ABSTRACT
The importance of the cyber dimension of diplomacy is reflected in the organisational changes which have been carried out in foreign ministries, embassies and other national and international agencies, including countering transnational crime and terrorism, trade and defence. Foreign ministries have expanded existing information and encryption sections and added new departments responsible for cyber-diplomacy issues. As part of image building, some emerging powers have used standard search engines to augment traditional media in order to command communications space as part of a long-term communications strategy. The impact of the web in civil conflict is evident in other aspects of the battle for ideas in terms of the reporting of events in a civil conflict and authenticity of sources. The impact of the communications revolution is most extensively seen in civil conflicts. Personal communications systems have been used to mobilise civil society, record real-time demonstration scenes, relay interviews and facilitate coordination of opposition groups.
