The pros and cons of digital diplomacy

Abstract

Digital diplomacy is one of the effective foreign policy tools, as it is one of the branches of public diplomacy that relies on modern information and communication technologies. In particular, social media whose users play a major role in mobilizing citizens and domestic public opinion as well as international public opinion.

This research aims to study what digital diplomacy is and to identify its most important goals and tools. This research also deals with the implications of using digital diplomacy in terms of pros and cons.

The research reached many results, most notably:

1. Digital diplomacy has become an imperative for all countries in the world. The digital dimension has become an urgent necessity for all countries in the field of diplomacy, because it enables quick, effective and tangible results to be achieved. It may even be more beneficial than resorting to traditional diplomatic mechanisms, which It will not be able alone to achieve the strategic objectives of the foreign policies of states.
2. Digital diplomacy represents a new and practical extension of the concepts of soft power and public diplomacy, as it relies on the first concept in expanding the platforms launched by governments as campaigns to improve their image and national reputation, while in the second concept, it enhances multi-directional communication between diplomats and the general public.
3. Despite the positive role that digital diplomacy plays in formulating and implementing the foreign policy of countries, it is not devoid of some negative aspects that must be paid attention to and a strategy should be developed to deal with them.