Publication

This publication argues that Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) should improve its use of new digital communication tools and platforms to conduct its core mission of persuasion, influence and advocacy. To do so, the text’s author contends that DFAT should 1) start treating digital diplomacy as core tradecraft rather than an optional add-on; 2) create new positions, including an ambassador to Silicon Valley and an ambassador to the Chinese tech giants based in Beijing; 3) adopt some of the nimbleness and agility of the tech world in how it conducts Australia’s external policy, and more.