Hare Publishes Op-Ed in The Globe Post on Tele-Diplomacy
Ambassador Paul Hare, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published an op-ed in The Globe Post in which he argues for the modernization of global diplomacy.
In the article, titled “Pandemic Diplomacy Gets Failing Grades. Could Tele-Diplomacy Help Us Think Afresh?” Hare discusses the recent shortfalls of diplomacy that have become all the more evident due to COVID-19. With the pandemic still ravaging the world, Hare argues that diplomats need to utilize the tools of the 21st century and move towards tele-diplomacy that fits our digitized and multi-polar world.
An excerpt:
The digital era, apart from the raucous chaos of social media finger-pointing — sometimes linked with the more constructive activity of public diplomacy — has hardly been exploited by the practitioners of diplomacy who aim to build consensus and avoid conflict.
Tele-medicine and tele-education have already shown that confidential and mutually beneficial conversations can take place on digital platforms, away from the glare of trolls and memes. Why not collectively use tele-diplomacy?
The full op-ed can be read here.
Ambassador Paul Hare was a British diplomat for 30 years and the British ambassador to Cuba from 2001-04. He now teaches classes at Boston University on Diplomatic Practice, Arms Control, Intercultural Communication, and on Cuba in Transition. His novel, “Moncada — A Cuban Story,” set in modern Cuba, was published in 2010. His book, “Making Diplomacy Work; Intelligent Innovation for the Modern World” was published in 2015. Learn more about him here.