Great Minds Think Alike
While it may be presumptuous to refer to myself as a “great mind,” I have never really had any qualms about my freakishly healthy ego. That said, there are two articles these I read recently and very much enjoyed that highlight the very importance of what I have been writing about here.
Diplomacy 2.0 by Kenneth Weisbrode, The Guardian
Favorite quote:
“When, after the first world war, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the advent of the so-called New Diplomacy, whereby secrecy and the balance of power would be replaced by open covenants and collective security, many people regarded such things as the dreams of an idealist preacher.”
This article provides great examples of how modern diplomacy both takes from and strays from old practices. While I am a big proponent of exploring the benefits of new technologies and communication for public diplomacy, I agree with Mr. Weisbrode about the importance of maintaining the diplomatic practices that have sustained our international conversation for many years. New media, video streaming, broadcasting and social networks built for the sole purpose of international cooperation should serve as add-ons to the existing traditions of ambassadors, alliances and treaties. Our generation isn’t exactly here to reinvent diplomacy for the 21st century, but give it a much needed update. I do believe that this is a very exciting time and that our generation of networkers and information-hungry youngsters will have the incredible opportunity to collaborate in ways that are unprecedented, if we so choose.
A Surfeit of America: Engaging the World in a Time of Excess by Nancy Snow (Dr. Persuasion), The Huffington Post
Favorite quote:
“Communications technology, like propaganda, which most of the Internet is rife with, is just a tool for change. You can pick up a hammer and build a Habitat for Humanity home and use that same hammer to hit someone in the back of the head. We can’t just focus on all the bells and whistles of technology today without understanding personal motives and intentions.”
Just like the Guardian piece I mentioned above, which somewhat questions modern diplomacy, Nancy Snow recognizes the downfall of simply relying on modern communications technology for diplomatic efforts. While useful, communications technologies are just tools and our new project is to make sure that they are used the right way. Creating a Ministry of Culture, as Ms. Snow suggests, would be a wonderful way of branding ourselves as a nation, which is a key element of public diplomacy. Part of gaining respect around the world is not only having an effect on what the news media writes, but also the feeling people get when they think about our country. We might be all over the world and we might have the technology to extend our reach further than we ever have, but we must utilize these tools to send the right message to the global community.
Tags: diplomacy 2.0, huffington post, kenneth weisbrode, ministry of culture, nancy snow, new diplomacy, new media, technology, the guardian, woodrow wilson