Smart drugs --- Thanks for this example. Smart sanctions work by analogy with smart drugs that target cancer cells and cause fewer side effects

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

Phrasal verbs --- You are right, phrasal verbs a superpower! These are particles which no longer behave as normal prepositions. Take the prepositional phrase 'To run [up a hill]' and the phrasal verb 'to [run up] a bill' then see how the syntactic distribution differs as you change the constructions: Co-ordination: 'He ran up a hill and into a wood' VS *'he ran up a bill and into a problem' (where * designates an ill formed sentence.

Topicalisation: It's a hill (not a mountain) that he ran up VS *Its a bill that he ran up

Pronouns He ran up it yesterday VERSUS he ran it up yesterday

Semantically, phrasal verbs are often opaque (more than the sum of its parts)

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

Nuance --- It's OK to give a watch or a knife as long as you take a coin in exchange, so you're 'selling' it not gifting it!

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

Sweet tooth --- Love the 'several layers off linguistic icing'. You'll just have to introduce your Frankish counterparts to Mediterranean 'dolces' :)

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

Any other examples? --- Thank you for this example, Eric! It's great to use this platform to share this kind of example and flesh out the lecture points.

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

Grammatical gender --- Agreed, grammatical gender is just a way of arbitrarily classifying Nouns: "Genders are classes of nouns reflected in the behaviour of associated words."

Few people really think about grammatical gender much (except to correct mistakes!). It's only in languages without grammatical gender that the issue arises as a discussion of the sex/gender of the referent.

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

The Walrus and the Carpenter --- It would seem that English, or at least Lewis Carroll's English, is a Masculine Sun, Feminine Moon language, whatever that means :)

The sun was shining on the sea, Shining with all his might: He did his very best to make The billows smooth and bright– And this was odd, because it was The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily, Because she thought the sun Had got no business to be there After the day was done– “It’s very rude of him," she said, “To come and spoil the fun!”

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

Which is to be master? --- That was a very long build up to Humpty Dumpty's claim! "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master—that's all." was uttered in response to Alice wondering whether a word could have so many meanings.It touches on an important point - where meaning drifts and diversifies, who get the last word on what the 'true' meaning is. What did you decide in your example, John?

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

Homophones are impossible to translate! --- What an interesting example, thanks Desiree, and how relevant to our Wotton quote!

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

LOL --- I'm sure that story will be told by her proud Dad at her wedding, and many times before then :) I remember my son responding very literally when I said 'We're home!' by explaining how we still had to drive round one corner, stop the car, get out ion it, walk up the driveway and open the door before we arrived. Noooo poetic license at all!

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

disambiguating this sentence would be --- 1. The prostitute was attractive to the Pope. 2. The prostitute made an earnest request to the Pope.

Source author: MacOswald Jumali macjumali@yahoo.com

Depending on who you ask? --- Could it be that what is constructive ambiguity for one side is destructive for the other? Would then, constructive ambiguity be exploitative? That sounds pretty machiavellian, but I am pretty sure a someone with a fine dominion of language can achieve this.

Source author: Desirée Colomé Menéndez dcolome@sre.gob.mx

Indeed --- Human relations are complex and unpredictable, and the same goes for political relations among nations. Negotiating a new treaty or agrement is complicated enough. If everything was set in stone, no treaty would be of any use after a couple of years, since everything changes. That is why, I think, ambiguous language is prefered and then someone is assigned to clarify issues when they arise on a case by case basis.

Source author: Desirée Colomé Menéndez dcolome@sre.gob.mx

Barnes using Wotton? --- I find here the same ambiguity as in my previous comment about Julian Barnes's book where he writes "Lying in bed" as a double sense. Could it be that Wotton saw diplomats as honest persons who are "simply there"? Just a mere presence in another country (no action, no telling the truth) as a tool to achieve the good of their country?

Source author: Desirée Colomé Menéndez dcolome@sre.gob.mx

Or maybe serve both parties? --- Or also it can serve both parties at a tricky negotiation. If the final result has an "agreed" level of ambiguity, both may claim they got what they wanted. I am thinking about political declarations and commitments after, for example, State visits, in which both leaders can go back to their internatal audiences and say that they "won".

Source author: Desirée Colomé Menéndez dcolome@sre.gob.mx

Security Council resolution: ambiguity or clarity? --- Linguistically speaking, the demonstration of scope ambiguity in the Article 11 (e) is impeccable. However, while for didactic purposes the analysis is correct, for its political purposes, Article 11(e) can be see as very coherent and clear.

To some extent, in our text, this clause is decontextualized. The diplomats who negotiated the resolution 1244 (1999) and those who have tried to implement it have probably seen Article 11(e) in increasingly broader concentric circles.

1. Article 11 is divided in (a) through (k) paragraphs. The Article 11 describes the entire set of 11 responsibilities of the international civil presence. Subparagraph (e) should be read in conjunction with the rest. The degree of concreteness varies. For example, (j) expresses a principle, while (i) indicates the clear commitment to deploy physically an international police force. The force of the word "decides" cover all those levels of concreteness.

2. Article 11 in its entirety should be seen in the context of the whole operative part (Articles 1 - 21). That will indicate that the word "facilitation" refers to a process that is predetermined by many Articles: the cooperation of FRY (2), the withdrawal of military forces (3, 4), the work of a Special Representative (6), the early deployment of effective civil and security presence etc.

3. The operative part, in its turn, should be seen together with the entire resolution, including the preamble and the annexes. By doing so, we will have much less ambiguity on the word "design". For example, the preamble makes reference, in its second paragraph, to several previous resolutions. In the ninth paragraph we note the reference to the general principles of a political solution to the Kosovo crisis which exist already. The tenth and eleventh paragraphs of the same preamble reaffirm the commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of FRY and the self-administration for Kosovo.

4. The annexes adds a lot of elements to define the "design" used for the "determination" of the status of Kosovo, whose implementation needs "facilitation". All in all, the context indicates a rather precise process and protagonists, started with the Rambouillet accords.

5. Finally, the word "decides" as a chapeau is essential and it comes from the responsibilities attributed to the Security Council by the UN Charter. However, the status of Kosovo cannot be prescribed ex cathedra by the Security Council; one needs a process, facilitated by the United Nations in various ways, including by the international civil presence whose main responsibilities are described in Article 11.

6. I am aware that I mixed up language considerations with my own interpretation of a Security Council resolution, but my (subjective and personal) conclusion is that the word "decides" is not diluted, but supported by the contents of Article 11.

Source author: Petru Dumitriu PetruD@diplomacy.edu

old boys --- And yet, boy (a male child, as defined by the Free Dictionary) accepts the association with boys.

'Old boys' may mean a number of things, including alumni.

In other words, irrespective of age, we shall all be old boys, after passing this course!😍

Source author: Petru Dumitriu PetruD@diplomacy.edu

@Andre: smile --- Incorrect or not, the joke (new for me) was excellent. My smile was initially small, but instantly went medium and eventually became large, as I understood the joke!

Source author: Petru Dumitriu PetruD@diplomacy.edu

Not sure about this one... --- Logically I would say that this is more constrained, i.e., the sales must be smaller in both qualitative and quantitative senses. However, this is probably not how the courts of law would interpret such a clause.

In addition, qualitative and quantitative are rather ill-defined in this context.

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

A day? A century? --- Few phrases are more ambiguous than this.

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

Does not seek or will not? --- Not seeking does not in any way imply that there won't be any sales, but it does convey a similar "feel good factor."

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

I don't see this... --- The operative word in the latter part of the sentence is, in my eyes, "province" – Taiwan being labelled a province demotes it from being the one China.

That's my reading, at the very least...

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

Both are also homophonous... --- ... with a Maltese word whose use in this context means "screw up," in the sense of something that impacts you very negatively.

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

Where do fish keep their money? --- In the river bank! 🥁

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

1984 --- In 1984, by contrast, quite some time is devoted to the idea of ridding language of words or concepts that are not just anathema to the Party's philosophy but also that serve no logical purpose. For example, why have two words – "good" and "bad" – when one can use the suffix "un" – "good" and "ungood" –?

As a scientist I find this hard to argue against. As a human being, I find it particularly cold and scary – in part because I cannot attack the logic.

