EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTION E-DIPLOMACY IN AFRICA 1.

0 INTRODUCTION Diplomacy is widely accepted as the art and practice of conducting negotiations between nations and the skill in handling affairs without arousing hostility New Diplomacy William R. Moomaw The Fletcher School, Tufts University Diplomacy began as simple meetings between emissaries to discuss next steps in the relationship between and among tribes, states or empires. Today, diplomacy is anything but simple. A complex set of rules of engagement has evolved to deal with the ever more complex sets of issues that face modern nation states and their relationships. Traditional diplomacy addresses the following major topics: War and Peace (Middle East) Defining territorial borders and resolving border disputes (Kashmir, Middle East, Ecuador-Peru) Trade rules between and among nations (GATT, WTO) Treatment of foreign nationals by governments (extradition, rights of foreign citizens) Operational rules for communication and transport between nations (postal service, air, sea and land transportation when crossing borders, international telecommunications, etc.) The first two items listed above are often referred to as spectacular diplomacy because of the significance of the consequences. All of these diplomatic issues address state issues of sovereignty and territoriality. These are the two great principles that were defined for Europeans by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 when the modern nation state was defined. The treaty ended years of religious wars among competing groups of

Christians in Europe, and gave the sovereign in each state the right to choose the religion of his or her people. This principle has evolved into the notion that governments have the sovereign right to make all decisions within their borders that determine the behavior of their own citizens as well as those of foreign visitors, and to set the rules for operating their domestic economic and political systems. This has been confirmed and established by many subsequent international agreements. It is interesting that when European powers attempted to extend this principle to their colonial subjects, they rebelled and demanded sovereign rights for themselves. Today, the bulk of the worlds nations are former colonies that are the strongest defenders of sovereignty and territoriality. The formation of the United Nations following World War II began a process that has generated a New Diplomacy that challenges many of the perceptions of the Old or Traditional Diplomacy. Perhaps The Charter for Human Rights was the first significant challenge to national sovereignty by asserting that other governments might have a concern about how a state treated its people. Additional issues concerning not only human rights, but also humanitarian, labor, environmental and global issues have begun to challenge traditional notions of sovereignty and the sanctity of national boundaries. Page 2 The New Diplomacy addresses the following issues: Human rights (Apartheid in South Africa, genocide in Darfur) Humanitarian assistance (Kosovo, Rwanda, Sierra Leon, Aceh) Labor rights (Workers conditions in developing countries) National environmental issues (forestry and biodiversity) Transboundary environmental issues (acid rain and air and water pollution)

 Global environmental issues (marine fisheries, stratospheric ozone protection, climate change, Antarctica) Toxic substances, genetic engineering and biotechnology (Basel Convention, Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biosafety Protocol) Fair Trade (European Union, NAFTA, Free Trade Area of the Americas) In all of these cases, national sovereignty is challenged, and in some cases foreign governments or coalitions of states have crossed national boundaries to address a violation of an international norm. The New Diplomacy is an evolving, incomplete, new set of rules that makes traditional diplomats and many governments very uncomfortable. Where will it stop? When is intervention in the internal affairs of another country justified? Is sovereignty the last refuge of the corrupt scoundrels governing countries, or is it all that stands between international chaos and us? The New Diplomacy raises many questions and challenges, as it attempts to address emerging issues that arise from an ever more densely populated planet with ever more far reaching technologies that is becoming global on many fronts. Globalization is not just about the economy, and the ability of transnational firms to extract natural resources anywhere in the world, send them to a third country for processing, to a fourth for manufacturing, and then market and sell products to a global consumer class. Globalization is also about equity and the impact that resource extraction, manufacture and use of a product has on the environment and the health and well being of the workers who produce it as well as for bystanders and other species. It is about the ability of private corporations and NGOs to move across national boundaries in ways that

governments and intergovernmental organizations cannot. It is about the globalization of knowledge, information and science, and about transparency. The world is still uncertain how to do New Diplomacy, and governments tend to treat the issues as just a part of unspectacular diplomacy, but the intensity of public response to the issues and the increasing share of diplomatic time being spent on these new topics suggests that it is addressing critical international issues.

ICT for African States Diplomacy: Challenges, State and Opportunities

African States are facing a multitude of challenges dealing with domestic and external factors. They are also characterised by their political and economic marginalisation in the international arena. This marginalisation could easily be exemplified while looking at their place in international diplomatic circles. With regard to this implacable reality, while dealing with African States from a diplomatic stance and particularly relating to their influence on main global affairs issues and processes, most of African States could be considered Small States. The expression Small States could then be extended to encompass most African States which, from an individual stance, have a relatively limited influence on the international diplomatic agenda. Such context poses great challenges to African States diplomatic apparatuses, urging them to adapt themselves by adopting modern, efficient and state-ofthe-art methods and tools such as Information and Communication Technologies. The content of the paper will be as follows: 1) Outline of the main challenges and constrains African States are facing in the current international environment. 2) Snapshot of ICT status within African national diplomatic systems (including some of

Small States following the WB classification). 3) Outcomes deriving from the use of ICT; 4) Outline of a model of e-diplomacy based on the use of ICT; 5) Obstacles (technical, financial, political and administrative) to the implementation of such an e-diplomacy model; 6) Outline of new prospects the use of ICT could offer the Africa diplomatic activities, notably within the framework of its sub-regional, continent regional and international relations (strengthening collective diplomatic action - multilateral diplomacy while dealing with complex multilateral issues, sub-regional or regional crisis diplomacy and supporting the implementation of sub-regional and continent early warning systems, strengthening their effectiveness and efficiency).

