TELEANU Sorina - Digital Diplomacy and the European Union: Global Governance, Geopolitics and Diplomatic Practice (25h)
The internet, artificial intelligence (AI), and other digital technologies are impacting economies and societies worldwide, promising to help advance sustainable development, while also posing a wide range of governance challenges. These technologies have not only become central themes in global governance and international relations, but they are also regarded as geopolitical resources, as illustrated by the intensifying tech competition between nations and regions.
Against this backdrop, how is the EU positioning itself in digital geopolitics? With digital governance issues such as cybersecurity, privacy, data flows, and AI governance high on the diplomatic agenda, what is the bloc’s contribution to these global debates? And to what extent are the EU’s internal regulatory efforts in the digital realm (e.g. the General Data Protection Regulation, the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, the AI Act, the Chips Act) shaping these debates? What policies, initiatives, and tools are at the core of the Union’s digital diplomacy and foreign policy efforts? What is – or could be – setting the EU’s approach to digital governance and diplomacy apart from those of other major players such as China and the United States? And how are digital issues reflected in the EU’s bilateral and multilateral relations?
This optional course unpacks these and related questions by focusing on the external dimensions of the Union’s digital policies and its role in global digital governance and geopolitics. It will further explore the use of digital technologies as tools for diplomacy, and discuss the skills, capacities, and knowledge that diplomats need to be equipped with to stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing digital landscape. Also included in the course will be various exercises (simulations, exploration of AI tools, etc.) designed to train skills for the practice of diplomacy.
Overall, the course is built on the notion of a digital transformation of diplomacy in three main areas: changes in the (geo)political, social, and economic environment in which diplomacy is conducted; the emergence of new policy topics in diplomatic negotiations; and the use of digital tools in the practice of diplomacy. Lectures, discussions, and exercises will explore these three dimensions in the context of the EU’s digital diplomacy goals and activities.
Generative AI will be used as a pedagogical tool. During a dedicated session, students will experiment with DiploGPT, a custom-made generative AI tool for diplomatic use, to unpack complex digital policy topics. In doing so, students will gain insights into how AI tools can be integrated into diplomatic practice, explore the strengths and weaknesses of such tools, and critically assess their effectiveness.
At the end of this course, the students will be able to
- understand the main digital governance issues on the global diplomatic agenda and the elements that shape the EU’s position on these issues;
- describe and explain the core elements of EU’s approach to digital diplomacy and foreign policy;
- understand the dynamics between the main players in global digital governance and geopolitics and critically assess the EU’s strengths and weaknesses within this landscape;
- apply digital tools (e.g. AI, data analysis) to activities that form the core of diplomatic practice (e.g. drafting, reporting, summarising, negotiating).
Professors: Sorina TELEANU