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Exploring U.S. e-diplomacy and non-state actors' increasing communicative influence

Published: 18 May 2008 Publication History

Abstract

In the present "information as commodity" age, government agencies around the globe view information as not only an asset but also a national security priority. Under pressures to rapidly gather, process, and disseminate information, government agencies, specifically those involved in diplomacy, are transforming their relationships with non-state actors for the purpose of expanding their information capabilities and resources. Generally speaking, non-state actors (such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international governmental organizations (IGOs), the media, and corporations) have a propensity to effectively deploy and utilize communication technology for innovative information exchange from geographically dispersed sites around the world. This exploratory study examines national governments increasing information dependencies on non-state actors. The impact of new government information partnerships afford non-state actors with a more influential role in diplomatic processes. Using the U.S. Department of State as the case study, this work synthesizes literature on the nature, functions, and information assets involved in diplomacy to explicate how digital government is changing state and non-state communicative dynamics and influences.

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    dg.o '08: Proceedings of the 2008 international conference on Digital government research
    May 2008
    488 pages
    ISBN:9781605580999

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    • Routledge
    • Springer
    • Elsevier
    • Cefrio
    • NCDG: National Center for Digital Government

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    Digital Government Society of North America

    Publication History

    Published: 18 May 2008

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    Author Tags

    1. communication technology
    2. diplomacy
    3. foreign affairs
    4. government
    5. non-governmental organizations
    6. state department

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    dg.o '08
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    • NCDG
    dg.o '08: Digital government research
    May 18 - 21, 2008
    Montreal, Canada

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