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Traditional Diplomacy Modern Diplomacy 1.2.1 Usual Diplomacy 1.2.2 Internet Based Diplomacy The Internet's accessibility, power and scope are allowing nations of all sizes to articulate their diplomatic positions directly to a vast audience worldwide, instantly breaking down both borders and language barriers. A growing number of governments are implementing sophisticated Internet strategies to communicate their foreign affairs policies, trade initiatives, alliances and diplomatic exchanges globally as quickly as possible through websites operated by heads of state, ministries, missions, embassies and consulates, often in multiple languages. Some nations, in fact, utilize clustered servers scattered around the globe to speed delivery of their diplomacy-related information to the worldwide Internet public. Taken as a whole, these Internet information streams offer an instant snapshot, in real time, of the state of international affairs worldwide at any given moment.

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The patterns of nations' Internet interaction with one another and their on-line articulation of emerging international issues frequently reveal diplomatic nuances and changing priorities. The synthesis and channeling of this information produces a powerful analytical tool and briefing resource, focusing not merely on content but also how the information is packaged and communicated and to whom. STATEMENT OF PROBE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY LITERATURE REVIEW 4.1 Hard/soft publications 4.2 Web based literature and sites

Internet and Diplomacy Bibliography by the St Thomas University School of Law Diplomacy Monitor http://diplomacymonitor.com/stu/dm.nsf/infoinetdiploother?OpenForm "The Rise of Netpolitik - How the Internet Is Changing International Politics and Diplomacy" A comprehensive report by David Bollier based on a milestone three-day conference convened by the Aspen Institute's Communications and Society Program. The conference was held in Aspen, Colorado, USA, from August 1-4, 2002. (Acrobat file) "What if there is a revolution in diplomatic affairs?" By David Ronfeldt and John Arquilla. United States Institute of Peace. February 25, 1999. "The Internet & Diplomacy" By Dr. Nikos Christodoulides, consul general of the Republic of Cyprus in London and the vice president of the East Mediterranean Institute for Scientific Research and Studies. Published by American Diplomacy, in cooperation with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's Curriculum in Peace, War and Defense and the Triangle Institue for Security Studies March 16, 2005. "E-Diplomacy: Using Technology to Advance Foreign Relations"

Transcript of the U.S. State Department Open Forum on Feb. 20, 2003, featuring remarks by futurist John Petersen of the Arlington Institute. "Public Diplomacy and Information Technology: Americas Semi-Secret Weapons" By author Alan Kotok. Appears on PublicDiplomacy.org, a site with a rich collection of information on public diplomacy, including the impact of the Internet. The site is sponsored by the U.S. Information Agency Alumni Association (USIAAA). "The Virtual Ambassador - A Practical Approach" By former Ambassador (India) and author Kishan S. Rana, currently a Senior Fellow at DiploFoundation in Malta. His most recent book is The 21st Century Ambassador: Plenipotentiary to Chief Executive. "The New Diplomacy: Utilizing Innovative Communication Concepts That Recognize Resource Constraints" A report from the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, July 2003 "Information Technology Reshaping Method of Diplomatic Relations" By Nickolas Theros, June 2001, The Washington Diplomat. "The Democratisation of Diplomacy: Negotiating with the Internet" By Richard Grant, November 2004, Research Report No. 5, Oxford Internet Institute. (Large Adobe Acrobat file) "The New Public Diplomacy - Soft Power in International Relations" (Excerpt) Edited by Jan Melissen, Director of the Clingendael Diplomatic Studies Programme (CDSP), Netherlands Institute of International Relations 'Clingendael', in The Hague, and Professor of Diplomacy in the Department of Politics at Antwerp University, Belgium. Publication information

ICT for African States Diplomacy: Challenges, State and Opportunities

Abstract by William Assanvo ICT for African States Diplomacy: Challenges, State and Opportunities African States are facing a multitude of challenges dealing with domestic and ... o www.diplomacy.edu/poolbin.asp?IDPool=351
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International Conference - Diplomacy of Small States

10.00 - 11.00 Official Opening and Welcome Address Welcome by Professor Dietrich Kappeler, President of DiploFoundation Opening Address by The Hon. Dr. Michael Frendo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Malta Keynote Speech by Dr. Garret FitzGerald, Former Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ireland ... "ICT for African States' Diplomacy: Challenges, State and Opportunities" Mr. Mario Pisani, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malta: o www.diplomacy.edu/conferences/smallstates/program.asp

allAfrica.com: Nigeria: ICT And Modern Diplomacy

Therefore, diplomacy is "the conduct of relations between sovereign states through the ... with a 10-day workshop on 'ICT and Contemporary Diplomacy ... Africa: IBM Sponsors Africa ...

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THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ASSUMPTIONS SCOPE AND LIMITATION METHODOLOGY SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY CHAPTERISATION