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

Clash of cultures --- Hailing from a Mediterranean culture, where things are liberally hidden out of view under several layers of linguistic icing, I find that it is important to reframe my perceptions when discussing with, e.g., Dutch colleagues, for whom such niceties are not only irrelevant but actively counterproductive.

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

One more --- One more meaning is to "lie down" literally, i.e., devoid of any sexual(ised) context. That is to say, a diplomat is someone who must throw themselves on the floor to be walked over so that they may smooth relationships between nations.

I don't think this is particularly true, but it /is/ another meaning that one can derive!

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

Not in Nordic countries! --- I remember being scowled at and practically told off for daring to hold a door open for a female colleague some years ago in Finland. Whilst I am all for equality and all that, it did surprise me somewhat that my intentions could be so misinterpreted!

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

I don't usually do this, but... --- ... it is particularly pertinent here:

• "liers" would be an adjective I'd assign to those who lie down, say • "liars" is what I would use for someone who does not tell the truth

It just feeds beautifully into the whole ambiguity issue we are discussing 🙂

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

Moon / sun --- I remember being told by someone who was much better at languages than yours truly that one can roughly categorise gendered languages into those for which the moon is male and the sun female, and those in which the opposite holds.

I seem to remember that my friend was trying to make a deep philosophical point, but true to form I forgot all about it and remember only the above.

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

I find the gender issue fascinating --- It forces me to think of whether we are facing a "chicken vs egg" scenario: If we all had spoke gendered languages would the issue of non-binary arise at all? In my experience with my two mother tongues (there's a pun right there involving same-sex marriage), the issue arises far more frequently in English, simply because "it" is a meaningful concept in the language, i.e., things may be male, female, or neither. In Maltese, which is strictly gendered, the discussion on pronouns, for example, never took place to the best of my knowledge.

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

... and missing information more generally. --- After staring at something for so long our brains read between the lines without us being aware of it.

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

On a (somewhat) related note... --- One of the pleasures of having children around the age they start discovering language is that it exposes certain ambiguities that our brains have simply tuned out. Some months ago I asked my daughter, then a few months shy of two years of age, "Can you please go call the lift?" thinking that she would press the button. Instead she stepped out into the hallway and called out "Lift!" which I found hilarious.

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

Double-double-take? --- Maybe the "chair" in question was a chairperson, whose legs should never be uncovered 😉

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

Original meaning... weapons? --- I believe its original meaning – or an older one, at any rate – stems from its use in weapons, which are "primed" (i.e., have their safety features disabled) before being launched or exploded.

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

Small Medium at Large --- A (politically incorrect, I suppose) joke made the rounds here several years ago about a psychic dwarf who escaped from prison. The "wanted" poster simply said: Small Medium at Large.

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt

smart sanctions --- I would add to these family of "smart words", the "smart sanctions", a concept that is relatively new in the history of international politics.

“Smart sanctions” are in fact targeted sanctions, that is sanctions applicable only in some restricted areas. They are intended to be more effective by putting direct pressure on individual national policy-makers.

These sanctions included arms embargoes, financial sanctions on the assets of individuals and companies, travel restrictions on the leaders of a sanctioned state, and trade sanctions on particular goods.

The search for more selective sanctions began as a response to the devastating effect that the UN Security Council sanctions imposed on Iraq in 1990 and 1991 had on the population. Combined with the destruction resulting from the bombing campaign, the sanction led to widespread malnutrition, epidemics of water-borne diseases, and the collapse of every system necessary to ensure human well-being.

The “smart sanctions” should be designed in a way that they would not have the humanitarian impact of broad trade sanctions.

Source author: Petru Dumitriu PetruD@diplomacy.edu

Ambiguity is useful for diplomatic undertakings when... --- ...your country or international organization is just at the point of beginning having exploratory conversations and want to keep itself open to several alternative courses of action without commiting itself (or a counterpart) to a specific position regarding a bilateral or multilateral issue and wishes to avoid precluding alternatives for potential agreements to be negotiated.

An example: We are in favor of stoping climate change but we are not sure if we can commit ourselves right at this point on new more specific ambitious CDCs for 2025 regarding the proportion of electricity generated using solar or wind energy in electric power plants inside the national energy matrix (we want to remain open to chose -if possible- to increase instead the share of hydro power). So if we keep communicating with CONSTRUCTIVE AMBIGUITY we can EXTEND OUR TIME FRAME for our own decision-making-process (or the one of our counterpart) BUYING TIME and avoiding pressuress to commit to a specific position right now, so the final decision is move on to once we have enough information to make the analysis required to decide going under a specific path of action and beging negotiations with our counterpart to make it possible.

Source author: Eric Suzán Reed esuzan@sre.gob.mx

Lies --- I'm always conflcted with the characterization of diplomats as "professional liers". Given that as a diplomat, your word is the most powerful tool you have (and sometimes the only one), you shouldn't treat it lightly. The most accomplished diplomats know their craft so well that will avoid lying at all costs, since being credible is the basis upon which you operate.

Source author: Alejandra Mayela Martinez Silva ammartinez@sre.gob.mx

One possible use --- would be to provide plausible deniability to the speaker?

Source author: Alejandra Mayela Martinez Silva ammartinez@sre.gob.mx

Ask language academies --- I find this process fascinating. For example, I remember being amazed when they told me how the French Academy spent a lot of time discussing if the iPod should be a female or male noun. It would still be reffered as "l'iPod", but it mattered in terms of subject-verb and subject-adjective agreement.

A similar process may be going on today, at least in Spanish speaking countries regarding people who identify themselves as no-binary and use pronouns different to "he" and "she". There is much debate about how they are changing the language. And, although we cannot know now if they will "succeed" and Spanish will have a gender neutral structure (todes, amigues), they certainly are constructing a new social reality by creating awareness and having people discuss new subjects that were unthinkable 50 years ago.

Source author: Desirée Colomé Menéndez dcolome@sre.gob.mx

And language --- We had already discussed in previous lectures how mastering a language can help with this. Or, put in other words, how non-native speakers may have a disadvantage. There are some things that only make sense in the original language.

In "A History of the Wolrd in Ten And A Half Chapters" by Julian Barnes, the editor of the Spanish translation had to actually make a note to explain the meaning of this paragraph and how it made more sense in English:

"Love and truth, that's the vital connection, love and truth. Have you ever told so much truth as when you were first in love? Have you ever seen the world so clearly? Love makes us see the truth, makes it our duty to tell the truth. Lying in bed: listen to the undertow of warning in that phrase. Lying in bed, we tell the truth: it sounds like a paradoxical sentence from a first year philosophy primer".

The editor had to clarify that in English "lying in bed" meant being in a horizontal position and also not telling the truth. Without that clarification (and maybe even with it) the sense of a couple of powerful paragraphs are lost for the non-native speaker.

Source author: Desirée Colomé Menéndez dcolome@sre.gob.mx

@Prof: the magic power of prepositions --- On the other hand, I cannot but admire, as a non-native speaker, the magic power of prepositions in English, in this particular case "up". And "up" is not the only preposition that makes simple verbs fly higher and express more.

I do not think that other languages gives that particular power to prepositions. In French, for instance, most of the verbs requires certain prepositions; some prepositions are obligatory.

The French verbs do not have the freedom to chose!

Source author: Petru Dumitriu PetruD@diplomacy.edu

@Prof: sexing up and embellishing --- To be honest, I have difficulties in making distinctions between categories. For example, this definition of sexing up seems similar to the one of the euphemism. In essence both mean embellishing the reality.

Andrew Gilligan has just coined a more appealing term than "euphemism", which sounds too scientific, doesn't it? He plays for the gallery ! He seems like thanking: 'People love sex, so let us introduce "sex" all over in the good permissive English language!'.

Source author: Petru Dumitriu PetruD@diplomacy.edu

Attempt by the Chinese to depict harmony --- as in the foregoing symbol of the River Crab which amounts to censorship. The Chinese further want to "cover all the bases," and control the negative global optics of Chinese demonstrations and unrest during the Olympics.

Source author: Marie Betts-Johnson mbj@ipicalifornia.com

Clocks and watches --- This symbol surprises me as it is supposedly a bad omen to gift a clock or a watch to the Chinese as the time displayed will be the time one is going to die! Somewhat off-topic but just an observation.

