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Conceptualization of “Digital Diplomacy” at the U.S. State Department

69
Rubric: USA: Politics and Society
DOI: 10.20542/0131-2227-2025-69-9-73-82
EDN: USQKGE
À. Pavliuchenko, ORCID 0009-0009-8799-9817, alexa.pavlyuchenko@gmail.com
Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1/51, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119234, Russian Federation.
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Received 12.02.2025. Revised 07.02.2025. Accepted 27.05.2025.

Abstract. An attempt is made in the article to systematize and follow the evolution of terminology used by the U.S. State Department for describing digital diplomacy, as well as clarifying the terms borrowed by the academic community later on. The methodology incorporates examination of State Department official documents, proceedings of Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, Department of State IT strategic plans, policy addresses by secretaries of state and their undersecretaries for public diplomacy and public affairs, official informational materials, and data extracted from the Department’s digital platforms. The timeframe under investigation (1993–2023) can be divided into two periods. The first one is Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations characterized to a certain extent by inconsistent terminology and the use of two groups of terms for defining digitalization of diplomacy as such (“electronic diplomacy”) and for digitalization of public diplomacy (“new diplomacy”, “netdiplomacy”, and “public diplomacy 2.0”). The second period is from Barack Obama first administration until now when the two terms were coined: “digital diplomacy” to denote the use of technologies for diplomatic purposes, and “cyber diplomacy” to promote the U.S. interests in cyberspace. Cyber diplomacy achieved formal legal recognition through the 2021 Cyber Diplomacy Act, while digital diplomacy evolved from the Information Resource Management (IRM) Bureau’s strategic plans into the 2022–2026 Joint Strategic Plan of the State Department and USAID. The author also notes the trend for the new terms, such as “mobile diplomacy” and “data informed diplomacy”, to appear when new technologies are being introduced into diplomatic practice, and to disappear later from discourse. It is suggested that the term “AI diplomacy” in the State Department documents will be used in the foreseeable future. The analysis demonstrates that this lexical evolution mirrors both technological advancements and a paradigm shift in American digital diplomacy – transitioning from ad-hoc projects to comprehensive incorporation of digital instruments within foreign affairs.

Keywords: digital diplomacy, USA, digitalization, digital transformation, cyber diplomacy, public diplomacy, soft power, e-diplomacy


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For citation:
Pavliuchenko À. Conceptualization of “Digital Diplomacy” at the U.S. State Department. World Eñonomy and International Relations, 2025, vol. 69, no. 9, pp. 73-82. https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2025-69-9-73-82 EDN: USQKGE

Contents World Eñonomy and International Relations. 2025, vol. 69, no. 9

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