TPMDC Tech diplomacy
Tech diplomacy
State Department Technology Adviser: 'Connectedness' Is Key In Efforts Abroad
Christina Bellantoni | December 8, 2009, 12:44PM
Alec J. Ross, State Department Senior Adviser for Innovation.
As I wrote earlier, the Obama administration has been using social networking technology to spread his foreign policy message abroad.
The State Department has been at the forefront of the technology push, coordinating with the private sector abroad with a focus on connectivity.
Alec Ross, senior adviser for innovation at State, told TPMDC about several projects being done in Afghanistan and Pakistan to help bridge those communities in ways diplomats thing will help forge peace.
"The premise is that connectedness is a net positive," Ross said.
"The more voices there are, the more points of view," the better it gets, said Ross, who ran technology media and the telecommunications policy for the Obama campaign, including the text message rollout of Joe Biden as the Democratic vice presidential pick.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS (2) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)Topics: Afghanistan, Pakistan, State Department, Tech diplomacy, White House
Tech diplomacy
Technology Diplomacy: How The WH Pushes Obama's Message Abroad
Christina Bellantoni | December 8, 2009, 11:26AM
The Obama administration wants to make sure people in Afghanistan and Pakistan heard six key sentences in the president's announcement about sending more troops - telling them "America seeks an end to this era of war and suffering."
The State Department took President Obama's comments and similar remarks made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (they also promised the U.S. has no interest in "occupying" Afghanistan) and translated them into several languages to be spread via compressed video that can be watched on cell phones and mobile devices.
Clinton taped videos directly to the people of Afghanistan and translated into Arabic, Dari, Pashto, and Urdu and one to people in Pakistan, dubbed in Punjabi.
"Building on the lessons of 21st century statecraft, we are aiming to continually listen, learn and engage people around the world," the State Department's Katie Dowd wrote. "It is our hope that we can continually leverage new tools and technology to reach and engage people whether they are 10 or 10,000 miles away."
Alec Ross, senior adviser for innovation at State, told TPMDC that citizens in Afghanistan and Pakistan may lack traditional Internet access in computers with high-speed broadband but they are increasingly getting mobile access. (Read more about Ross' efforts here.)
PERMALINK | COMMENTS (5) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)Topics: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, State Department, Tech diplomacy, White House
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