This blog is born of a collaboration between the Montreal Institute for International Studies (CERIUM) and Ben Rowswell, Canadian diplomat and Fellow of the CERIUM.
The first purpose of the project is to explore contemporary use of digital tools by professional diplomats in order to better understand the growing phenomenon of “digital diplomacy.” The term refers to the set of activities by which governments engage directly in interactive communication with a very large number of interlocutors and in a fully transparent manner, for the purpose of advancing diplomatic objectives such as the strengthening of bilateral relations. It is an adaptation of the basic functions of diplomacy (listening, understanding, advancing interests and building relationships) from the hierarchical structures to network structures that are increasingly prevalent in the digital age.
The objective is to inform current diplomats and students of diplomacy of these practices from the perspective of a practitioner. This blog will review the methods, tools and websites that diplomats use, and inform readers of their impact.
The second goal of the project is understanding the potential of “direct diplomacy”, i.e. how newly-empowered individuals involving in global affairs use the web and its social media tools to involve in global affairs. We try to compare their practices in order to identify the successes, fails and risks in this emerging field.
In addition to this blog, we created a topic on Scoop.it focusing on digital and direct diplomacy.
(Main picture source: Facebook)
directdiplomacy.wordpress.com 