Diplomazia digitale: punti di forza, limiti e implicazioni legali

The present research aims at addressing an emerging legal aspect of diplomacy: i.e., the influence of the ever-increasing digitization on diplomacy. The multifaceted nature of Information and Communication Technologies - ICTs hereinafter - allowed the development of a new domain of diplomacy, now commonly called Digital Diplomacy (or E-Diplomacy, Twiplomacy and other synonyms). Diplomacy as a practice has always been cautious towards new technological developments and has always been a comparatively late adopter. Nonetheless, while staying true to its core functions, diplomacy has been able to adapt to and effectively integrate new technology into its practice. Digital diplomacy is often shaped over the public (or traditional) one, however, such a reduction would be a mistake, since the power that ICTs provide to the digital sphere would be overshadowed. In some other situations, digital diplomacy can be used as a public diplomacy strategy (i.e., Obama’s YouTube speech addressed to Persians). We will examine in particular (I) the common aspects of traditional and digital diplomacy, (II) policy and institutional dimensions, (III) pros and cons of digital diplomacy, (IV) data aspects of digital diplomacy, (V) legal aspects of digital diplomacy and internet governance on the diplomatic agenda. The overall aim of the research is to show how diplomacy is rooted in today’s activities and how digitization could play a role in softening practical tasks and complicating international relations and procedures at the same time.