User blogs

Could we get another Talleyrand or Metternich through an online course? Diplomatic protocol, negotiations and other practical topics in diplomatic training – is it a “learning by doing” exercise or can you teach these efficiently in an online learning environment? One of the three debates of the Online Learning Day that DiploFoundation held on April 17^th, presented two views on this issue. This is a summary of the discussion.

Yes, you can:

“A most unfortunate misunderstanding in US social media”, as the Czech ambassador to the US called the confusion of many American 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.

Implicit communication, the unsaid – how important is this in an age of supposed transparency and openness? This and other questions were raised in a presentation by Dr Biljana Scott at Diplo’s conference on Innovation in Diplomacy.

The core mission of diplomacy is still the same, but traditional diplomacy adjusts significantly. Can it bring peace and harmonious relations in the modern world? These and other questions have been discussed at a High-Level of Geneva E-diplomacy day.

The #eDipGeneva day has kicked off with over 100 diplomats registered. It is a practically oriented event with a how-to focus. The purpose behind Diplo’s E-diplomacy days is to try to go beyond the limited perception of e-diplomacy as a concept of public diplomacy, as Jovan Kurbalija has stressed.

The European Union is in trouble. And I’m not talking about the economy or euro now… The trouble goes deeper than that. The idealistic project sketched in the post WW2 years with great visions had slowly and little by little started taking the shape of a political union. However, despite more than half-a-century of inching closer and closer, it becomes more and more obvious that Europe is not yet ready for such experimenting. When things go tough, you play for your own (national) team anyway.