Advertise on TechXav
Article courtesy of The Straits Times
Riding on the popularity of Web 2.0, United States Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is making waves as she redefines stolid diplomacy.
Under Mrs Clinton, the State Department has made headlines over the past year by using social media for promoting new missions and reaching out to a wider audience. Officers josh about who gets the larger Twitter following in the department which hosts perhaps the densest hub of dabblers in the new media in the Obama administration.
It was less than three years ago that the State of Department slowly began to shape its Web personality. The DipNote, the department’s official blog which keeps track of its latest activities, was set up under the Bush administration. But the website — which has attracted 12 million page views — has since grown, with new additions such as a YouTube channel, Twitter feed, Facebook page and Flickr photo account.
Curriculum is also being overhauled at the Foreign Service Institute to make sure that in two years, no public affairs officer is posted abroad without a grounding in new media.
With such an infrastructure in place, American diplomacy under Mrs Clinton has made a big leap towards Web 2.0. Her foreign policy mix usually contains interviews with the international media, webcasts for a foreign audience, a big speech or town hall meeting and then outreach through Facebook or SMS to make sure the message percolates.
Technology is especially animating the State Department’s development activities, which are the face of the American government in many countries.
In one example, the State Department was instrumental in setting up the simplest possible way for Americans to help Haitians just hours after the recent earthquake. It was as easy as testing “Haiti” to a number to donate US$10 to the Red Cross.
Months earlier, the same technique was used to get Americans to help the two million Pakistanis who fled their homes as the Taleban invaded the Swat Valley.
In Mexico, the State Department helped launch a mobile-based initiative to fight drug-related crime.
In Congo, e-mail and text messages are being used to warn women and children of rebel attacks. In sub-Saharan Africa, SMS is used to tell people how to take HIV medications.
The top U.S. diplomat is aided by a team of tech-savvy officers.
At the heart is Ms Anne-marie Slaughter, former dean of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. As the head of policy planning at the State of Department, she is charged with anticipating trends that will impact foreign policy.
Mrs Clinton’s senior adviser for innovation Alec Ross also typifies the new diplomat. The post was specially created for Mr Ross, who was the technology policy adviser to Barack Obama during his presidential campaign. He was the founder of OneEconomy.com, a non-governmental organization using technology to help the poor.
Twitter co-founder and chairman Jack Dorsey has remarked that he had never seen such government involvement in promoting technology globally.
The State Department has also harnessed the digital reach in more sensitive areas.
The US$5 million Civil Society Initiative 2.0 launched last November, for instance, aims to educate and train grassroots organizations around the world to create websites, blog, launch text messaging campaigns and build online communities.
Under Mrs Clinton, U.S. public diplomacy is much more sophisticated and modern, said Professor Phillip Seib, director of the Center for Public Diplomacy at the University of South California.
However, he was quick to add: “But it is still in the outer orbits of the State Department. I’m not sure if the priorities are well sorted out.”
The State Department, for instance, actively disseminated Mr Obama’s Cairo speech in which he laid out U.S. policy towards the Muslim world. But there has been no policy follow-through to support the hopes stirred by the promises in the speech.
Article written by Bhagyashree Garekar for The Straits Times
Enjoyed this Tech Xav article? Like this:
The Obama administration’s state department may have brought web 2.0 to the white house, but their diplomacy remains firmly in web 1.0. On issues like Israel, the environment, relations which China, Iran and the Middle East, the Obama administration is not much different from the previous Bush administration. Some small victories which they can boost having because of their update in technology cannot change this.
Congrats to them on their leaps and bounds in the PR war, but without substance this is very hollow indeed.
Some exceptional thoughts below. Are you convinced it is the right option to appear at it however? My own particular encounter is that everyone will want to rather a good deal stay and let live mainly because what one particular guy thinks just — an additional someone purely doesn’t. Human beings are planning to do what they desire to do. Inside end, they normally do. The most we can pray for is to highlight several points here and there that hopefully, makes it possible for them to generate just a little superior informed decision. Otherwise, amazing post. You are absolutely making me think!
Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality.
Spending that much on a wedding truly baffles me – and where they earned that sort of money even more so. I just hope they will live happily ever after, because a split after a wedding of this grandeur will certainly not make Hilary very pleased!
Thanks for that amazing web page article! I actually enjoyed reading it, that you’re a really good author. I seriously added your internet site to my favorites and will arrive back from the futureto your web page. Keep up the excellent employment, I wish you could have a incredible day!
I assumed it was proceeding to become some unexciting old report, but it genuinely compensated for my time. I most unquestionably will publish a link to this post on my web-site. I am convinced my visitors are gonna identify that certainly beneficial.
Some exceptional thoughts right here. Are you convinced it is the appropriate technique to look at it however? My own particular expertise is that anyone may want to rather a great deal stay and let stay mainly because what an individual someone thinks just — another individual basically doesn’t. Human beings are planning to do what they wish to do. Contained in the end, they always do. Probably the most we can pray for is to highlight a number of matters here and there that hopefully, makes it possible for them to create just a tiny better informed choice. Otherwise, magnificent submit. You’re unquestionably producing me think!
Thanks for that exceptional blog page post! I quite enjoyed reading it, you are a outstanding author. I in actual fact additional your blog page to my favorites and will come back within the futureto your blog site. Retain up the terrific task, I hope you will have a excellent day!