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Netpolitique : First of all, could you define
this new concept in International Affairs you call 'Netpolitik'?
David Bollier : Netpolitik is an emerging style
of international diplomacy that is based on new varieties
of "soft power" such as moral legitimacy,
cultural identity, societal values and public perception.
These forces have always been influential in international
relations, of course, but the Internet is now greatly
amplifying their influence. Traditional instruments
of coercion on the global stage, such as military might
and financial power, are not necessarily decisive, especially
over the long term. The growing interconnections among
nations - economic, political, cultural - are elevating
the importance of soft power. This trend would seem
to have ominous implications for American unilaterism,
the apparent centerpiece of the Bush Administration's
foreign policy.
Netpolitique.net : You describe the Internet
as the perfect vehicle for the development of the influence
-or counter-influence- of 'soft power' versus more traditional
institutional powers. As we all know, the current war
has given rise to many protests and opinion currents,
some of them manifesting themselves primarily or exclusively
over the internet. Are you looking at these as manifestations
of this 'soft power'?
David Bollier : The Internet has been
a veritable spawning ground for new varieties of "soft
power" by enabling new sorts of publics to organize
themselves, develop coherent political messages and
openly disseminate them to global audiences. This is
changing some of the basic terms of international politics
and diplomacy. For example, the Internet has facilitated
the remarkable surge of antiwar protests around the
globe. These massive displays of public opinion, in
turn, greatly strengthened the hand of France, Germany,
Russia and other nations in opposing the war at the
United Nations. They have also affected U.S. military
strategy in Iraq. With people of the world monitoring
the war through independent Internet sources, sometimes
in real time, the U.S. military is taking greater pains
to avoid civilian casualties and "collateral damage"
- and will suffer greater political repercussions for
failing to do so.
Weblogs have become an important source of credible
information about the war, offering an unfiltered immediacy
and political perspectives that the corporate media
cannot provide. Search engines offer an easy way to
locate obscure information and - if parlayed into the
right media vehicle - disseminated to global audiences.
American journalist Seymour Hersh claims that bogus
documents claiming that Niger had sold bomb-suitable
uranium to Iraq - information that was passed to the
CIA and ended up in President Bush's State of the Union
speech - could have been debunked through a Google search!
When Internet tools can be used to undermine government
credibility so profoundly, it suggests a serious target
of opportunity for all sorts of non-governmental political
actors.
The Internet has also helped create new vectors of
power among peoples of ethnic diaspora. Ethnic Chinese
around the world used the Internet to foment unrest
within China for the government's perceived softness
toward Indonesia. Exiles from Ghana have used the Internet
to help influence opposition campaigns and news accounts
within Ghana. The Internet has helped censored newspapers
in Zimbabwe to publish their news online, an act that
had larger political implications.
In general, the new powers facilitated by the Internet
are fostering a new transparency in international relations.
They are also challenging the authority of corporate
journalism and governments, which are accustomed to
enjoying unrivaled control in reporting and interpreting
world events. To be credible in this new environment,
therefore, propaganda battles will have to be fought
in different ways - using different sorts of messages,
media vehicles and "credibility frames" (sources
that warrant information as trustworthy). It remains
unclear, however, whether verifiable facts or cultural
prejudices will be more influential in swaying public
opinion.
Netpolitique.net : You stress the challenges
faced by the State Department in handling the multiple
sources and messages exchanged within this new kind
of public space. What does this entail for U.S. public
diplomacy in the long run?
David Bollier : Credibility is a form
of power that must be carefully cultivated and guarded.
In the globally transparent cultural space created by
the Internet, it is virtually impossible to control
information flows and "public platforms" in
the familiar sorts of ways. Lies and political spin
are more readily exposed, and competing sources of information
are legion. As sources of information become more diverse
and democratized, the problems of establishing sufficient
visibility and trust for one's message become more intense.
And when deceit and spin are more easily challenged,
government leaders have less room for unsavory political
deals; they can be held to a higher standard of integrity.
Governments also face new difficulties in grappling
with the super-charged velocity of information, which
shortens the time-horizons in absorbing, interpreting
and responding to information.
Because of these changes, U.S. public diplomacy faces
a vexing structural problem. As a product of a formal
and hierarchical bureaucracy (the State Department),
public diplomacy is becoming less capable of competing
in an information milieu that is informal, flexible
and fast-moving. Can the State Department adapt to this
radically different communications environment? The
challenges transcend ideology or personal leadership.
Netpolitique.net : Last but not least, our ritual
question: could you share with us your 3 favourite websites?
David Bollier :
- Public Knowledge, a policy advocacy organization dealing
with Internet and copyright issues : http://www.publicknowledge.org
- The Norman Lear Center, University of Southern California,
a center exploring the convergence of entertainment
commerce and society : http://www.learcenter.org/html/
- The Aspen Institute, Communications and Society Program
: http://www.aspeninstitute.org/Programt3.asp?i=56
My personal website is : www.bollier.org
E-mail : bollier@essential.org
Read “THE
RISE OF NETPOLITIK : How the Internet Is Changing International
Politics and Diplomacy”.
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