Source author: Marie Betts-Johnson mbj@ipicalifornia.com

Thank you John --- Your graphs are outstanding!

Source author: Marie Betts-Johnson mbj@ipicalifornia.com

A funny double-take: another limerick --- We all know what a leg means. We will not have a difficult to distinguish the actual meaning of this noun in its context. But this is because we are not cautious enough, or sensible enough! The lady in the following limerick is both:

'There once was a spinster of Ealing

Endowed with such delicate feeling

That she thought that a chair

Should not have its legs bare,

So she kept her eyes fixed of the ceiling'

Paraphrasing Bilijana: the thought you thought was not the thought you thought she thought!

Source author: Petru Dumitriu PetruD@diplomacy.edu

Scope ambiguity: a limerick --- 'There was an young lady of Kent

Who said she knew what men meant

When they asked her to dine

Gave her chicken and wine

She knew what men meant but she went.'

Inviting someone for diner has been and keeps being a routine gesture of socializing among people. Nothing seems to be ambiguous in the formulation in particular of the fourth line, which gives details about the menu. There is nothing vague: diner and menu. Nevertheless, the ambiguity is more subtle, as the extra meaning is not expressed in words, but it hide in the minds of the protagonists.

Source author: Petru Dumitriu PetruD@diplomacy.edu

@Bi: the noble savage from JJ Rousseau to John Dryden --- While it is true that Jean-Jacques Rousseau disseminated the concept and made it known worldwide, the term was originally coined by somebody else. You made me curious, so I called again my books for help.

In one of them (1), I found under the idiom ‚the noble savage’ a citation and an explanation.

„A quotation from Dryden, developed as a theory by the 18C French philosopher Rousseau”.

Bull’s eye! However, much to my embarrassment I did not know who Dryden was. I guess you all know, but just in case, for the records, John Dryden (the „glorious John’ apud Walter Scott) was an English writer.

The funny thing about him was that he is known as the first England’s „Poet Laureate”. In my infinite ignorance I thought he was bestowed a Prize, a kind of Nobel Prize for literature avant-la-lettre. But, no! “Poet Laureate” was a job!

He held this position many years (1668-1688), appointed by the King. Nice! He received a pension and, in exchange, he had to write poems to glorify England and his kings, from time to time! O tempora, o mores!

Bi, who is now the Poet Laureate of Her Majesty Elisabeth II?

(1) Dictionary of Idioms, An alphabetic guide to colourful and peculiar phrases and expressions, Wordsworth Reference, 1993, p.242

Source author: Petru Dumitriu PetruD@diplomacy.edu

@Bi: the 'noble savage' fallacy --- Your guess is right! Jean-Jacques Rousseau was probably the thinker who contributed the most to the circulation of the concept (myth) of noble savage. As a philosopher!

But the context, as you say in the text, changes the meanings. Later, unfortunately 'noble savage' entered into the vocabulary of politicians and, used in the colonial context, lost its original 'noblesse'.

Source author: Petru Dumitriu PetruD@diplomacy.edu

@Bi: Aphorisms in Romanian --- I am glad to reproduce the originals of the two aphorisms in Romanian. However, I am afraid that there are no cognates in English.

'Strămoșii mei nu erau analfabeți. Ei citeau în stele. '

The other aphorism might be more relevant in this respect, because the words "țăran" (peasant), "țară" (country) descend directly from the Latin "terra".

'Țăranul nu poate fi considerat filosof, deoarece are limbajul prea clar.'

Speaking about 'cognates' (a notion learnt from you, during this course, thank you!) the most amazing and numerous correspondence between Romanian and Italian. Had I had a new life and career I would have studied those correspondences.

Why? Because, if for instance, in addition of being a Romance language, French has had an intellectual influence (Romanian writers, painters, engineers, politicians etc. who studied in France, or Romanian intellectuals who became known after writing in French - Eugen Ionescu, Emil Cioran, Tristan Tzara etc.), the relationship between the literary Italian and the Romanian originates mostly in their common Latin roots.

Most of those correspondences do not exist between Italian and Spanish, Portuguese or French!

Source author: Petru Dumitriu PetruD@diplomacy.edu

Dodge, deny or REFRAME :) --- Thanks John, very professional looking!

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

Have these people survived?! --- How surprising that a bit of mischief on the side would have become archaic anywhere!

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

Alternatively... --- Great example, thank you! An alternative approach is to consider alternative meanings of the verb 'to lie' :)

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

The thought I thought I thought --- Limericks welcome especially with an accompanying explanation of syntactic scope rather than any other type!

You have got me thinking of scope ambiguity in ditties and I wonder if this one qualifies:

Think-a-Thought

I thought a thought, but the thought I thought was not the thought I thought I thought.

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

Contingency and humility --- 'God averts/hinders everything'? Is there more to the expression that refers to predictions? It reminds me of the idiom "There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip" which suggests that things can still go wrong even in the simplest and surest activity. "Don't count your chicken until they hatch" is another similar idiom. The peasants in your previous idiom will certainly have spoken in similar fashion for there is nothing like the vagaries of farming to alert us to the power of forces outwith our control.

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

In Romanian please! --- I really like this aphorism which sounds great in English because we do indeed 'read' the stars. Please send us the Romanian original. As a Romance language, we may recognise some of the cognates it contains.

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

The noble savage fallacy --- All communities develop coded forms of communication, no matter what their profession. The sign of an outsider is that they fail to recognise these codes and then assume that they don't exist. This is a prejudice which may lead either to the myth of the benighted savage or of the noble savage, both of which reveal an error of judgment. My guess is that this particular idiom was coined by somebody who prided himself in being a philosopher.

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

@Bilijana: am I allowed to cite a Limerick? --- I wonder if the limerick I have in mind is a good example of scope ambiguity. I would like to reproduce it, but, as we all know, limericks can be, very often, a bit licentious. It's about a young lady from Kent....

Do I have your permission to take a look in the funny realm of limericks?

Source author: Petru Dumitriu PetruD@diplomacy.edu

it should --- Yes, it should. Given the damages and often tragic consequences of politically driven attack, they should be considered cyberwarfare when launched by state or their non-state proxies. Politically driven cyberattack are in no-way different than any other offline political driven attacks, in my opinion. It has impact on millions of lives, national stability, geopolitic balance in whole regions sometimes, etc.

Source author: Ndeye Gnagna Kone gnagna.pro@gmail.com

Frequency/intensity --- Could it be also defined based on how often the same nation attack another same one in a period or its specific systems? Also in the case a unique attack that never happened again caused more damaged than multiple combined attacks, would the same country feel like it is in cyber conflit in the second case rather than the first?

Source author: Ndeye Gnagna Kone gnagna.pro@gmail.com

Role of ITU --- This role of ITU is quite positive and important in building operational capacity, exchange of experience and learning, by engaging in realistic cyber scenarios. Thus, ITUs has influential role in the global cybersecurity agenda.

Source author: Vladimir Nikolov vladimir984@yahoo.com

Int'l cooperation --- I think International cooperation always depend on national policies, it cannot work the other way around. Some international standards might exist, but it will always be up to national institutions to decide where their money go, and what priorities should be.

Source author: Guillaume Michel Blin gmichel@sre.gob.mx

national policies with international intent? --- Can one develop national policies for international cooperation? or should it be international guidelines which can be contextualized into national policies?

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

non government actors --- According to my own experience with international organizations and negotiations, non-governmental actors which participate there come normally from a not very extensive group of countries (mostly US, European, English speaking, some Asian) which have the resources and grants. At technical level´s discussions and negotiations the situation is a little bit different, because there are international networks of focal points, which communicate regularly and get support from companies´ headquarters, for example. The whole society approach could be probably more effective at the domestic level, providing inputs and responses to international cooperation frameworks on a day to day working basis, which unfortunately sometimes do not permeate to international agreements and discussions.

Source author: Eduardo Ruiz Mazon eruizm@sre.gob.mx

relations between universities and companies --- How passes the concept of “incubator” in this kind or relations? Big Tech companies have their own R&D sections which are very focused and specialized in the top notch technologies that they continuously develop for the new products they want to place in the market. Probably smaller IT companies can benefit more from the inputs from universities, but then how can the development of very specialized IT technologies “incubate” in universities if their funds are not so stable for this kind of very expensive research?

