Internet Freedom and U.S. Diplomacy
Information technologies are revolutionizing how governments interact with their citizens, and how citizens interact with each other. Across the Middle East, anti-government activists are harnessing the power of social media to rally against regimes. Meanwhile, governments in Iran and China are using sophisticated tools to police the web. So what do these new tech challenges mean for American diplomacy?
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Technology played a critical role in helping organize protesters and amplify their grievances in Egypt and Tunisia. But YouTube and Twitter didn't cause the uprisings playing out across the Middle East. Alec Ross explains the different roles technology has played.
On February 15th, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered her second major address on "Internet Freedom," the principle that all countries should protect freedoms of assembly and speech in the digital square (see video of the speech below). But what happens when that principle creates tensions with U.S. allies?
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, "Internet Rights and Wrongs: Choices and Challenges in a Networked World" (February 15, 2011; George Washington University)
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I think you don't give enough credit to Al Jazeera. It was not Facebook or Twitter contacts that propelled the revolution in Egypt. Rather it was the compelling images from Al Jazeera that brought more and more angry people on to the street with the idea that this might work. It turns out that the revolution can not only be televised but even propelled by television. Compared to Al Jazeera, the communications role of Facebook and Twitter were minor in these uprisings.
Is it a "Facebook" Revolution?
Why do we have the urgent need to have labels? These are multidimensional issues with many components. Labels make us feel comfortable by giving us a box, but it is a false comfort. It also make us inefficient, because we use the same approach to solving problems, i.e., stovepiping solutions.
When we change to a more strategic approach, such as considering social determinants when addressing health problems, we increase the chance of success.
Completely agree with the comments above. It is a revolution by the people and for the people, not by twitter or facebook. Let us remember that Internet penetration in most Arab countries is well below that of the US, and that Twitter is mainly used in the US. The number of Twitter users in Egypt is below 1%, how can we label it a twitter revolution?
On the subject of Internet Freedom, I find it ironic that Hillary Clinton and the US government have no shame professing it while they are cracking down on Wikileaks who merely published information provided by informants within the US state apparatus. The US government is also seeking to violate privacy right of certain people (including Icelandic MP's) who have had some sort of communication with Wikileaks. Or is 'Internet Freedom' an empty slogan for the others, just like democracy?
Alec Ross Falsely Corrects Kojo re McGovern's Arrest -
McGovern was NOT yelling until AFTER he was arrested
From the Kojo Nnamdi show of February 21, 2011
KOJO NNAMDI: On the case of Ray McGovern, that was brought up by several people...Ray McGovern of course was a protester, a silent protester, at a George Washington speech delivered by Secretary Clinton. Video showed him being escorted out—or in the eyes of some, being brutally roughed up.
ALEC ROSS: Yes, so, he was a handful of rows away from me, and he wasn't silent. [Chuckles] You know, Hillary Clinton was trying to give a speech, and he was yelling. So, look, you know, he was a guest, and if you're going to stand there and make a lot of noise when the Secretary of State is trying to give a speech, then, you know, you're probably going to be an unwelcome guest. I will say that I didn't see him being "roughed up." I mean, I didn't see until the end there, but my point of view was that cops did exactly what they ought to do. That's their job.
[end of quote from show transcript]
Ross's version is contradicted by McGovern's own account:
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/2/18/ex_cia_analyst_ray_mcgovern_beaten
http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Push-of-Conscience-and-by-Ray-McGov...
So, people remember things differently. Let's go to the videotape.
The video posted at the WAMU website never SHOWS us McGovern, but the first we hear from him is when he yells "So this is America" at 2:08 elapsed time. A different video of the same event, from PBS, shows McGovern being grabbed and wrestled about before he says this. I saw this video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzPZcIzDWjg&feature=player_embedded
It's perfectly clear that Alec Ross's claim that McGovern was "mak[ing] a lot of noise when the Secretary of State is trying to give a speech" is false. Since Ross states that he was present, the contradiction between what the tape shows and what Ross says is indicative of what I would call, euphemistically "motivated misremembering".
KOJO - has Alec Ross offered to retract his false claim about McGovern, or would he be willing to do so? Even if he doesn't, will YOU correct the record?