DiploNews – Issue 246 – 17 February 2014

May online courses on diplomacy

We are now accepting applications for four exciting online courses which start the week of 5 May 2014:

• Bilateral Diplomacy
• Current Issues in the United Nations
• Diplomacy of Small States
• E-diplomacy

Apply by 3 March for University of Malta accredited courses and by 31 March 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.

Sign up for our courses mailing list to be informed about upcoming courses.

Book launch: Two recent books on Internet governance (event in Geneva)

The newly established Geneva Internet Platform, supported by DiploFoundation, will host an event on 24 February 2014 (18.30–19.30, followed by a glass of wine and light refreshments) in Geneva (World Meteorological Organization, 7bis, Avenue de la Paix) to launch two recent books on Internet governance.

• The Evolution of Global Internet Governance: Principles and Policies in the Making by Rolf Weber, Roxana Radu, and Jean-Marie Chenou
• The New International Telecommunication Regulations and the Internet: A Commentary and Legislative History by Richard Hill

The authors will be present to discuss their books and talk about links to the current dynamic developments in Internet governance.

Briefing for Geneva missions – just-in-time course on Internet governance

The briefing for permanent missions based in Geneva will present a just-in-time course on Internet governance to be delivered by the newly established Geneva Internet Platform (GIP) and DiploFoundation.The course will provide knowledge and skills for diplomats who follow Internet-related negotiations and processes (e.g. Internet governance, telecommunications, online human rights, e-commerce, cybersecurity, intellectual property). A briefing session is scheduled for 24 February 2014 (17.00–18.00), World Meteorological Organization building, 2nd floor, 7bis, Avenue de la Paix. The deadline for applications is 28 February 2014. See more details here.

What's been happening in Diplo's blogosphere

Links between Switzerland and the Balkans are numerous, starting with those that are easily visible. Yet despite these myriad links, the History of Switzerland in Serbian has not yet been published. Jovan Kurbalija announces a new experiment for Diplo in an effort to right this situation.

Did you know that 11 February was Safer Internet Day? If you didn’t, you’re not alone. Pete Cranston asks how confident we are that we can give sensible advice to our peers or to the young people at whom this programme is mainly directed.

The Geneva II talks have just ended with little to show for them, or so the press claims. Biljana Scott thinks otherwise. Check out her post Fiddling with words while Syria burns where she notes ‘the emphasis in Geneva on securing a dialogue, no matter how fraught, between warring factions; and therein its success’.

Nicholas Dynon looks at Online Reputation Management for Governments asking whether it is in the national interest or out of the dictator’s playbook.

Remember, you too can have your say by commenting on these or any of our blog posts. And, if you’d like to be a guest blogger, let us know.

Discussing Internet governance

The generic top-level domain (gTLD) شبكة. – pronounced DotShabaka – was the first to go live as part of the rollout of more than 1000 new gTLD name suffixes, Mwende Njiraini announced last week.

In Freedom of expression… a right to protect, Yosr Jouini talks about the obstacles that are halting progress in Tunisia’s democratic transition, and recommendations for the protection of freedom of expression online.

In Privacy, Akinremi Peter Taiwo discusses pressing privacy issues which have been exacerbated by the Internet. Technology is not the problem, he says; rather, the issues are related to the way technology is used to violate privacy.

Meanwhile, unrest grows in at least two regions. In Turkey, police used tear gas grenades and water cannons to disperse over 2000 people demonstrating against new Internet curbs, while in southern Somalia, people are outraged at Al-Shabaab’s forced shutdown of mobile Internet service in areas under its control.

Follow more IG-related news and discussions on Diplo’s Internet governance channel, and on Diplo’s IG community blog roll.

IGCBP faculty members, alumni elected to civil society

IGCBP faculty member Deirdre Williams has been elected co-cordinator of the Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus, a forum for discussion, advocacy, action, and representation of civil society in IG processes. Her term expires in June 2016.

Meanwhile, Fahd Batayneh, Fahmi Qasem, and Wafa Ben Hassine were among the elected members of the renewed Advisory Committee of the Arab IGF. Mr Batayneh is a tutor on Diplo/Hivos IGCBP for the MENA region, while Mr Qasem and Ms Ben Hassine are alumni of the programme’s foundation course, and current participants of the advanced course of the programme.

Internet-related research, internship opportunities

RIPE Academic Cooperation Initiative (RACI) invites students and researchers to present their Internet-related research during RIPE NCC meetings. The next one will take place in Warsaw, Poland, 12-16 May 2014. Learn more here.

Access Now has issued a call for applications for an Internet Governance Reform Internship, which will be under the guidance of Deborah Brown, one of Access Now's senior policy analysts. The internship offers an opportunity to learn about and gain specialised knowledge in Internet governance and policy,  and research, write, and participate as a member of the Access Now team. Learn more here.