Dr Jovan Kurbalija, Director of DiploFoundation, participated in an eDiplomacy panel at the annual Foraus Seminar with Ambassador Alexandre Fasel, Swiss Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, and Matthias Lufkens, Digital Pratice Leader at Burson-Marsteller.
The Foraus 2013 Seminar, under the motto 'Young Vision for Swiss Foreign Policy' gathered young diplomats, researchers, and others interested in the question of diplomacy and foreign policy. The e-diplomacy session attracted a lot of attention.
Dr Jovan Kurbalija mapped one impact of the Internet on diplomacy by focusing on the changing environment for diplomatic activities (the impact of the Internet on the concept of power, legitimacy, and sovereignty), new topics on diplomatic agendas (Internet governance, digital politics) and new tools for diplomats (social media, data mining).
Matthias Lufkens focused on the use of Twitter by statesmans and diplomats. He presented the study on Twiplomacy prepared by Burson-Marsteller and explained a few interesting policy dynamics triggered by Twitter exchanges.
Ambassador Alexandre Fasel reflected on the use of e-tools in Swiss diplomacy. The presentations encouraged a lively debate with many questions on the potential and limitations in the use of e-tools in diplomacy.
