DiploNews – Issue 202 – 15 April 2012

Summer online courses

We are now accepting applications for our interactive summer online courses: 

• 
  21st Century Diplomacy
• 
  Diplomatic Law: Privileges and Immunities
• 
  Multilateral Diplomacy

Courses start the week of 23 July 2012. Apply by 21 May for University of Malta Accredited Courses and 18 June for Diplo Certificate Courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses website. Register now to reserve your place.

I now have a clearer understanding of the historical development of diplomatic practice, the reasons that diplomatic agents are granted privileges and immunities and of the systems that govern these privileges and immunities. The course, as well, cleared up many misconceptions about diplomatic entitlements. I unreservedly recommend this course to professionals involved in diplomatic practice, diplomatic law or anyone else with an interest in this field of study.

Marissa Carmichael, Foreign Service Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guyana
 

Call for applications: Online Course on Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

With growing calls to make the process of nuclear disarmament comprehensive and irreversible, the resurgence and the need to sustain nuclear arms control diplomacy, the persistence of unresolved nuclear proliferation issues (including in Iran and North Korea), and the desire for nuclear energy, coupled with safety and security concerns, the 40-year old Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) remains central to the prospects for disarmament, arms control and international security. Familiarity with the NPT is increasingly indispensable for practitioners and analysts to navigate their way through current and future nuclear issues. The Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), in collaboration with DiploFoundation, is pleased to offer a unique opportunity to learn more about the NPT and disarmament through this online course.

The course runs from 16 July to 16 September 2012. The application deadline is 11 June 2012. Partial scholarships are available for applicants from developing countries. Please visit our website for more information and to apply.
 

IG webinar on illegal online content and liability of Internet intermediaries

SOPA, ACTA, PIPA and most recent developments in Internet governance come down to the role of intermediaries who facilitate our Internet interaction. The main intermediaries are Internet service providers. Governments try to use intermediaries in order to impose their presence, sometimes justifiable (law), sometimes questionable (content control). While governments have been using intermediaries for centuries, the Internet is posing strong challenges due to strong transboundary Internet communication and the way in which the Internet was designed. Join us next Tuesday, 24th April, at 13:00 GMT to discuss the liability of Internet intermediaries and alternatives to content policy. The discussion will be led by special host Vladimir Radunovic. More information is available here.
 

Discussing Internet Governance

We’ve all heard the news that this year’s Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 6-9 November. Or is it? Virginia (Ginger) Paque believes the dates are off… Read why, in her blog post ‘IGF Azerbaijan dates (it’s not 6-9 November in Baku)’. Meanwhile, against a backdrop of calls for workshop proposals, and regional IGFs, our Internet governance community members have been discussing various topics. Naveed Ul Haq discusses crowdsourcing as a new problem-solving and production model, which features a web-based model that connects a distributed network of individuals through an open call for participation to solve a wide variety of problems. Michele Marius discusses cyber threats and security in the Caribbean through a series of Q&As (separate links available in her blog post) with IT/network security experts from across the Caribbean. On a separate note, Internet Governance Capacity Building Programme alumnus Rodney Taylor was recently in the news. Read his interview here. 
 

From Diplo Interactive

Aldo Matteucci, Diplo’s resident contrarian, started last week with a good reminder that jokes are important in diplomacy. He took a few entertaining examples from the Tang dynasty, in a blog post which reminds us of an excellent article on diplomacy and ‘serious jokes’ by Professor Peter Serracino-Inglott. Pete Cranston wrote a blog on the appropriate number of tweets per day, arguing that there is no rule, but a certain logic we can follow. Aldo concludes the week with a few reflections on public interest. Public interest is on the lips of many politicians, statesmen and diplomats. Can we define public interest? Who should do it?

At Diplo Interactive you can find tweets, blogs and podcasts from Diplo staff, lecturers, students, and associates. Please join us in discussing diplomacy today.