DiploNews – Issue 227 – 3 May 2013
Upcoming study opportunities
Call for applications: Humanitarian Diplomacy online diploma course
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and DiploFoundation will offer a new session of the Humanitarian Diplomacy online diploma course starting 2 September 2013. This 12-week course, led by Ambassador Christopher Lamb, 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 course 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 application deadline is 22 July 2013. For more details and to apply, please visit the course webpage.
Call for applications: Specialised course in ICT Infrastructure and Critical Internet Resources
Diplo invites diplomats, government officials, and other professionals working in the Internet governance field who would like to refresh or expand their knowledge of more technical issues to apply for the upcoming course in Infrastructure and Critical Internet Resources (CIRs). The 10-week course, starting 22 July 2013, will present topics and issues related to infrastructure and CIRs, including infrastructure development, connection costs, regulatory frameworks, IP protocols, network neutrality, the domain name system (DNS), and the roles of the main actors. The course is based on a collaborative approach to learning, involving a high level of interaction and discussion. Apply by 20 May for the University of Malta accredited course and by 17 June for the Diplo certificate course. For more details, including a detailed course outline and how to apply, please visit the course webpage.
Diplo is also offering specialised Internet governance courses in:
- ICT Policy and Strategic Planning
- Privacy and Personal Data Protection
Apply by 17 June for Diplo certificate courses. For more information or to apply, click on the above links, or e-mail us at ig@diplomacy.edu
Summer online courses on diplomacy
This summer, starting on 22 July, Diplo offers the following diplomacy courses:
Apply by 20 May for University of Malta accredited courses and by 17 June 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.
Sign up for our courses mailing list to be informed about upcoming courses!
Save the date
Diplo is organising an E-participation Day within its Geneva E-diplomacy Platform on Wednesday, 19th June. We will cover a wide range of issues related to e-participation including remote participation at diplomatic meetings, the open gov and open data movements, and how international organisations use social media to engage, rather than broadcast. The event will take place in Geneva but will be broadcast with a remote participation option.
A preparatory webinar for the event will take place on Thursday, 23rd May. Stay tuned to Diplo's calendar for more updates or contact Guy Girardet at guyg@diplomacy.edu.
Metaphors for diplomats: discussing uses and misuses in the first DiploDialogue
In this first DiploDialogue, Katharina Höne and Aldo Matteucci discuss the usefulness of analogies and metaphors for understanding international relations and diplomacy. Katharina argues in favour of metaphors and sees them as useful tools to make sense of complex and abstract issues in diplomacy. She also argues that to a large extent, the world diplomats operate in is shaped by metaphors. Aldo raises points of caution and shares many examples that illustrate how metaphors, such as domino theory, have been dangerously misleading.
DiploDialogue presents a digest of Diplo discussions in classrooms, blogs, and events. This first DiploDialogue is an illustrated digest of a stimulating, at times heated, and always entertaining discussion between Katharina and Aldo that spanned more than a dozen blog posts.
You can read and download the publication here.
Diplo in the news
Diplo's director Jovan Kurbalija was interviewed by Geneva International on Diplo and the use of Twitter. Diplo joined Twitter 'late enough to learn from others' mistakes; early enough to develop our own style and set trends in e-diplomacy' was one of Jovan’s tweet-answers in the interview.
Discussing Internet governance
On Diplo’s IG community site, Trevor Phipps analyses an aspect of the policy-making process: the quality of stakeholder consultation as a precursor to legislative changes. Who should be invited to the table and for how long should discussions take place? Is it the governments’ responsibility to ensure the participation of a wide cross-section of society? This analysis forms part of a Policy Research course project proposal focusing on the Harmonisation of ICT Policies, Legislation and Regulatory Procedures (HIPCAR) project and subsequent legislative changes in St Kitts and Nevis, written during Diplo's Introduction to Policy Research course.
In My take-aways from the ICANN 46 Beijing meeting, Diplo alumnus and tutor Adela Danciu discusses a few issues that captured her attention during the recent ICANN meeting. The issues include the ongoing WHOIS review and updates from the Expert Working Group and the community; the much expected Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) Advice; and stakeholder engagement as a top priority for ICANN.
New community member Valerie Vlasenko writes about cyber attacks and the use of force from a legal perspective. Since there are as of yet no specific and internationally recognised norms governing the use of ‘cyber’ in international warfare, many think that new legislation is required. On the other hand, others argue that new laws are not necessary given the flexible nature of existing rules. Ms Vlasenko analyses the applicability of some of the existing rules.
In a second blog post, she reports on the recently published ITU’s Annual Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2013. The 13th edition examines transnational aspects of regulation in a networked society, and provides an understanding of the digital ecosystem and the role of regulation. Read more here.
Follow IG-related discussions on Diplo’s Internet governance channel, and on Diplo’s IG community blog roll.
What's happening in Diplo's blogosphere?
Diplomacy, like every other facet of life, has been affected by the Internet. If you missed our webinar with Stefano Baldi, don’t worry: you can read the Webinar digest – Essential e-tools for diplomats and catch the main points he made. Jovan Kurbalija continues the diplomacy theme by asking What can we learn from Byzantine diplomacy?
Back to the Internet, Pete Cranston wonders about Social Media and online learning – is it such an obvious marriage? with Ginger Paque replying to his points in her post Social Media and online learning – an enduring friendship. Jovan sums up last week’s discussion on some currest questions in online learning: Utopia (58%) Reality (11%) with 31% undecided while Hannah Slavik posts her thoughts on learning from the MOOC model and Tereza Horejsova wonders if we can learn practical diplomatic issues online?
In a separate post, Tereza points out that Czech Republic is not Chechnya: the power of social media as she talks about the confusion of many US social media users that the two suspects of the Boston marathon bombings come from the Czech Republic, a country whose name happens to remind some people of Chechnya… Meanwhile, Katharina Höne asks: Who is a refugee? Who should be offered protection from human suffering? Is it misleading to speak about climate refugees? Of legal concepts, metaphors, and human suffering … According to Katharina, much depends on how we define those legal concepts.
Aldo Matteucci takes the long view on Balochistan as he compliments the Carnegie Endowment for Peace on the clarity of a recent report on the region and recommends it as an example of good reporting to aspiring diplomats. Aldo also discusses the uncertain future of national borders and in his post Piercing the fog of ambiguities notes how disambiguation only leads to complexification – not necessarily truth.
Remember, you too can have your say by commenting on these or any of our blog posts. And, if you’d like to be a guest blogger, let us know.
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