Description
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is emerging as a world leader in digital diplomacy due to its excellent communication infrastructure and willingness to connect with the external World as part of it is foreign policy goals. However, despite the UAE's expanding interest in digital diplomacy, research in the field has been lacking with regard to the UAE's efforts. Thus, this paper seeks to fill the research gap by addressing three questions vis-à-vis the UAE's digital diplomacy. First, what are the factors driving the UAE's digital diplomacy? Second, what are the tools of UAE's digital diplomacy and third, what are the benefits of digital diplomacy to the UAE? These research questions are addressed via qualitative data secured from in-depth personal interviews with Emirati diplomats, academics, and expatriate foreign policy practitioners and academics. This is complemented by primary data from the UAE government and international agencies, as well as secondary data from media, governmental, and international organization sources. The UAE's digital diplomacy is motivated by the country's strong digital infrastructure, the social media-led Arab Spring, the rise of terrorist groups in the Middle East, the ongoing war in Yemen, and the conflict with Qatar. The UAE's digital diplomacy strategies involve the use of the following tools: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. These tools enable the UAE to engage diplomatically with the World, promote and market the country, deal with extremist views online, and issue foreign policy statements. However, there is the need for social media regulatory easing to empower more citizens and residents to become independent influencers on behalf of the UAE and to stimulate more digital interaction at home and abroad.
