Diplo Blog

We organised our September WebDebate, ‘The UN at 75: Evolution or revolution?’, to mark the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. By looking back at the past 75 years of the world organisation, we zoomed in on two key questions. 

Studies show that people tend to gravitate more towards negative news than positive ones. While this may be a worrying trend, hope exists for a more positive type of content, according to research led by Prof. Stuart Soroka from the University of Michigan.

Looking back to see the future of digital governance

This year, we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). For this occasion, as part of the WSIS Forum 2020, a series of high-level discussions are being held between 7–10 September 2020.

Unveiling a series of new events and tools for policy practitioners

There’s more than one reason why September feels fresh. The equinox marks a change in the seasons. Schools, offices, and parliaments resume their work, and the diplomatic calendar kicks off. But this year’s re-entry is like no previous one.  

As we face unprecedented change and an uncertain future, it is the right moment to revisit the fundamentals upon which our society is built. A full examination of the values, ideas, and concepts that have worked in our society is necessary to guide what will work as we grapple with accelerating modernity. With technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), advanced genetic modification, and automated weapons all quickly becoming a reality, our humanity will be challenged like never before.

On 26 August 2020, the Digital Finance Task Force (DFTF) launched its report entitled ‘People’s Money: Harnessing Digitalization to Finance a Sustainable Future’.  The 100-plus-page document develops on the work of the UN High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation and the recently published UN Secretary-General’s Report on Digital Cooperation by tackling the interplay between dig

If you've recognised the sound in the audio file above, you are old enough to remember the birth of the Internet as we know it.

What are connected objects? Consider home assistants, smart thermostats, fitness wearables and connected cars to name but a few which advocate the advantages of convenience, home efficiency, health monitoring, safety, and security. Collectively known as the Internet of things (IoT), these are devices with unique identifiers that interconnect via the Internet, Bluetooth and other means. 

Ever since people learned to fight autocracy and oppressive regimes, the battle has raged between ‘accommodationists’ and revolutionaries. The first ones pleaded for dialogue and used, if necessary, civil disobedience. The others discounted protest as ineffectual and called for outright revolution.

Today’s Guardian brings an interesting diplomatic issue into in the news: you can read it here. It raises a wealth of questions in international law but it also in national culture.

As an international diplomat, you may want to address issues in international law like: