Register now to reserve your place in our specialised spring courses!
👉🏼 Application deadlines for certificates issued by Diplo: 30 March 2026
For further information and to apply, click the course titles above or visit Diplo Academy’s course catalogue.
◆ Need financial assistance? Scholarships are available!
Thanks to support from the government of Malta, partial scholarships are available for applicants from developing countries to attend upcoming Diplo online courses. These scholarships cover 30%–60% of course fees and can be applied to most 2026 online courses. Browse our course catalogue and contact us at admissions@diplomacy.edufor further information.
Upcoming events
◆ 11th Geneva Engage Awards (3 Feb.)
The wait is over. The nominees for the 11th Geneva Engage Awards are here!
Join us on 3 February 2026 for another edition of the Geneva Engage Awards, where we celebrate the remarkable efforts of International Geneva actors in digital outreach and online engagement under our slogan #Engage2Connect.
This year, we will also take a closer look at how organisations in Geneva are using AI for communication, outreach, and mission support. Learn more and register to attend in situ!
◆ The Board of Peace for Gaza: Assessing its legal boundaries and impact on the UN(5 Feb.)
UN Security Council Resolution 2803 created the Board of Peace for Gaza, but debate is growing. Is the Board of Peace for Gaza a pragmatic solution or a dangerous precedent?
Join us online on 5 February, 15:00–16:30 CET (14:00–15:30 UTC), for a discussion that unpacks its legal boundaries, accountability risks, and what it means for the future of UN-led governance. Learn more and register!
Blogs and publications
◆ How caffeine became the operating system of international relations
The world’s most critical diplomatic protocol is 98% water and 2% caffeine. Welcome to the era of coffee or espresso diplomacy. The old stack of international relations, which is hierarchical, formal, and painfully slow, is being disrupted by a peer-to-peer protocol that smells like roasted Arabica and runs entirely on friction. Read the blog post!
◆ When diplomats pick up drumsticks
A drum room is a far cry from the quiet, formal spaces where international agreements are usually signed. While most global meetings stick to strict rules and careful language, real connections often form when people let go of those formalities. Read the blog post!
◆ What is a ‘digital embassy’? (spoiler: It’s not an embassy)
The term ‘digital embassy’ is a misleading description for initiatives, such as Estonia’s sovereign data backup located in Luxembourg. True embassies represent and negotiate, while these facilities are fundamentally about preserving data resilience and national memory. This conceptual confusion highlights the need for more precise terminology in digital diplomacy. Read the blog post!
◆ Why the software developer career may (not) survive: Diplo’s experience
The age of coding as a prized, solitary craft is over. Now, AI generates flawless code from a simple prompt in seconds. What is left for developers? The value shifts from writing logic to navigating human complexity. The real skill lies in asking the right questions, bridging the gap between what users say and what they truly need, and making judgement calls in a world of endless technical possibilities. It is a move from syntax to sense. Read the blog post!
◆ Beyond answers: How AI is redefining web communication for International Geneva
AI is transforming the web at a pace that challenges institutional relevance. For international organisations, passive publishing is no longer enough. Read an excerpt from Diplo’s study on the experience of changing our website, and join us to discuss how we can secure the integrity of digital communication in 2026. Read the blog post!
◆ The 1.84% paradox: Mapping digital connectivity in International Geneva
In the physical world, ‘International Geneva’ is a densely interconnected hub of diplomatic missions, NGOs, and international organisations. In the digital world, the story is quite different. Read the blog post!
◆ Geneva’s AI footprint
A recent Diplo study examined how International Geneva is represented in AI-generated content. The results indicated that while International Geneva’s knowledge is rich and reliable, AI cannot see it. This blog explains how Geneva’s voice is being diluted in AI systems and how to fix it. Read the blog post!
◆ The irony of power: Why tech might ‘save’ Greenland (and a bit of the world)
The future of AI may hinge on Arctic ice. As digital blocs form and borders thicken, Big Tech faces its own paradox: to save its world, it may need to save Greenland first. Read the blog post!
◆ Power without apology: Coercive diplomacy and the Donroe doctrine
In international relations, diplomacy is not always a matter of polite dialogue and compromise. There are situations in which states use threats, pressure, and coercion to achieve their goals. Read the blog post!
◆ The status of the Board of Peace for Gaza in international law
Can a new international body manage Gaza without undermining the UN system? This blog analyses whether the Board of Peace aligns with international law, or risks bypassing core principles of legitimacy, accountability, and self-determination. Read the blog post!
◆ The mismatch between public fear of AI and its measured impact
Artificial intelligence has become one of the loudest topics in public discourse. Headlines speak of mass job displacement, radical productivity shifts, and unavoidable societal transformation. Panel discussions and online commentary are filled with confident timelines and striking percentages. Anxiety about AI feels widespread and, in many cases, deeply personal. Read the blog post!
◆ Certifying humanity: Labelling content amid AI flood
For much of the public debate around AI, attention has been fixed on capability: how powerful models are becoming, what tasks they can automate, and how close they are to matching or surpassing human performance. Read the blog post!
◆ Non-consensual deepfakes, consent, and power in synthetic media
The rise of AI pornography reveals broader societal risks, in which sexual representation becomes detached from lived experience and consent is reduced to a technical obstacle rather than a social principle. Read the DW analysis!
◆ ChatGPT and the rising pressure to commercialise AI in 2026
From fingerprinting to so-called ‘non-lethal’ weapons, counterinsurgency tools developed abroad return home, reshaping domestic policing, surveillance, and the relationship between state power and citizens. Read the DW analysis!
◆ ConfTech Digest #54, December/January
Discover a slew of new features and innovative upgrades to online meeting platforms, making virtual collaboration smarter, safer, and more engaging. Read the ConfTech Digest #54!
◆ DW Weekly #247: From bytes to borders: The quest for digital sovereignty
In the latest issue of the DW Weekly newsletter:
From bytes to borders: The quest for digital sovereignty
AI governance updates from China and the UN
France and India considering bans on children using social media
Social media platforms facing trials in Los Angeles over addictive features
The continuing fallout from the Grok deepfake controversy
‘War’ collapses two phenomena: raids and conquest. Raids are pre-political and opportunistic, while conquest wars are strategic, political, and rule-bound. As political war recedes, is violence becoming more raid-like? Read the blog post!
◆ When counterinsurgency comes marching home
From fingerprinting to so-called ‘non-lethal’ weapons, counterinsurgency tools developed abroad return home, reshaping domestic policing, surveillance, and the relationship between state power and citizens. Read the blog post!
Latest videos
◆ Australia Banned Social Media! Why Does it Matter?
Dive into Australia’s ban on social media for under-16s, which affects millions of accounts and raises global questions about online safety and governance.
Don’t miss…
◆ Reporting: World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 at Davos
Our team reported from the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, covering key discussions and insights on developments shaping the global agenda. Read the reports!
◆ Article: Are cybersecurity strategies at risk of losing pace with a changing reality?
As cyberthreats outpace policy, many national cybersecurity strategies need a new approach. The third edition of the National Cybersecurity Strategy (NCS) Guide provides guidance on addressing continuity and foresight in cybersecurity policymaking. Drawing on insights from contributors during the update process, Diplo outlines what governments must change to keep their strategies effective. Read the article!
