9th AGS Annual Conference Addresses Cyber-Developments in International Relations

On April 17-18, the American Graduate School in Paris will host its 9^th Annual Conference on the theme of Cyber-Developments in International Relations. Taking place in Paris, the conference will gather academics, graduate students, and professionals from more than a dozen countries to discuss the impact of the Internet and other technologies on the way countries and organizations interact. It will address topics such as cyber-security, digital diplomacy, cyber-activism, the rise of social media, and children’s rights.

The Edward Snowden affair and NSA revelations, WikiLeaks, and the Arab Spring all illustrate how crucial the role of technology has become in politics and global affairs. Through this conference, AGS will seek to build bridges between academics and practitioners in the field to examine these well-known issues beyond the headlines and explore the wider context and the implications for international relations.

Wilfried Bolewski, AGS professor and former German Ambassador and former Chief of Protocol to Chancellors Merkel and Schröder, will give the opening speech at 11:00 am on April 17, on the subject: “Cyber-Diplomacy between Participation, Transparency and Secrecy.” Bolewski explains: “Digital technology and cyber-developments provide challenges to an innovative information management and a creative mindset in international relations, which all actors have to face urgently and proactively. I believe the AGS Conference will offer useful operational guidance in this field.”

The keynote panel on the second day will investigate how cyber-developments are impacting children’s rights, bringing together Sara Devlin, Deputy Director of the US State Department’s Africa Regional Services at the US Embassy in Paris, Melinda George, WikiChild Coordinator at the OECD, Susanna Greijer, consultant on Children Rights and Child Protection, and Alexis Niki, writer and founder of Storynova. The panel will be moderated by Professor Elizabeth Milovidov, children’s rights and Internet-safety advocate and founder of The Crossing Guard.

During four other panels spread across the two days, speakers will explore topics as diverse as “WikiLeaks and the Internet as a Democratizing tool”, “Censorship on Social Media and Limitations on Cyber-Activism in China”, and “Hacktivism, the Arab Spring and Palestine: Towards a Multitudious Sovereignty”. Panelists will be representing institutions from all over the world, including NYU and Cal State Los Angeles in the US, Kings College London in the UK, Sciences Po in France, Lunds University in Sweden, Central European University in Hungary, University of Turin in Italy, and Ben Gurion University in Israel.

The AGS International Graduate Student Conference is hosted every year with the purpose of offering a forum for the exchange of ideas on the most pressing issues of international relations. The event is entirely organized by AGS Master’s candidates in the AGS International Relations and Diplomacy programin Paris, under the supervision of Professor Ruchi Anand, author of Self-Defense in International Relations (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009). The event is also held in partnership with Arcadia University (PA, USA), with the contribution of institutional partners Fondation Alliance Française, Alliance Française Paris Ile-de-France, and Banque Populaire Rives de Paris.

 See Conference Schedule