Diplo Blog
[Podcast] Soft and hard power of Byzantine diplomacy
07 June 2021
An interview with Prof. Jonathan Shepard Diplomacy · Soft and hard power of Byzantine diplomacy [Interview with Prof. Jonathan Shepard] In January 2021, Diplo began a series of online discussions titl...
What’s new with cybersecurity negotiations? The UN GGE 2021 Report
06 June 2021
Critical infrastructure, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Network security
The UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) was declared ‘dead’ after it didn’t produce a consensus report in 2017. The last, much-lauded and often invoked report was adopted by the GGE in 2015. Yet in December 2...
[WebDebate #47 summary] Current diplomatic responses to COVID-19
12 May 2021
COVID-19 has posed tremendous challenges to diplomacy. Practices have had to be adapted, while diplomats have had to address the immediate crisis situation and work towards coordinated responses. In WebDebate #47 (4 M...
‘Deplatforming’ Donald Trump was a necessary quick fix. What now?
10 May 2021
In the twilight of a presidency characterised by 30,573 lies and constant misinformation, most social media platforms have permanently suspended Donald Trump’s accounts – a move also known as ‘the Great Deplatfo...
Beyond partnership and participation: Community organising for ownership in humanitarian diplomacy and aid
29 April 2021
The way in which the humanitarian aid sector operates has been challenged for some time. It is increasingly acknowledged that UN agencies and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), often along with other...
[Podcast] Diving into Digital #1: Tech and diplomacy in Silicon Valley
21 April 2021
Diplomacy · Diving into Digital #1 - Tech and Diplomacy in Silicon Valley This is the first episode of our new podcast series Diving into Digital: Diplo’s Podcast on Digital Foreign Policy. For the inaugural epi...
Of topoi and memes
20 April 2021
I’ll admit to a prejudice. I dislike Richard Dawkins, the emeritus professor for Public Understanding of Science at Oxford. Holding such a pompous title is enough to warrant a demerit. Dawkins is broadly known fo...
Our TikTokable lives: Can 15-second ‘lifebites’ pose a threat to national security?
20 April 2021
When the pandemic was declared last year, and lockdown measures were put in place, stress and anxiety levels were not the only things to spike. By April 2020, TikTok generated a staggering 2 billion downloads across ...