NATO Council & ICDiplomacy E-Diplomacy on Ukraine

Sergei Konoplyov, Director of the Harvard US-Russia Security Program, describing possible diplomatic outcomes in an e-diplomacy broadcast

Nov. 30, 2014 - The NATO Association of Canada (formerly the NATO Council of Canada), Sault College and ICDiplomacy collaborated in an e-diplomacy initiative involving Ukrainian and Russian government advisors.

Moderated by Professor Walter Dorn of the Royal Military College of Canada and UN Expert Panel on Peacekeeping Technologies, the dialogue participants engaged with each other on a variety of topics, such as the decrease in trust following the MH17 tragedy, Minsk Protocol by the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine, the role of the OCSE, and the potential for restoring diplomatic outcomes.

The Youtube broadcast was a success as it involved real-time questions and peace strategies from viewers in Canada, the United States, Ukraine and Russia. In particular, the integration of real-time comments appearing below the Youtube broadcast on ICDiplomacy's website education a dynamic and immersive experience. Students of political science or peace and conflict studies can learn and shape the discourse in small steps with representatives of conflicting parties as the conflict is unfolding, rather than learning about a conflict through a static text. This e-diplomacy initiative has many positive implications for the future of diplomacy and educational engagement.