DiploNews – Issue 241 – 2 December 2013
Graduating in Malta
Eleven Diplo students from eleven countries – Australia, Austria, Dominica, Grenada, Ireland, Malta, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Uganda – were conferred with a Master’s in Contemporary Diplomacy in Valetta last week. This unique online programme of study, a cooperation between the University of Malta’s Faculty of Arts and DiploFoundation attracts practising diplomats, civil servants, and others working in international relations who want to refresh or expand their knowledge under the guidance of experienced practitioners and academics.
The eleven students who graduated focused their research on a diverse range of topics, from the regulation of regional trade agreements: a critical review of the East African Community to obstacles to Turkey’s application to join the EU. The currency of topics such as diplomacy and policy development in the Web 2.0 Age and beyond, how the Internet has affected diplomatic reporting, and Internet governance as a diplomatic priority reflect the need for diplomats to constantly adapt to ever-changing times. They investigated diaspora as a resource for sustainable development or reviewed diplomatic relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the USA. Case studies on democracy in Ghana, the evolution of diplomacy in the Caribbean, and the role of diplomacy in the security situation in northern Nigeria add to more than seven years of post-graduate research by Diplo students on this programme.
Upcoming study opportunities
Introduction to Internet Governance
Internet Governance (IG) may be more important to you than you realise.
Have you been reading and worrying about the Snowden revelations? Does online surveillance concern you and your colleagues? These are important IG issues. Learning more about IG will help you understand these personal and professional issues, and what can and should be done about them. Net neutrality? Privacy in online storage? Guidelines for cross-border Internet issues? How can regulators enhance and protect without interfering with the innovative principles that are the core of the Internet? Diplo's Introduction to Internet Governance online course will give you a foundation for discussing and addressing these issues. The next course starts the week of 17 February. Visit the course webpage to read more and apply by 16 December 2013 for the University of Malta accredited course and by 13 January 2014 for Diplo Certificate course.
Online Diploma Course in Humanitarian Diplomacy
We are accepting applications for the next session of the Humanitarian Diplomacy online diploma course, offered by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and DiploFoundation. The course willl start the week of 17 February 2014. This 12-week course, led by Ambassador Christopher Lamb, will extend the knowledge base and develop practical skills of current and future practitioners in humanitarian diplomacy and policy. The application deadline is 6 January 2014. For more details and to apply, please visit the course webpage.
February 2014 Diplomacy Courses
We've opened applications for our first set of diplomacy online courses next year, starting the week of 17 February:
Apply by 16 December 2013 for University of Malta accredited courses and by 13 January 2014 for Diplo Certificate courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses website. These courses are always popular, so register now to reserve your place.
Sign up for our courses mailing list to be informed about upcoming courses.
Webinar: International Law for Diplomats
How does international law affect the duties and foreign affairs work of diplomats? How can diplomats have a positive impact on the creation and implementation of international law? This interactive webinar will discuss how international law is important to the work of a diplomat on a daily basis, looking at questions such as: ‘When I act as a diplomat, what effect can those actions have on my home country? Is what I say or write somehow binding upon my country? What do I need to be careful of?’
To learn more about these and other questions, please join our interactive webinar on 10 December 2013 at 14.00 GMT (15.00 CET) with Mr Alan Franklin. The webinar is free but registration is required.
Webinar on Internet of Things
Imagine a world where many objects in our homes and offices are embedded with sensors, connected to the Internet, and able to communicate. Is this where we’re heading?
Our next webinar in the IG series of monthly webinars, on Wednesday 4th December, at 12 pm UTC/GMT, will be dedicated to the Internet of Things, a concept which some think is quickly moving into the spotlight and will be a major area of focus in 2014.
Ms Desiree Miloshevic, senior public policy and international affairs advisor in Europe for domain name registry Afilias, will cut through the hype and give an overview of the main issues surrounding the Internet of Things. To participate, please fill in the registration form; more details are available here. Participants will be able to engage in discussions on the topic.
What's been happening in Diplo's blogosphere?
Can translucency better serve the public interest than transparency? Jovan Kurbalija takes a look at The Iran nuke deal: secret negotiations in an era of transparency. Over in India, Kishan Rana explores a recent cultural diplomacy and Euro-Asian encounter in New Delhi, while Aldo Matteucci takes on one of the many rather vague notions that we humans debate endlessly when he looks at Democratizing 'public space'.
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.
Diplo IG community endorses 2014 IGF MAG nominees
Diplo’s IG community has endorsed five nominees and two continuing members to serve on the IGF’s Multistakeholder Advisory Group in 2014. The endorsed nominees are: Luca Belli (Italy), Towela Jere (South Africa), Nnenna Nwakanma (Nigeria), Baudouin Schombe (DR Congo), and Keisha Taylor (Trinidad and Tobago); the current members endorsed to continue serving are: Anriette Esterhuysen and Vladimir Radunovic.
A call for nominations took place last week on Diplo’s Internet governance community platform. After the nomination period closed, the community was asked to participate in an online consensus poll to select nominees for community endorsement.
Diplo congratulates the endorsed candidates, and thanks the nominees and community members for taking part in this process.
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