Source author: Eduardo Ruiz Mazon eruizm@sre.gob.mx

open source standards --- @Eduardo. I too am not an expert in open source vs proprietary software but I am venturing to give an input on your feed. Open source standards (if you deem it a standard) is not as open as one believes. These are software experts who are just as knowledgeable as the "established" software experts but they have come together to develop a software for the use of all concerend without cost to users. It is called "open" because though it can be sued by all and sundry, only subject-matter experts are qualified to make upgrades or changes in the best interest of the code and users. so essentially there is a standard of use. Proprietary software of course as the name implies, has standards and you pay for the use of the software with support charges for maintenance Open source also has maintenance support but its freely provided by the developers for the common good. However, these changes and modifications of the open source software by the developers/programmers are done for all other developers to see - all in the interest of users

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

open source standards --- I am not an expert, but I understand that the international standards establishment has been linked to the industrial developments in different fields, feeding from the technical needs and features of the technologies and products offered to the consumers and companies that want to participate in the production. I suppose that is the same with internet developers, but in the case of open source is the standardization and certification process also “open”? How can open source technologies, software and applications be a real alternative to the offered in the market by long established companies?

Source author: Eduardo Ruiz Mazon eruizm@sre.gob.mx

Trusting cooperation --- As in any other relation, trusting cooperation is the keystone for success. Ideally, CERTs will cooperate amongst themselves, but what about national and private interests? How do you trust an agency from another country or a giant tech company, especially if they are more resourceful than you? How do you reconcile different perspectives on an issue or even when defining what actions on the cyberspace are indeed criminal? That's why agreeing on international legislation is fundamental.

Source author: Jorge Ernesto Salcido Zugasti jsalcido@sre.gob.mx

National priorities --- 1) Defining a national strategy on cybersecurity; 2) Establishing a CERT that will be the central point for communication amongst intergovernmental entities and international agencies. 3) Updating national cybersecurity legislation and protocols, particularly on how to respond to a national or worldwide cyber crisis; 4) Fostering international cooperation on cybersecurity; 5) A cybersecurity campaing for prevention of cybercrime that will have education and training at its core.

Source author: Jorge Ernesto Salcido Zugasti jsalcido@sre.gob.mx

Citizens --- I would think that in many developing countries, ordinary citizens, especially older ones -who are not very acquainted to new ITs- do not have any knowledge of cyber threats and risks of using the web. Government policies to educate their citizens at different levels of training must be a priority. Unfortunately, that's not the case yet.

Source author: Jorge Ernesto Salcido Zugasti jsalcido@sre.gob.mx

Developing countries play catch up on cybersecurity --- There are many factors which impede the drafting and/or adoption of a national cybersecurity strategy by developing countries. Among these, the lack of national plataforms and budget; lack of awareness about the situation; a gap in techonolgy and innovation, etc. Due to this, regional organizations and developed countries should grant cooperation to developing countries in the area of cybersecurity, since without their participation the global network will never be secure.

Source author: Carlos García Delgrado cgarciad@sre.gob.mx

Variation is also a challenge --- Understandably, cybersecurity strategies vary across different regions and nations, in the light of the different situations countries face or envision. This is also a great challenge for cooperation since also technologies change rapidly, leaving national frameworks behind. Therefore, national strategies should be wide-encompassing and open to adapt in order to render them affective.

Source author: Carlos García Delgrado cgarciad@sre.gob.mx

Perhaps this is a greater challenge --- Usually countries tend to focus on the challeges posed by enemies in cyberspace, without taking into consideration that perhaps the greatest challege is getting all stakeholders in a given nation to cooperate and work together once a threat has been identified. Laws and agencies are a step in the right direction, but creating a whole of government approach is the real challenge.

Source author: Carlos García Delgrado cgarciad@sre.gob.mx

Success of PPPs --- PPPs are successful when there are trained and competent human resources in both the private and public sectors who are able and willing to cooperate in the national good otherwise there can be polarization leading to factions and ineffective service to the country.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

The role of the media --- The media has a very critical role to play in cybersecurity matters; their management of a Cyber event can either make or break the success of the management of the event; how the public receives information about a cyber event can break trust in the CERT if not managed properly. It would be advisable that the CERT has a trained communication person who interacts with the media instead of allowing the media to seek to explain the work of the CERT or the management of events.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

National CERT is critical --- While mini-or sectoral CERTs may be established without a National CERT in place and may have some level of efficiency and success because of the sector-specific functions, it is always advisable to have a National CERT which can be envisioned as the country's premier go-to body or contact point for national, regional and international liaison and coordination particularly in times of a massive cyber conflict or event. National CERTs also act as a cohesive mechanism to manage and govern all the other local CERTs.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

CERT without law or strategy --- If the entity has a cadre of highly trained technical experts with support operational support from a focused team of disciplined professionals there is no need to wait for a law or strategy to operationalize a certain.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

Trust can be a two-edged sword --- Cybersecurity governance calls for a high level of trust by users or the private/public sector personnel in the credibility and professional competence of CERT members. However, trust takes time and while that trust is being forged, any inadvertent error can break years of confidence-building to the detriment of all stakeholders. Yet when CERT personnel can be trusted life becomes a dream.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

independent national CERTs --- There is hardly any level of independence in national institutions or organizations where the government has a majority stake or policy driven. ideally independence would be the best but not even in the most developed democratic countries that such national entities are truly independent and thus the administration of policies or decisions taken are usually skewed in favor of the ruling class.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

Good idea --- I agree with this idea of CERT be an independent and bureaucracy-free and having all the resources for acomplish thier job but is it possible for all those countries with basic infraestructure and limited resources. is it possible to have well paid employees or expert in Cybersecurity into countries without resources? just a simple questions.

Source author: Iván Arnulfo Fernández Hernández administracionini01@sre.gob.mx

it is work of all of us --- I agree about the idea of "whole of goverment and whole society". If everybody is aware of what is happening on cyberspace so then we could move into the new strategies, I would like to say society first (talking in education).

Source author: Iván Arnulfo Fernández Hernández administracionini01@sre.gob.mx

Trained personnel and brain drain --- @Bennette, this is really huge problem on the long run. For instance, in the Balkans, the ICT staff and especially senior software developers (working in the private sector) are the ones with highest salaries state-wide (3x or 4x the national average). Yet, again, it is very hard to keep them, especially now after COVID, when the global market is more open and connected. The pattern is evident, it is easy for the most developed EU states to take-over them (mostly Germany, but Netherlands and Scandinavian countries too). They are usually youngsters and therefore are easily motivated to move to foreign countries, to gain experience in bigger companies or even to tele-work from some distant exotic country and enjoy life. I suppose this is similar in most developing countries. In contrast, for ICT staff, to work for the public sector is not attractive at all (due to very low salaries and slow dynamics, not much trainings/education) and the ICT personnel in public sector are usually older loyal ICT staff, computer engineers who have been working for the institutions for many years. I think the public sector will have huge problems with finding new ICT personnel in few years time.

Source author: Vladimir Nikolov vladimir984@yahoo.com

outsourcing --- @Guillaume, how I see on this is...generalizing,In my view, there are two types of states when it comes to hi-tech, advanced ICT and cyber-capacity. 1. Producers or exporting states and 2. Users or importing states. The first, produce the toys (and thus have the know-how how to do it), whereas, the second group, are users, that easily learn how to use the imported "toys", however, lack the capacity to produce them.

Source author: Vladimir Nikolov vladimir984@yahoo.com

Soft policies --- @Vlada, I agree with your elaboration. What I meant was that developing states that lag behind in implementing cyber strategies don't have the luxury to rely upon just and only on soft policies. Such states have to seriously focus on the cybersecurity agenda, to research and adapt foreign good practices and in the same time implement legislation (they have to do these things simultaneously in shorter time-frames, because if they don't, probably, the vulnerabilities of such states will increase and they will become an easy pray for the ever-advancing cyberattacks/cybercrime. Worse, the cyber-gap (in comparison to developed states) will become bigger, making it even harder to advance and catch-up. What I mostly think of when I say legislation/hard policies is strict laws regarding cybercrime and international cooperation related to cybercrime, as well as laws for protecting CI/CII. On the other hand, I too, agree with you and @Bennette, that soft policies are irreplaceable tool when it comes to reaching to the wider public, training, awareness raising and education!

