Tuesday, September 1, 2009 - The Progress & Freedom Foundation Blog

The Internet Brings Transparency to International Diplomacy

Gordon Crovitz has a fascinating piece in the WSJ today entitled, Diplomacy in the Age of No Secrets, discussing the Internet's role in increasing public scrutiny of the deal negotiated by Scottish officials, British diplomats and the Libyan government over the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi.

Diplomacy was once satirically defined as the patriotic art of lying for one's country. This approach is hard to sustain in a world that demands transparency. For diplomats, there's no negotiating around the fact that confidential deals today could be headlines tomorrow.

I can't wait to see how the State Department to this new reality!

posted by Berin Szoka @ 11:41 AM | e-Government & Transparency