THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM, US FOREIGN POLICY & DIGITAL CIVIL SOCIETY

DIFFUSION OF POWER AND LEGITIMACY IN AN E-ERA

by Daniel Aguirre Azócar

Historical and New Structural Context

New era in the International System: lacking exclusive power and influence by state actors

The Age of Nonpolarity (Haass, 2008) Globalization and its effects Expansion and reach of new forms of

communication Internet, digital citizen participation,

bottom-up & up-bottom interactions in the public ‘cyber’ sphere

A New Age

Haass’ questions:

How does nonpolarity differ from other forms of international order?

How and why did it materialize?

What are its likely consequences?

And how should the United States respond?

Multipolarity vs. Nonpolarity

Multipolarity, several distinct poles or concentrations of powers

vs. Nonpolarity, numerous centers with meaningful power

Nonpolarity international system is defined by some of the following characteristics:

-- Erosion of effective power exerted solely by state actors-- Empowerment and growing influence of non-state

actors (namely: ONGs, terrorist organizations, and as of recent citizen-level movements)

-- In sum: fragmented centers of power at various levels

Caveat & Enter the Digital Space

Caveat: the United States remains the dominant power based on military capacity

But at the economic level has lost dominance due to a poor energy policy (oil dependence)

And overstretch theory, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

Haass sees the proliferation of information as another important cause that has led to this new age

Proliferation of information enabled by new technology, namely growing access to information via the Internet by individuals everywhere

Globalization Reinforces Nonpolarity

Globalization has enabled: Transnational flows that are invisible to

the State Transnational flows empower all kinds of

non-state actors (terrorist, corporations, drug-trafficking networks, etc.)

Therefore, weaking State actors

Faced with an Age of Nonpolarity

Might be assumable that the international system will enter a state of anarchy

But cooperation through multilateral organizations, efforts to navigate this new era can help maintain a stable system (at the UN, G8, etc)

Initiatives to engage with citizens digitally by the US Government and other nations have become more prominent:

Ex. US State Department, the e>G8 in France

TECH CYCLES

Source: Morgan StanleyThe Mobile Internet Report 2009 Setup http://www.morganstanley.com/institutional/techresearch/pdfs/2SETUP_12142009_RI.pdf

MEDIA USAGE & PC OWNERSHIP

Nielsen Survey:

• In Chile 57% say they own a PC

• Highest internet penetration in LatAm: 41%

More celular phones than Chilenos!

•March 2011: 17,078.532 people own a celular phone

•28% have a contract

•100.2% penetration

Mobile Internet Adoption Rate;iPhone + iTouch

Source: Morgan StanleyThe Mobile Internet Report 2009 Setup http://www.morganstanley.com/institutional/techresearch/pdfs/2SETUP_12142009_RI.pdf

Internet & the Obama Campaign

Cost-free commercials, by using youtube the commercials did not interrupt TV programs and saved campaign money (Savings: US$ 47 million for about 14.5 million hours)

Internet allows citizens to verify and keep candidates honest Facebook pages and websites were created and were widely

utilized Campaign fundraising via the Internet, micro-donations Text messages, about 3 million sent to announce who would be

his vice-president Email marketing

Source: How Obama’s Internet Campaign Changed Politics, http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/how-obamas-internet-campaign-changed-politics/

POLITICAL SATIRE IN 2008 ELECTIONS

http://www.youtube.com/v/adc3MSS5Ydc&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/v/adc3MSS5Ydc&feature=relmfu

Email Marketing, Joe Biden:

CAMPAIGN COMMERCIALS

http://www.youtube.com/v/Ry9LnAazwMg

CAMPAIGN COMMERCIALS

http://www.youtube.com/v/-DZIwklOWEE&NR=1

FP TOWARD LATIN AMERICA

http://www.youtube.com/v/UamWnyxfKjI

DURING OBAMA VISIT TO CHILE

IN CHILE, THE US EMBASSY UTILIZED MUCH OF THE AVAILABLE & POPULAR PLATFORMS FACEBOOK YOUTUBE TWITTER FLICKER DIPNOTE

US EMBASSY IN CHILE

TWITTER & OBAMA

http://twitter.com/#!/BarackObama

US EMBASSY IN CHILE & TWITTER

http://twitter.com/#!/EmbajadaEEUUcl

US DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Remarks by Sec. Hillary Clinton on Internet Freedom

January 21, 2010“The spread of information networks is forming a new nervous system for our planet.”“Now, in many respects, information has never been so free. There are more ways to

spread more ideas to more people than at any moment in history. And even in authoritarian countries, information networks are helping people discover new facts and making governments more accountable.”

“Because amid this unprecedented surge in connectivity, we must also recognize that these technologies are not an unmitigated blessing. These tools are also being exploited to undermine human progress and political rights. Just as steel can be used to build hospitals or machine guns, or nuclear power can either energize a city or destroy it, modern information networks and the technologies they support can be harnessed for good or for ill.”

“The same networks that help organize movements for freedom also enable al-Qaida to spew hatred and incite violence against the innocent. And technologies with the potential to open up access to government and promote transparency can also be hijacked by governments to crush dissent and deny human rights. ”

“We stand for a single internet where all of humanity has equal access to knowledge and ideas. And we recognize that the world’s information infrastructure will become what we and others make of it. Now, this challenge may be new, but our responsibility to help ensure the free exchange of ideas goes back to the birth of our republic.”

Spreading American Democratic Values

“The US is for one version of the internet for the whole world, all of humanity should have equal access to knowledge and ideas”

Follows the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution

Considered a human right as declared by the UN Declaration of Universal Human Rights

“Freedom to connect will transform societies” The State Department has several initiatives

to promote a Digital Civil Society

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/01/135519.htm

SOCIAL NETWORKS: FACEBOOK, ORKUT, ETC.

SOCIAL NETWORKS SUCH AS FACEBOOK, ASSIST USERS BY GROUPING INTERESTS,

USERS ARE NOT JUST INDIVIDUALS, BUT ALSO ORGANIZATIONS, GROUPS, GOVERNMENT, CANDIDATES…, ETC

COMUNICATION ADOPTS MARKETING TACTICS : WITH TARGETED MESSAGES AND HIGHLY PERSONALIZED (WEB 2.0)

The Arab Spring

Characterized by being organized via new forms of technology

With leaders who leveraged social networks to organize mobilization and to decry corruption & abuses in countries in Northern Africa

CHILEAN STUDENT MOV’T‘The Chilean Winter’

The Economist called Chile finally a normal country (no more political apathy)

High School and College Students protest the disparities that the for-profit educational system reproduces, demanding a model that counters a market logic

Mobilizations organized and info spread via Internet Chile has one of the highest number of twitter accts. and

active users in social media platforms such as Facebook

SMS, TEXT MESSAGES

DESPITE SMARTPHONE PENETRATION ON THE RISE, CONVENTIONAL CELULAR PHONES, WITH THE STANDARD TEXT MESSAGE IS STILL HIGHLY USED, COMMUNICATING AND ENABLING CIVIL MOBILIZATION AROUND SPECIFIC ISSUES

CENSORSHIP MAP

Source: http://map.opennet.net/

Monitoring & Censorship, China

Monitoring & Censorship, Cuba