Source author: Vladimir Nikolov vladimir984@yahoo.com

trained staff --- This is the multi-million dollar question when comes to Governance and implementation of CERTs. How many qualified staff can be first recruited and then maintained before being poached or they leave to more lucrative offers. @Vlad mentioned in an earlier response, the issue of "brain drain" and that's a serious matter for consideration

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

monitoring incidents in real time --- The ability to monitor cybersecurity incidents in real time would depend on the category of CERT and the technical resources available and evben reporting mechanisms. Not every CERT has such abilities as it depends on whether the model was designed as reactive or proactive. Additionally, the proactive CERTs are usually more costly in establishing than the reactive.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

Mexico's strategy --- The Strategic Objectives of the National Strategy are: 1. Society and Rights 2. Economy and Innovation 3. Public Institutions 4. Public Security 5. National Security

It has also 8 cross-cutting themes, which are: 1. Cybersecurity Culture 2. Capacity Deceloppment 3. Coordination and Collaboration 4. Research, Development and Innovation in ICT 5. Standards and technical criteria 6. Critical Infrastructure 7. Legal framework and self-regulation 8. Measurement and Monitoring

Source author: Guillaume Michel Blin gmichel@sre.gob.mx

Outsourcing vs cooperatoion --- @Vladimir, I fully agree. There are a number or countries that lack the financial and human resources to develop and implement these strategies. They still rely on IT infrastructure and are increasingly connected societies. To what extend should developed encourage and assist them in developing tools to protect themselves?

Source author: Guillaume Michel Blin gmichel@sre.gob.mx

Advantages of soft policies --- @Vlad. Points well made and articulated. I wont speak for @Nikolov as he is well able to but I believe the point we were making is that there have been so many years of "soft policies" and very little regulations and laws despite that these very policies have been unanimously agreed by all. I admit there needs to be some helping hand to get all on board but if we are soft on regulations and laws (and companies realize that laws are just laws and can be ignored at will), they will always put their interest first i.e. profits at the expense of people. There must be some level of compromise but profits are made when people buy their products; if companies continually violate regulations and laws because of their economic power then sanctions, ban on their products etc may have to be resorted to; but agreed, there needs to be compromise at both fronts. Salute!!

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

Responding to incidents --- CERT and CSIRT is really the same thing in practice. When it comes to terminology, an incident is a common operational term; yet, an incident can be of various levels - from a minor incident with minor effects, to major incident with critical effects. Classification of incidents is one of the important tasks of each CERT - and international communities are trying to sync the understanding and classifications as well. Emergency, on the other hand, is more of a situation - though it is used in the name of the CERT.

In what cases CERTs/CSIRTs respond to incidents really? That depends on the capacity and policies of each of the CERTs. Most CERTs, even if they can receive reports of incidents from just anyone (including citizens), don't have capacities - or even mandates - to respond actively unless it is for critical infrastructure or so. Instead, they limit their work to collecting and sharing information, issuing warnings, awareness-raising, etc.

Only when a country has recognised cybersecurity as one of the national priorities, and puts sufficient political and financial efforts in addressing the risks, CERTs become more resources (in terms of people, funds, knowledge, equipment, ...) and able to really play a role of a 'firefighter' more broadly. This is often a later stage in the CERT development.

Source author: Vladimir Radunovic vladar@diplomacy.edu

Challenges with implementation --- I would add to the list of 'why strategies fail' - the inclination of states to copy-paste others' strategies, without local adjustment - not involving (truly) other stakeholders with shaping the strategy and the action plan in the first place

What else can we add to the list of elements for failure?

Source author: Vladimir Radunovic vladar@diplomacy.edu

Madagascar --- Ioniarimalala that means you don't have yet the national cybersecurity strategy - or you do, but it focuses on crime mainly?

Source author: Vladimir Radunovic vladar@diplomacy.edu

Duration of cybersecurity strategies --- Good point - it seems the pace of tech development (and risks) is increasing, and 4-years strategy may seem a too far fetch. On the other hand, a strategy should be multi-year if it is to be a strategy, not an operational document.

In practice, countries seem to stick to 3-5 years-long cybersec strategies. What seems to be necessary, however, is to have a more flexible - and inclusive - action plan, probably revised more often, in order to adjust to the changing reality.

Any (good) hands-on experiences in this regards?

Source author: Vladimir Radunovic vladar@diplomacy.edu

Capacity building and development --- Ivan, colleagues, this brings us to the connection of cybersecurity with development. Indeed, most renown cybersecurity programmes came from the West, and were rather unavailable for professionals from developing countries - both physically, and financially.

Several factors contribute to the change with this. Moving online (esp. during Covid) made much of this knowledge accessible remotely. Since cybersecurity is increasingly interesting and important, there is a hyperproduction of materials, and much of this is becoming available also for free in various MOOCs and self-paced courses, knowledge repositories, etc. Also, Western countries recognise that cyberspace won't be stable for them if it is not stable elsewhere - since attacks can come from just anywhere - and they are eager more and more to invest in capacity building in other regions.

Cyber capacity building is not present on the international negotiations agenda as well. Take a look at the framework of responsible behaviour in cyberspace that we discussed last week - both OEWG and GGE have strong emphasis on capacity building, and assistance to developing countries. In practice, one can find funding support for programmes - especially in Africa and Asia, somewhat less still, however, in the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Do we have space to be optimists that the knowledge will be more evenly distributed (though big players will of course continue to dominate)? And, does this capacity building support come with any political cost related to cybersecurity?

Source author: Vladimir Radunovic vladar@diplomacy.edu

Advantages of soft policies --- Let me challenge this view that only the 'hard policies' (regulations and laws) play the role in cyberspace - and offer examples why soft policies mater maybe even more. We have already discussed the critical role of other stakeholders - primarily the private sector which operates much of the digital services and infrastructure. Without their sincere participation (and other stakeholders), there is no secure country. How can we get them on board?

Too strict regulation plays against the interests of many companies, as this requires investments in compliance, and ties their hands when it comes to innovation, fast roll-out of new services, etc. Ultimately, they will certainly satisfy the hard requirements, but will this actually help? Will we be able to implement hard policies meaningfully?

Let me give you an example. A binding obligation for all the companies to report about incidents to the CERT, for instance, will make them always fill the form. But, they won't do more than that. Reality of incident response is continuous information exchange and support by parties based on trust; there is no trust if you force another party into this relation. It is similar with the certification schemes and compliance - most big companies comply with all the variety of ISO and other standards and requirements; yet, as we see from SolarWinds this isn't sufficient even for the big companies - instead, they need to understand and get prepared to cooperate. You may think of many other examples. Global character of cyber-risks, and the cross-jurisdictions problem - adds to complexity.

Instead, a trust-built CERT - in which partners learn what benefits they get from CERT (e.g. international, network and information) in return for sharing own findings with them - works. Public-private partnerships to increase capacities of the business sector to understand the risks and measures that help is more likely to boost up resilience of the state (including the CI) than only mandating requirements and compliance. Think of other soft policies that can help awareness and education, standards implementation, information sharing, etc.

Regulations and laws, of course, remain important and necessary, especially for some critical elements. They should set the base of responsibilities, and repercussions. But soft policies and incentives are very much needed to really put 'all hands on the deck' and strengthen all the weak links we have around.

Inviting your comments on this!

Source author: Vladimir Radunovic vladar@diplomacy.edu

emergencies and incidents --- @Eduardo. Interesting observation. I assume that CERTs would always be called upon when incidents occur or when such incidents are not attended to in a timely manner leading to an emergency situation. It may also be possible, depending on the type of CERT i.e. reactive or proactive that a heavy unusual data traffic may be observed which to the support engineer, turns out to be symptoms of a DOS or DDOS attack; the CERT can also be activated by other CERTs who may be seeing unusual internet traffic coming his way - there are many scenarios which can develop their capacity.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

cybersecurity in a national context --- I think it is rather paradoxical that while cybersecurity does not have a universally accepted definition per se yet internationally respected agencies, organizations or institutions provide "best practice" guidelines suggesting that there seem to be an industry agreed defined standard. To complicate matters, nations are asked to define their own cybersecurity strategies consistent to their individual views and contexts. If I define cybersecurity in my context, why should be guided by another's perceived "best practice"? Can anyone solve this apparent riddle?

