DiploNews – Issue 54 – 6 May 2003
Diplomatic Blunders
We decided that both Bob Dole and an ex-Romanian minister are right: indeed "the internet is a great way to get on the net", and yes, "winters are not like summers". And we learned on the internet that "Border relations between Canada and Mexico have never been better", according to the current US president. So we thought you might enjoy this site with blunders made by diplomats and politicians and learn something too. And we hope the day you go there will be "a great day (for France!)" as President Richard Nixon said at French President Charles de Gaulle's funeral.
New DiploPortals
DiploPortals are comprehensive and interactive information sources on specific topics related to diplomacy and international relations. We offer you the results of our research, collections of resources, and the chance to become involved by sharing your own knowledge and experience. Please visit some of our newest portals now available online:
Public Diplomacy via E-mail
On February 13, 2003, Wired News reported that an e-mail campaign by the US military to win over Iraqi military and government officials was having little success due to the censoring of e-mail by the Iraqi government. Internet service all over Iraq was reportedly cut briefly each time the messages were sent, so that they could be purged from inboxes. The e-mail contained messages urging Iraqis to disobey orders to deploy chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, and encouraged them to disclose the locations of such weapons to inspectors or to destroy the weapons. According to William Knowles, senior analyst with C4I.org, a security and intelligence site, this is the first acknowledged use of e-mail as part of an offensive information operation.
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