A Conversation on Media Technology and Diplomacy

April 2nd, 2010  |  by  |  published in Media & Technology

I had the good fortune to attend a discussion last week between Alec Ross, the Senior Advisor for Innovation in the office of Secretary of State Clinton and Marc Lynch, professor of political science at George Washington University and a featured blogger on Foreign Policy.com. The focus of the discussion was primarily about the use of media technology for outreach and public diplomacy in the Arab world. Each gave a short presentation that talked about the need for embracing technology, and for sustaining realistic attitudes towards what communication technology can accomplish for the US State Department. For this blog post, I’ll summarize a few of the interesting points they raised:


  • Amb. Casamitjana: I sign off on prearranged tweets & post myself. I don't share personal info. Convey fopo of Mex. Govt.
  • How can groups like Sister Cities benefit from social media? Get the message out!
  • : must think broadly about interlocutors for diplomacy. Social media can help connect/identify.
  • Mex amb. Casamitjana : states suffering from legitimacy crisis for public policy. Sounds like Castells on network power.
  • : social media punishes moderation. Rewards extremist politics. Don't know where this is going.