DiploNews – Issue 216 – 22 November 2012

Upcoming study opportunities

Humanitarian Diplomacy online course

Diplo is pleased to cooperate with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to offer the Humanitarian Diplomacy online course. This 12-week course, led by Ambassador Christopher Lamb and other experienced practitioners, will extend the knowledge base and develop practical skills of current and future practitioners in humanitarian diplomacy and policy. In a supportive international online environment, the class will familiarise participants with basic definitions, concepts, actors and institutions in the field of humanitarian diplomacy, introduce international humanitarian law, hone advocacy and negotiation skills, develop participants’ research skills, and increase their understanding of national and regional humanitarian diplomacy activities. The course starts on 11 February 2013; the application deadline is 7 January 2013. For more details and to apply, see the course website.
 

Call for applications: Introduction to Internet Governance

Professionals working in specialised ICT-related areas often need to supplement their knowledge and training by learning about other areas which affect or can have an impact on their area of specialization. Just as the Internet brings down geographical boundaries, it also creates several overlaps and intersections between the many issues and areas of Internet governance and ICT policy. The online course Introduction to Internet Governance provides an overview of the main issues related to infrastructure and standardisation, legal, economic, sociocultural, and development aspects, including IG processes and actors. It covers topics that range from broadband policy to management of domain names and IP addresses, network neutrality, jurisdiction, intellectual property rights, open source and piracy, cybersecurity and child protection, human rights, content management, digital signatures and emerging issues. The course also invites participants to analyse how issues affect each other, and to discuss the topics with colleagues who work in the same or in other specialized areas. The next course starts on 18 February 2013. Read more about the course, including methodology and course requirements.
 

2013 online courses

Start your year with online learning. The following courses all start in mid-February 2013:

• Diplomatic Theory and Practice
• Public Diplomacy
• Language and Diplomacy
• Diplomatic Protocol and Etiquette
• Multilateral Diplomacy II: Current Issues in the United Nations

Courses start the week of 18 February 2013. Apply by 17 December 2012 for University of Malta accredited courses and by 14 January 2013 for Diplo Certificate Courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses website. Register now to reserve your place.

5th edition of Internet governance book launched

The 5th edition of An Introduction to Internet Governance, by Dr Jovan Kurbalija, has just been published, in cooperation with the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy. The new edition was released during the 7th Internet Governance Forum (IGF), which took place 6-9 November in Baku, Azerbaijan. The new edition has been updated to include developments in 2010 and 2011 and the latest on the net neutrality debate. Read more about the book and download the latest version as well as its translated versions.

Diplo’s IGF fellows discuss Internet governance

The annual IGF has just taken place in Baku. The Diplo fellows who attended the IGF, sponsored by VeriSign and the Central European Initiative, wrote about their experiences, the workshops they attended, and the issues they felt were a priority to their region or country. For example, Sarah Kiden looks at the key challenges and best practices on freedom of expression online; Grace Githaiga talks about women and technology, economic and societal opportunities; Trevor Phipps takes a look into the future following the IGF; Aida Mahmutović talks about access and online freedom of expression in the light of what was said during the closing ceremony of the IGF; and Thomas Kizito Mayengo talks about the multiplier effect principle for sustainable Internet governance capacity building. Read more blog posts from our fellows and watch video interviews in which they talk about their experience, what they have learnt, and the top issues that were raised during this year’s IGF.

Using imagery to communicate Internet governance

What questions does IG address? Can we expand the use of the Internet to all technology? Can all devices be connected to the Internet (household devices, cars, bus stations, etc.)? All these IG questions – and many more – can be reduced to a plain everyday event in our life. They are discussed at a high level by experts, but there is a need for these questions to be explained in a way that is understandable by wider audiences – especially policymakers. Diplo, with the help of VeriSign, is releasing a series of animations which aims to explain some of the basic IG issues, in a language that is understood by everyone. The first two video animations of the series ‘Internet Governance Lite’ are on Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) and Domain Name System Security (DNSSEC). Watch them here.

What’s happening in Diplo’s blogosphere?

Reporting from Diplo’s conference on Innovation in Diplomacy earlier this week in Malta, Stephanie Borg-Psaila reflects on Richard Werly’s piece on the EEAS and a new European diplomacy. Jovan Kurbalija ponders the wisdom of the ages and how they contribute to Innovation in diplomacy and discovering unknown unknowns. Mary Murphy considers the joys of work life, personal life: unique and separate but sometimes interrelated as posited by Richard Boly of the US Statement, and reports on Anders Norsker’s statement that Virtual meetings here to stay. Tereza Horejsova comments on Biljana Scott’s presentation on the power of the unsaid and its importance in diplomacy.

Setting the scene for the E-Diplomacy Day in Geneva, Tereza looks at the story of evolution of diplomacy: with e-diplomacy coming in, and wonders #eDipGeneva: are you e-competent? Pete wonders if e-diplomacy is the new normal. And as a follow-up to this event, Jovan launches the Nine E-diplomacy Principles and asks that we add more……

Aldo Matteucci continues to look sideways at the world. In his post Witter – Twitter, he talks of how cohesion in a group of monkeys is maintained through reciprocal grooming. Studies of captive monkeys have shown that grooming makes them more relaxed, reducing their heart rate as well as other external signs of stress. A tip there for all of us? He continues by exploring the Collateral effects of Facebook diplomacy  and what happens when the medium tweaks the message. He takes us down another road with his post on de-fanging nuclear weapons.

For those of you who missed the grand occasion, Diplo celebrated its 10th anniversary on Monday. In Happy Birthday Diplo! And the next 10 years? Pete Cranston looks forward to what’s in store for us. Here’s to many more interesting blogs and comments.