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

monitoring and evaluation --- M&E is a critical aspect od such endeavors and if there are not sufficient human resources to perform monitoring and evaluation in order to measure performance and implementation practices, then the system can slowly fail.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

review of existing situation --- It is always of vital importance to begin the process by examining where you are at this point in time (situational analysis) for once you have a handle on where you are, you will be in position to determine where you wish to go next; That's a very critical point as some people simply cut and paste standard or industry best practices without even understanding their own situation. As indicated, such an approach may have the wrong fit and lead to more challenges and problems than anticipated.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

why a national cybersecurity strategy? --- In Small Island Developing States (SIDs) the limited financial and human resources does n\ot lend credence to seeing the urgency associated with the development of a cybersecurity strategy as this may be seen as both 'absurd' and abstract in light of the many economic challenges that require front-burner attention than a document on cyberspace; here lies the danger since whether developed or developing, cybersecurity has become a global problem and the weakest links can trigger massage internet instability and security problems for all.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

Outsourcing --- I wonder if some countries lacking capacity to strengthen cybersecurity with the desired pace, and expected time-frames, can be persuaded to "outsource" most important cybersecurity elements (lets say detecting cybercrime or cyberterrorism) to other "patron" states with whom they have good relations. For instance, in many small NATO member-states (without developed aviation), the national airspace is patrolled/protected by larger neighboring states.

Source author: Vladimir Nikolov vladimir984@yahoo.com

cybersecurity vs digital technology strategy --- Taken nationally in light of the constant innovation in technology, shouldn't nations be looking at a national digital and technology strategy which encompasses cybersecurity strategy as a subset instead of simply a cybersecurity strategy? cybersecurity is only once aspect of the digital revolution and thus I believe a national digital and policy strategy should be the focus of countries instead of narrowing to a cybersecurity strategy.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

national cybersecurity priorities --- Dominica

Existing national cybersecurity priorities: 1. Legal and Governance 2. Technical 3. International Cooperation 4. Education and Awareness

in additional to the above, I would also include: - Capacity building - Institutional strengthening

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

The 'new normal' --- Covid-19 has thrust the world into a 'new normal' and i agree with the Japanese 2021 strategy to begin to position ourselves for this new way of living; traditional thinking must be out and unconventional and innovative ideas must contend.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

cyber vision --- A vision is optimism wrapped in idealism with a futuristic hope but not rooted in realism. The reality of our times impacts the idealism of the future though our best efforts can be attempted. Therefore, we may have to scale down our cyber vision not to any substandard level but more realistic in time.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

open Internet and geo-political beliefs --- How can cyber strategies ensure an open internet, protect human rights, freedoms and privacy when the politics of the nations are not cohesive, very polarized and sovereign in nature?

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

defense & offence capabilities --- If one of the priorities of cybersecurity strategies is to strengthen defense and offence capability, aren't we infact making preparations in the event of cyber conflict or cyberwar? OCCs are synonymous to cyber weapons in storage awaiting the possibility of war; why then are we so surprised when the issue of lethal autonomous weapons are placed on the agenda of cybersecurity?

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

cybercrime vs cyberterrorism --- In the conventional world, we categories criminal vs political crimes with the latter having a more sympathetic view than the former. Do we have the same philosophy in cyberspace between cybercrime and cyberterrorism?

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

% --- That's only 57%

Source author: Vladimir Nikolov vladimir984@yahoo.com

Financing --- If there is enough focused financing, NGOs can easily do their part of the work in reaching out, training and using their networks. So in order to do more in less time, there is a need for enough funds that NGOs can use for this goal.

Source author: Vladimir Nikolov vladimir984@yahoo.com

Risks --- Private sector actors controlling components of CI in foreign countries is a risk on its own. Let's think of "issues" originating from the profit-oriented model of corporations, for instance the "planned obsolescence".

Source author: Vladimir Nikolov vladimir984@yahoo.com

Sovereignty --- It is strange that we mostly discuss the role of the states in regulating legal frameworks, strategies, policies....while the "toy" is not ownership of the state, but at least 90% is in private hands (usually corporations from 5-6 most advanced nations). And I believe that in most of today's states, the right to private property/ownership is one of the most protected rights of natural/legal persons :)

Source author: Vladimir Nikolov vladimir984@yahoo.com

Developed Vs developing --- When I see the examples from states as USA, UK, Australia, Netherlands (and their cyber diplomacy integrated in MFA) and then compare the situation in developing countries...it is somewhat funny...some states still don't have any document nor national strategy in relation to Cybersecurity. The cyber gap is huge!

Source author: Vladimir Nikolov vladimir984@yahoo.com

CERT --- @Bennette, It could be, however small countries (i think) won't have enough resources to equip a CERT with personnel with such diverse backgrounds. Probably small states with very limited resources for CyberSecurity will focus on the tech personal only - the one capable to operationally respond in case of a real incident. On the other hand, in an ideal scenario, as you say, or in developed countries probably that is easily achievable, especially if such CERT can play certain role in capacity building (trainings/educaiton).

Source author: Vladimir Nikolov vladimir984@yahoo.com

accessbile educaiton & information --- @Ivan, therefore I suppose the security aspects of the internet and cybersecurity should be integrated in regular school curricula starting from first grade. Only in that way the topics will become accessible to the wider public and gradually become so to say a everyday risk-aware "culture" for using the internet.

Source author: Vladimir Nikolov vladimir984@yahoo.com

Labor force --- I will add the problem of "brain drain" in whole regions across the Globe (lets take South-Eastern Europe for example). This phenomenon is especially present among students of technical universities (Engineering, ICT, Computer technology, Software developers). Another issue is the unattractiveness of the public sector for such highly trained personnel (due to slower work dynamics, lower salaries than the private sector and many other factors).

Source author: Vladimir Nikolov vladimir984@yahoo.com

duration of cybersecurity strategies --- With the rapid focus on AI and lethal autonomous weapons combined with smart devices and IoT phenomenon, shouldn't the duration of cybersecurity strategies be reviewed almost every five months instead of the nominal every five years or so? This is an abnormal world we are now living through.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

Is the information avalaible for all? --- My questions is, is this information or education accessible for everyone? I know there is a lot of programs out there about CyberSecurity, are they accessible for everyone? so far most of them cost a lot of money because they give you back some certification or grade but what about those who does not have enough resources? How to kwon someone is qualify?

Source author: Iván Arnulfo Fernández Hernández administracionini01@sre.gob.mx

Soft policies --- @Bennette, I absolutely agree. Even countries that lag behind in implementing cybersecurity strategies, today don't have the luxury of gradually starting the process with soft policy, then gain experience and continue further...The reality has become such that even these countries now have to bridge the gap quickly, shortening the path other countries have walked 4-5-6 years ago.

Source author: Vladimir Nikolov vladimir984@yahoo.com

EU Member States benefit --- EU Member States benefit, of course, by being part of an important regional organisation that requires States to implement EU directives into their national laws. The same can't be said for other States around the world who, in some cases, may be on their own unless they can find a partnership, perhaps with ITU's assistance, to draft their action plans and legislation.

Source author: Scott Spence scott.a.spence@gmail.com

Judicial institutions enforcement mechanisms --- Much have been said in the last modules on the issue of CBMs, standards and norms, MLATs and other measures to detect, apprehend and prosecute criminals for their cybercrimes. How enforceable are these laws across a borderless cyberspace? how much teeth do those laws in one nation have over another in order to successfully prosecute criminals? international laws take years to be agreed upon far less to prosecute. Admittedly laws should be enacted but what are the purpose of laws if successful prosecution cannot be the end result?

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

action lines and plans ... all very well and good if... --- Action lines and plans are all very well and good if they're carried out in a comprehensive and sustainable way. I've seen many good action plans that only exist on paper due to turnover of officials (especially if a "national champion" responsible for the document move on), shifts in national priorities, etc.

