DiploNews – Issue 349 – 15 June 2018

Upcoming study opportunities

Diploma in Humanitarian Diplomacy 

We are now accepting applications for the next session of the online diploma course Humanitarian Diplomacy, offered in co-operation with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). This highly interactive 13-week course, led by Ambassador Christopher Lamb and a team of experienced practitioners, extends the knowledge base and develops the practical skills of current and future practitioners in humanitarian diplomacy and policy. The course familiarises participants with basic definitions, concepts, actors, and institutions in the field of humanitarian diplomacy; introduces international humanitarian law; hones advocacy and negotiation skills; develops participants’ research skills; and increases their understanding of national and regional humanitarian diplomacy activities.
 The course is offered in English; however, participants have the option to write and submit major course assignments and the final research paper in French or Spanish.
 The next session starts 10 September 2018 and the application deadline is 30 July 2018. Please visit the course webpage to read more and apply. 

Applications open for the 2019 Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy

Diplo is now accepting applications for the 2019 Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy, and the Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy with a specialisation in Internet Governance. These unique postgraduate programmes, offered in co-operation with the University of Malta, include a 10-day residential workshop in Malta followed by 16–20 months of online learning. Visit the Master in Contemporary Diplomacy webpage to read more. Scholarships covering 20%–50% of the Postgraduate Diploma fee are available for applicants from small and developing states. The programme starts on 4 February 2019. The application deadline is 15 October 2018 for international applicants, and 15 November 2018 for Maltese applicants.

Summer online diplomacy courses

Is summer a quiet time in your office? Then it’s the perfect opportunity to take an online course. Have a look at our courses on diplomacy and Internet technology that start on 23 July:

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

Apply by 18 June for Diplo certificate courses. For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses listed, or visit our courses webpage. Register now to reserve your place. 

Malta scholarships

Thanks to support from the government of Malta, partial scholarships are available for applicants from developing countries to attend upcoming Diplo online courses. These scholarships cover 30%–60% of course fees and can be applied to most online courses in 2018. Browse our course catalogue and contact us at admissions@diplomacy.edu for further information. You can also sign up for our courses mailing list to be informed about upcoming courses.


Internet governance in June

What were the main Internet governance updates in June, and how will they shape future developments? What can we expect in July? Join us for our next monthly briefing, on Tuesday, 26th June, at 11:00 UTC (13:00 CET) for a round-up of the major global IG and digital policy developments. Registrations are now open.

Upcoming: Geneva Cybersecurity Law & Policy Conference

The Geneva Cybersecurity Law & Policy Conference, with the theme ‘What Civil Liability for Cyber-attacks?’, will be held on 21 June 2018, in Geneva. The event is being organised within the framework of a research project between the University of Geneva and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Discussions will focus on the legal and policy aspects of cybersecurity. The programme is built around the following themes:

• Civil liability for cyber-attacks: Selected issues and challenges.
• Data protection and cybersecurity breaches: What risks of liability?
• Risk management: What standard of care for victims of cyber-attacks?
• The future of cybersecurity: Artificial intelligence and other challenges.

DiploFoundation Director and Head of the Geneva Internet Platform, Prof. Jovan Kurbalija, will moderate the afternoon panel discussion on ‘The future of cybersecurity: Artificial intelligence and other challenges’.

For more information, visit the event webpage.

Bay Area techplomacy – How countries interact with the Internet industry

As a follow-up to DiploFoundation’s study on how countries interact with the tech sector in the Bay Area, we have produced a short video clip providing a sneak peak of the session organised at RightsCon in Toronto last month.

What’s been happening in Diplo’s blogsphere

Biljana Scott’s blog post on Intercultural communication and logical fallacies is the first in a series which explores intercultural communication through the lens of logical fallacies, by linking each fallacy to a current trend or event. In this blog post, Scott focuses on ‘hasty generalisations’. She concludes by pointing out that ‘if we fail to recognise the prevalence of logical fallacies in public discourse, or if we recognise their existence but dismiss them as simply wrong-minded, we risk ignoring one of the driving forces that shapes people’s thinking;’ In Economic Diplomacy as Impetus for Domestic Reforms, Diplo guest blogger Ryan Gener argues that ‘traditionally, diplomats project and promote national economic interests to gain export markets or foreign direct investments, rather than utilise external forces to shape domestic economic realities.’ He then asks ‘Can diplomacy be utilised by a state for its own domestic economic reforms?’ In his reflections he draws on a decade of experience in economic diplomacy, for example as part of the Philippine Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization (WTO).