploFoundation and Head of the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP)
Dr Ilan Manor
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Communications, Tel Aviv University;
Visiting Fellow, USC Center on Public Diplomacy
Amb. Asoke Mukerji
Former Indian Ambassador; Diplo Senior Fellow
Mr Shaun Riordan
Director, Chair for Diplomacy and Cyberspace, European Institute of International Studies
Ms Dalya Salinas
Diplomat, Embassy of Mexico to the Kingdom of Norway
Ms Nanjira Sambuli
Fellow, Technology and International Affairs Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
PROGRAMME
12:00–12:15 UTC (14:00–14:15 CEST) Introduction and welcome
Dr Katharina Höne
Director of Research, Diplo
Dr Jovan Kurbalija
Executive Director, Diplo; Head, Geneva Internet Platform (GIP)
12:15–13:00 UTC (14:15–15:00 CEST) Looking back to look ahead: The past, present, and future of researching and studying digital diplomacy
This panel brings leading scholars and voices on digital diplomacy together to explore how the field has developed over the past decades. We explore:
- What is digital diplomacy for you?
- When did the topic emerge on the agendas of scholars and diplomats?
- How have areas of focus and priorities changed over time and what are some of the key issues going forward?
Panellists
Amb. Amr Aljowaly
Ambassador of Egypt to Serbia
Prof. Corneliu Bjola
Associate Professor of Diplomatic Studies, University of Oxford; Head, Oxford Digital Diplomacy Research Group
Dr Katharina Höne
Director of Research, Diplo
Mr Shaun Riordan
Director, Chair for Diplomacy and Cyberspace, European Institute of International Studies
13:00–14:00 UTC (15:00–16:00 CEST) Diving deeper into practice: Diplomats’ journeys in digital diplomacy
This panel brings together various generations of diverse practitioners and academics together to explore the following questions:
- How do practitioners begin their journeys in digital diplomacy?
- How is digital diplomacy practised and what changes in practice can we observe over time?
- What are current and future priorities for practitioners?
Panellists
Dr Ilan Manor
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Communications, Tel Aviv University;
Visiting Fellow, USC Center on Public Diplomacy
Amb. Asoke Mukerji
Former Indian Ambassador; Diplo Senior Fellow
Ms Dalya Salinas
Diplomat, Embassy of Mexico to the Kingdom of Norway
Ms Nanjira Sambuli
Fellow, Technology and International Affairs Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace