Instructions
Place yourself in a capital or major city of your choice, in an embassy or
consulate of a country of your choice. Report on an event for policymakers back
at home, using at least two local English-language news sources (you may also
use news sources in the local language if you are fluent in it). Remember the
key criteria for good diplomatic reporting, which we examined in the week 4
lecture (go back to the lecture recording and/or do the required reading for
that week if you are still unclear about any of them). Your portfolio will be
assessed on the following: Sources of information (provide references)
Organisation (especially headings and the numbering of paragraphs) Relevance of
this information for your own country Analysis and
interpretation Usefulness (especially setting out policy options or other
recommended actions) Therefore your cable should clearly indicate how the event
or issue you are reporting is relevant to your home country and provide a
commentary on it (you are not producing an objective academic overview), and
should include some recommendations for action or a change in policy. Conclude
with a sentence or two reflecting on other sources of information and opinion
you would seek out if you were really a diplomat in that situation (e.g., would you try to speak to civil
servants in certain government departments, business leaders, civil society
organisations, academics etc.?
Digital platforms in
the United States have brought forth various controversies about how administrations
should interact with citizens, specifically civil servants in certain
government departments. For instance, according to the Carnegie Endowment
report on digital diplomacy, government internet shutdowns are changing,
forcing a new era of advancing policy. This is attributed to how governments
are starting to use social media technologies and new approaches associated
with them to adapt to the new Digital age. Diplomacy has changed over the
years, and given that social media in its entirety enables a nation to increase
the number of ways it can bridge cultures, raise public awareness, and
communicate with its citizens, there have been rises in internet shutdowns and
network disruptions as a means of cutting down conflicts from outside populaces.