Source author: Scott Spence scott.a.spence@gmail.com

education and awareness --- There will also need to be an ongoing campaign of education and awareness about 5G as many people do not understand what it is and may be susceptible to conspiracy theories (to the point of damaging 5G-related equipment).

Source author: Scott Spence scott.a.spence@gmail.com

regulatory --- How does the regulator serve the interest of all these diverse constituents in cybersecurity? There has been much debate on the issue of authoritarian governments seeking to restrict or stifle the freedom of the Internet - when a government as a key constituent demands certain "rights and privileges" as a sovereignty entity but those requests are perceived as government interference in the administration of the Internet, how does the regulator attend to such request? wouldn't the government claim that only the interest of Big TECH and others are being pursued?

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

meeting expectations for all --- With such a whole of society or multi-stakeholder approach to cybersecurity, how do you ensure that the expectations of each constituent member is adequately taken into the final process or should there be more of a consensus approach where some gain and some loss in a compromised arrangement?

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

CERT and nature of cybersecurity --- Since cybersecurity is a nexus of multi-disciplines, does that mean, in an ideal scenario, a CERT (CSIRT) theoretically can be composed of persons with knowledge in law, technical/technology, psychology, sociology or political science, etc.?

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

PPPs and their role --- While I do admit that a collaborative approach is not only required but mandatory between public and private sector partners, care should be taken that private entities do not seek to dominate the relationship where their shareholders interest - money is given priority over what may be in the best interest of citizens and users; the opposite may also be true that public officials must also understand that businesses are in this to generate profits while seeking to show their corporate citizen side to a lesser extent..

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

multi-stakeholder approach --- No single sector, agency or institution can single-handedly manage or take ownership for cybersecurity in a country - all hands must be on deck; however, roles must be clearly defined and articulated for every constituent from academia and research to technical to political, legislative, NGOs, civil society, corporate, ISPs, regulators, students and even the ordinary man on the street.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

cybersecurity as a service? --- A well trained cybersecurity workforce can enhance employment oppotunities in this sector with cybersecurity expertise and know-how being exported as a service to local, regional and international companies and organizations. Just as there is sport tourism like that being used in UAE for cricket, a trained labor force in cybersecurity can see a similar niche sector offering such services.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

qualified labor force --- I totally agree that there needs to be a very knowledgeable and well qualified labor force to manage cybersecurity matters; however, due to the rapidly emerging technologies particulalrly in more developed countries, highly qualified personnel from less developed countries have little opportunity to make any serious contribution to the advances in cybersecurity either through their exposure to such nations or expertise or simply not in a position to actively take part in academic discourses. However, these shortfalls hinders the global fight against cybercrime and hence the need for human and institutional training and capacity development.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

soft policies --- In an era where cyber is a critical area of influence and even national security, soft policies on cybercrime/cybersecurity matters should be a thing of the past in the face of what the world has seen with ransomware attacks. Soft policies must give way to strong national policies which leads to enactment of laws for the protecting of CII.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

political agenda --- Does the establishment of a national CERT depends on final awareness by the political directorate on their political agenda (which normally takes a long time to reach) or should be it dependent of the fact that cyber has become a critical information sphere of operation nationally for which existing sectors may already have established sectoral CERTS having seen and understood the issue before the political directorate?

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

incidents and emergencies --- Probably the distinction between emergencies (such as in CERTs) and incidents (such as in CSIRTs) is just a matter of terminology, but is there another kind of criteria which could define the conditions and the ability to response and most importantly the timing for triggering an operation of CERTs?

Source author: Eduardo Ruiz Mazon eruizm@sre.gob.mx

Diagnosis of national situations --- Very important remark. The diagnosis of the own situation in each country should be the starting point. Some external benchmarks could be also useful, such as the ITU score. However, the temptation to be among the first in the lists of these scores could prompt to follow formally the requirements, triggering a competition on the “best students” instead of solving own difficulties and challenges.

Source author: Eduardo Ruiz Mazon eruizm@sre.gob.mx

National strategy of Mexico --- The national strategy of Mexico on Cybersecurity can be found here (only in Spanish, sorry):

https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/271884/Estrategia_Nacional_Ciberseguridad.pdf

It dates from 2017 and states principles, objectives, areas of action, responsibilities, legal framework and stakeholders in charge of implementing the strategy

Source author: Eduardo Ruiz Mazon eruizm@sre.gob.mx

comprehensive list --- This very comprehensive list of priorities shows how important and omnipresent is internet in societies currently. It does not differ very much from lists of steps or recipes to become developed countries in the standard sense. Even applying the recommendations to the specific field of cybersecurity, the challenges seem considerable (for example strengthening the national economy, providing education or developing institutional capabilities, etc.)

Source author: Eduardo Ruiz Mazon eruizm@sre.gob.mx

Top-bottom or bottom-top? --- It is interesting to wonder whether the reach out activities to raise awareness on the importance of national frameworks for cybersecurity should come from the government to the society or from the society to the government. From looking what happens currently in key countries developing internet, it seems that US and EU countries have been comfortable with the development coming from the private sector, with the governments catching up, while countries like China or Russia have a more strategic (in classical sense) approach, whit governments marking the pace and the direction and society following. I suppose, both styles have developed so, because of the history of development of internet (coming mainly from US) and some traces of Cold War hereditary mistrust among the key players. Countries with not very strong or authoritarian governments would probably follow the style of US and Europe, I suppose…

Source author: Eduardo Ruiz Mazon eruizm@sre.gob.mx

Oxymoron --- I find "depoliticize policy-making" somewhat an oxymoron. Or maybe I am not understanding it well. Is policy-making not essentially a political process? How would depoliticizing work when we need governments to support policies. I'm thinking about merging policy making with politics so that politicians/diplomats are fully engage in the process of deriving and finally coming to the data informing policies.

Source author: Kiconco Patricia kictricia@gmail.com

Collective intelligence - augmented by and with AI --- I always believe that relying on a few studies or a few experts is not the solution, given the complexity of the issues at hand. We need to explore new models to address the limited time and limited cognitive ability / bounded rationality and tap into a collective intelligence of tens of thousands of scientists and studies aided by artificial intelligence as a support system for evidence-based decision making.

Source author: Mouloud Khelif mouloud.khelif@gmail.com

Boundary spanners needed in sustainability --- I am not sure if I am qualified to become an effective boundary spanner. I believe it is a crucial role and it is needed more than ever in addressing sustainability challenges (beyond SDGs) by linking science and policymaking. A boundary spanner actively supports the development of actionable knowledge for specific policy contexts. Considering the complexity of the sustainability issues that requires collaboration across disciplines and sectors, it is an art that we may develop with time and practice.

Source author: Mouloud Khelif mouloud.khelif@gmail.com

Homophily vs Heterophily --- It would make sense that cooperation and knowledge sharing between actors, especially in scientific networks, would be largely influenced by the level of homophily bias inherently present (and sometimes not necessarily conscious). Exchange flows would be higher when actors speak the same "language", share the same conceptual frameworks and methodologies, as opposed to knowledge sharing between actors coming from different fields or backgrounds (heterophily)

Source author: Mouloud Khelif mouloud.khelif@gmail.com

Depoliticise Science --- I think after depoliticizing policy-making to support evidence based and informed decisions there is a need to depoliticize science and put the knowledge and expertise at the service of global issues that are related to the common future such climate change , environment protection , cyberspace, outer space and pandemics. Science diplomacy should be democratized and focus on promoting the science for good.

Source author: Souhila Amazouz souhila_amazouz@yahoo.fr

Collective decision making --- it is obvious that available and accurate information may help and accelerate negotiations and achieving agreements however this requires a same level of political understanding on the issue and what is at stake for each country. Creating confidence among the parties is also essential to ensure win win solutions and for this there a need for building capacities and sharing knowledge between states .

Source author: Souhila Amazouz souhila_amazouz@yahoo.fr

Cultural Applications of Engineering and Technology --- Culture plays a vital role in the application of engineering and technology. I agree that the applications of science through engineering and technology (while technical) is also a social process.

