Mark Henshaw, Senior CIA Analyst, spoke at the Bush School last week on the topic of cybersecurity. During his lecture, he mentioned that, while a fair amount of research has been conducted on the effect information technology has had on military and social affairs, very little has been said about its effect on diplomacy.So, what do you think? Has information technology, digital infrastructure, social media, electronic communication, information sharing, etc. left its mark on the cumbersome diplomatic bureaucracy? Has the U.S. brought its diplomatic arm into the 21st Century? Could technology today have a greater impact on relations between countries?
I spent the summer in Foggy Bottom - the Harry S. Truman building specifically - workplace of Madame Secretary and origin of U.S. diplomatic efforts. From my bird’s-eye view in the Office of the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights (J), I noticed more than a modicum of 21st Century effort.