Knowledge and Learning Commons: Selected Resources

Problem setting. Dynamics of international relations Alternative forms of communication and new types of transnational policy have a great influence on diplomacy. Diplomatic structures face unknown challenges, and must therefore adapt to modern conditions in order to continue their honorable mission. Thus, the priority task of diplomatic science is to determine the middle ground between traditional and innovative ways of communication. Innovative methods are understood as the use of digital technologies that have not bypassed any sphere of human life and have already become firmly established in the activities of diplomats. It is the inevitability and all-encompassing nature of digitalization that has given impetus to the development of digital diplomacy, an innovative means of communicating with society as a whole and between countries using the Internet, information and communication technologies (ICTs) and social networks to strengthen diplomatic relations. E-diplomacy is on the rise against the backdrop of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In the context of closed borders, next-generation diplomacy is perhaps the only way to maintain interethnic relations. In view of all the above, we must learn to use it, especially in such difficult times, and to do this we need to consider different approaches to digital diplomacy, find out its place in the world and answer the question: «Is digital diplomacy effective and will it ever be able to replace the traditional one?» Analysis of recent researches and publications. In the current context of globalization, diplomacy is undergoing a significant transformation. Scientific concepts devoted to the concept of “digital diplomacy” attract the attention of many domestic and foreign scholars, including, in particular, V. Yu. Stepanov, K.G. Brychuk, D.N. Baryshnikov, M.G. Okladna, G. K. Musaeva, I. Shevel, I. Todorov, A. Veselovsky, D. Lewis, A. Fischer, E. Potter, D. Lewis and others. However, the impact of COVID-19 on international life and diplomatic relations at the research level has received little attention. Target of research. To consider digital diplomacy as a form of public diplomacy, a tool of mass communication in public administration in the pre-pandemic period (2019), in its heyday (2020) and at the time of its development (2021). To draw the attention of scholars and practical diplomats to the phenomenon of digitalization and diplomacy of social networks. Article’s main body. The opinion of domestic and foreign scientists on the concept of digital diplomacy is analyzed. Based on these opinions, the authors try to сonsider the definition of the term “digital diplomacy”, the history of the origin and spread of e-diplomacy tactics, advantages and disadvantages of this format of communication, contradictions in the interpretation of the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine with residence in Kyiv, work of the diplomatic corps in times of crisis. Conclusions and prospects for the development. The authors conclude that all forms of e-diplomacy can be an additional effective means of communication both within the world politics system and externally in public relations, but they will never be able to fully replace the centuries-old tradition of diplomatic relations.

This article analyzes the development of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Watsapps, in international relations, especially the practice of diplomacy, which gave birth to digital diplomacy. Social media has changed the world landscape of diplomacy from manual / traditional diplomacy leading to modern / digital diplomacy, so that the practice of diplomacy is carried out in an open, transparent, fast, effective and efficient manner. The development of information, internet and computer technology has been utilized in the implementation of diplomatic duties in diplomacy in international forums.

Abstract As a growing number of diplomatic practices take new digital forms, research on digital diplomacy is rapidly expanding. Many of the changes linked to digitalization transform or challenge traditional ways of doing diplomacy. Analyses of new forms of “digital diplomacy” are therefore valuable for the advancement of practice approaches in international relations theory. That said, digital diplomacy poses a number of challenges for international relations scholarship that are only beginning to be addressed. Digitalization is both a process and a result, and provokes key questions regarding continuity, change, agency, space, and materiality in diplomacy. The overarching aim of this article is to advance a research agenda that seeks to address key questions in the study of digital diplomacy on the basis of various practice approaches. In particular, the article highlights three dimensions of change as being central to the research agenda and investigates how these can be explored in future analyses of digital diplomacy.

Summary As data fast become the 'new oil', the opportunities for public diplomacy to grow as a field of practice are real and game-changing. Drawing on social informatics research, this article seeks to advance our understanding of how digital technologies shape the context in which public diplomacy operates by reshaping the medium of public communication, blurring the boundary between foreign and domestic affairs and empowering new actors. Despite inevitable challenges, the future of public diplomacy in the digital age remains bright, as digital technologies create tremendous opportunities for public diplomacy to build stronger, more diverse and more enduring bridges between offline and online communities.

With the current massive coverage of Internet technologies and ongoing spread as well as progressively growing influence of social media platforms, it is natural that diplomacy as a sphere could not refrain from this phenomenon. Moreover, not only did it nor abstain, it has harnessed the new opportunities instead. This paper contributes to the debate on the phenomenon of digital diplomacy which has entered the scientific environment relatively recently and has not yet been comprehensively conceptualized into a single and globally recognized theory. In this paper we study how digital diplomacy is organized and implemented in the Czech Republic. The paper focuses on the approach of the Czech Republic to digital diplomacy, the country’s implementation of its tools and digital diplomacy is embedded within the foreign policy of the state. The author provides an overview of the legal framework underlying development of digital diplomacy in the Czech Republic. The paper also outlines the institutional system operating in the sphere and how its elements contribute to the attainment of the goals typically set up by digital diplomacy. Finally, the author defines the projects created by the Czech governmental and non-governmental bodies aiming at strengthening the image of the country and promoting its brand for the foreign audiences using online tools and solutions. The paper also offers the analysis of efficiency of the primary digital diplomacy tools applied by the Czech Republic in its foreign policy and provides recommendations and conclusions based on the data included for the research.