DiploNews – Issue 223 – 5 March 2013

May 2013 online courses

Starting on 6 May 2013, Diplo will offer a series of important online courses covering essential topics in contemporary diplomacy, including:

• Bilateral Diplomacy
• Diplomacy of Small States
• E-Diplomacy
• Economic Diplomacy (NEW! – available in this session  as a certificate course only)

Apply by 1 April 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.

The subject, Diplomacy of Small States, has further strengthened my knowledge and belief that regardless of constraints, some small states have shown their ability to project formidable foreign policy initiatives. The course has to a large extent helped to broaden my horizon at a global level, thanks to the weekly assignments from colleagues, analysing the different perspectives on how small states practice their diplomacy.

Momodu Wurie, Head of Chancery, Embassy of the Republic of Sierra Leone in Tripoli, Libya

Save the date

Persuasion, the essence of diplomacy is the theme of a seminar being organised in honour of Prof. Dietrich Kappeler's 80th birthday. The event will gather practitioners and academics to discuss the issue of persuasion in diplomacy and modern politics. What type of persuasion is effective? Is persuasion different on the Internet?

The book, with articles and reflections on persuasion as the essence of diplomacy, will be presented at the event. You can find more information on the Persuasion webpage.

Venue: Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Rue de Lausanne 132, Geneva
Date and time: 3 April 2013 (10.30 am – 12.30 pm, followed by a reception
Registration: E-mail Tereza Horejsova by 29 March  2013

Diplo projects nominated for WSIS Project Prizes 2013

Diplo's Internet Governance Capacity Building Programme (IGCBP), and Dr Jovan Kurbalija's book, An Introduction to Internet Governance, have been nominated for the 2013 WSIS Project Prizes. The nominations were made under Category 9 and Category 4, respectively.

The WSIS Project Prizes recognise and award projects for their efforts in the implementation of WSIS outcomes. In its second year, the WSIS Project Prizes will this year honour 18 winners during an award ceremony at the WSIS Forum 2013, in Geneva, in May.

Given the importance of this process, Diplo encourages its community to give careful consideration to all categories, and to help Diplo's efforts be recognised. More info about Diplo's nominations, as well as how to vote, is available at https://www.diplomacy.edu/blog/diplo-projects-nominated-wsis-project-prizes-2013

What's going on in Diplo's blogosphere?

On the E-diplomacy channel this month, Jovan Kurbalija shares his insights on E-luddism and his attempt to be off-line, and considers whether the medium is the message as he explores the evolution  from typewriter to computer. Petru Dumitriu tackles Threats to e-nternational peace and security of mind while Pete Cranston asks What makes up institutional capability for e-diplomacy?

Aldo Matteucci reckons that If you have a ‘goal’ – you’re selling yourself short! He also struggles with words that betray his thoughts in his post ‘Orphan’ news… Quite topically, Aldo devotes some time to the state of play in Italy this month in his posts Vox populi… (Italy 2013) and Crowd-sourcing Italy’s future. Begining with the lovely Tolstoy quotation: Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, Aldo also wonders How does a society stop the use of terror?  and explores what what we lost when we discarded the Greek gods in When the gods descended into the world…

Remember, you, too, can have your say. Why not comment on these or any of our blog posts or join us as a guest blogger.

Discussing Internet Governance

Diplo’s online Internet governance community has been very active in Internet governance discussions, as usual. The past fortnight was categorised by the WSIS+10 Review Meeting, organised by Unesco in Paris. This was followed by a meeting of the Multistakeholder Advisory Group, and Open Consultations.

In her blog post, Grace Githaiga (Kenya ICT Action Network) shares the opening statement which she delivered on behalf of civil society, during the WSIS+10 Review Meeting. Ms Githaiga’s opening statement followed those of UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, ITU Secretary General Hamadoun Touré, UNCTAD Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpakdi, International Chamber of Commerce Secretary-General Jean-Guy Carrier, and Katalin Bogyay, president of the UNESCO General Conference and Ambassador of Hungary.

In From IGF to ITU: The Importance of Being a 'Stakeholder', Luca Belli writes about the birth of the multistakeholder concept in Internet governance, and the effect  the recent World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) had on this important concept.

In Cloud Computing services make life easier?, Juan Manuel Rojas writes about some of the benefits of cloud computing, as well as solutions to a few of the most common concerns.

Roxana Radu shares a call for papers for the upcoming international workshop on 'The Global Governance of the Internet: Intergovernmentalism, Multistakeholderism and Networks', organised by GigaNet in Geneva, Switzerland, on 17-18 May 2013.

To read and comment on IG-related blog posts, follow Diplo’s Internet governance blog roll, and follow posts/comments shared by members of Diplo’s IG community.

Twitter: the fastest-growing tool for diplomats

Twitter has evolved from being the tool of choice for celebrities and Hollywood stars, to being one of the preferred ways of communication for foreign ministers, ambassadors, and diplomats around the world. Join us for our live webinar on Friday, March 8th at 14:00 CET (13:00 GMT) with Andreas Sandre a Press and Public Affairs Officer at the Embassy of Italy in Washington DC, on Twitter and diplomacy.