Source author: Petal Punalall Jetoo pjetoo@gmail.com

Science is both process and product --- I agree with the use of "science-informed policy making" instead of 'evidence-based policy making'. The application of the scientific method utilises evidence in its design but includes other processes which influences knowledge evaluation, creation and application. Science as a process refers to its methods and science as a product refers to the creation of new knowledge.

Source author: Petal Punalall Jetoo pjetoo@gmail.com

Agree --- Are players in negotiations to establish market rules and regulations, the dissemination of norms and cultures in the international economy, the promotion and implementation of economic policies, and the advocacy of public and private economic interests.

Source author: Mavis Tungulu mtungulu@gmail.com

economic diplomats --- Economic diplomats are agents and significant actors.

Source author: Mavis Tungulu mtungulu@gmail.com

Craft skills --- Business delegations and trade exhibitions: country promotion exhibitions and specialised trade fairs; selection, observation and participation; exhibition techniques and best practices; organisation of business delegations; role of missions in both outbound and homebound groups; planning, and preparation of Business conferences.

Source author: Mavis Tungulu mtungulu@gmail.com

monopoly over some economic good --- Russia is the major natural gas supplier in Europe, and such a position gives the Kremlin plenty of opportunities for using natural gas supplies to pursue its geopolitical goals. One of the latter is launching the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which bypasses Ukraine to send gas to Germany.

Source author: Mavis Tungulu mtungulu@gmail.com

monopoly over some economic good --- The EU’s energy system undoubtedly has many vulnerabilities, but the major reason behind the surge is Russia’s politics of weaponizing its gas supplies.

Source author: Mavis Tungulu mtungulu@gmail.com

Ineffective --- Economic sanctions have proved to be ineffective in influencing the behavior of targeted states. I for one think the real target is to make the ordinary man on the street to suffer and lose confidence on their government enough to demand change of government. Many a times it is usually the vulnerable citizens that suffer the most instead of the targeted individuals.

Source author: Lapologang Judah lapoduna@gmail.com

Monopsony power --- Due to globalisation, many countries are vulnerable to monopsony. During its heydays in the 90s, Zimbabwe was regarded as Africa’s bread basked due to its thriving industry and ability to play a significant role in food exports. However, Zimbabwe’s land reform program of 2001 is believed triggered the Economic sanctions that restricted trade with the US, UK and EU, leading to its economic collapse. It is surprising that though there has been change in government since the land reform program and the new government has announced compensation for farmers whose land was confiscated, the status quo on sanctions still remains and continues to hurt the ordinary and vulnerable citizens

Source author: Lapologang Judah lapoduna@gmail.com

Agreed, although what if sanctions --- Target the government of the country in question, wouldn't the export activity involve a heightened risk of indirectly making funds available to a designated entity, and the exporter should exercise caution?

Source author: Tarniem Shokry Iskandar tar.eskander@hotmail.com

Indeed, sanctions are so popular that they are being introduced by many states and municipalities --- For example, The United States now maintains economic sanctions against dozens of countries. What is critical, moreover, is not just the frequency with which economic sanctions are used but their growing importance for U.S. foreign policy.

Source author: Tarniem Shokry Iskandar tar.eskander@hotmail.com

Strategic competition in the domain of technology and cyber security --- This raises significant questions about how to regulate new technologies that have both economic and security implications. Technological leadership is difficult to preserve given that new ideas naturally diffuse and innovations can be copied, even in the absence of theft or espionage.

Source author: Tarniem Shokry Iskandar tar.eskander@hotmail.com

Countries can have an advantage to natural resources --- Because they are richly endowed with a particular natural resource. For example, countries with plentiful oil resources can generally produce oil inexpensively. Because Saudi Arabia produces oil very cheaply, it holds a comparative advantage in oil, and it exports oil in order to finance its purchases of imports

Source author: Tarniem Shokry Iskandar tar.eskander@hotmail.com

Mutual assured destruction --- The Cold War and the possibility that there would finally be a mutual assured destruction between the two ideological blocs through nuclear weapons, made the great powers avoid a direct confrontation at all costs. This situation continued to this day, which is why economic sanctions represent a quite viable option instead of wars. In the end, wars are fought when the instruments of diplomacy failed, including sanctions.

Source author: Ricardo Daniel Delgado Muñoz rdelgado@sre.gob.mx

State enterprises --- I guess command economies are better able to apply sanctions than market economies because they have a deeper control on the means of productions and the actors involved. For example, enterprises in key industries are often run by the State and these are the ones that do business with the outside world. So, any export restriction or investment withdrawal can be executed more easily, as long as it has the enough political support from the ruling elite.

Source author: Ricardo Daniel Delgado Muñoz rdelgado@sre.gob.mx

Other factors --- What can explain the non-use of the task force recommendations is that they are not based on solid and convincing evidence. Also, when making recommendations, we should foresee several possibilities with benefits and consequences to allow the decision maker to make an informed decision.

Source author: Désiré NEBOUA dneboua@yahoo.fr

Advice to government --- Each commission will work on its area of competence and make specific propositions for action to the government. These propositions should be based on the knowledge available at the international, regional and national levels. The proposals of each commission will be analyzed by the taskforce and validated before being presented to the Prime Minister or President.

Source author: Désiré NEBOUA dneboua@yahoo.fr

My taskforce set-up --- Such a task force must take into account all actors and ministries involved in the decision-making process. This ranges from scientists (physicians, epidemiologists, sociologists, virologists) to legislators, diplomats, financiers, medias. I will set up commissions (medical/health, social sciences, cooperation, finance and budget, laws, communication, etc.) that will work in a coordinated way.

Source author: Désiré NEBOUA dneboua@yahoo.fr

Access to decision-makers --- The first step is to have access to the decision-makers, or at least those that truly influence the process. Using the scientific research and converting its findings into relatable case studies for everyone to grasp the key messages, including consequences for different groups of people, constituents and stakeholders. Speaking the language of decision makers and government officials would certainly help secure support for concrete initiatives and plans.

Source author: Mouloud Khelif mouloud.khelif@gmail.com

Nothing substantial, greenwashing political com --- Some indicators could be: No real or substantial government strategy or plan to address climate change No clear plan of action with measurable indicators and targets to achieve by 2030 and 2050 at every level of government The scientific studies you made available are using for "greenwashing" and marketing "political communication" activities with vague intentions The people in charge of climate policy that you meet have no formal power in government, mostly advisory roles Specific budgets for concrete actions have not been included

Source author: Mouloud Khelif mouloud.khelif@gmail.com

Factors and explanations --- I see several possibilities to explain this failure

• The government politicised the crisis and did not use the task force's recommendations adequately
• The task force didn't have enough information or didn't reach a consensus, leading to some of its members going to the media to try to influence the outcome
• The recommendations from the task force were not practical nor acceptable in political terms (too costly)
• The recommendations from the task force raised suspicion and resistance from the parliament, and/or were rejected as being unconstitutional by the "supreme court"

Source author: Mouloud Khelif mouloud.khelif@gmail.com

Adaptation and Mitigation measures --- An inclusive task force set up to advise the Prime Minister and/or President would need to include: -government officials from relevant ministries and agencies (health, foreign affairs, interior, security, transport, education, customs etc.) -health scientists (virologists, epidemiologists, public health, etc.) -health practitioners (representing specialists and generalists facing patients) -social scientists (sociology, political science, psychology, etc.) -social media, communication, tech experts -representatives from civil society -main airlines and transportation representatives -business & employers representatives -workers' unions representatives

They would be able to call on any external (local or international) expertise (ad-hoc) when needed.

The role of the task force would be advisory for any adaptation or mitigation measures, balancing the level of urgency of the public health crisis with fundamental societal needs and individual rights.

Source author: Mouloud Khelif mouloud.khelif@gmail.com

diplomatic language --- I think technical language may not be easily understood by decision makers and therefore there is a need to adapt and simplify the communication . I would start by building awareness by linking the climate actions and implications to the economic growth and social well being of people and highlighting the long term negative effects on nature and national assets. To convince I would prepare detailed reports and support with simulations ( short videos , diagrams) and make sure to interact with the policy makers regularly in a formal and informal ways . I would also try to bring all governments institutions onboard including the foreign affairs.

Source author: Souhila Amazouz souhila_amazouz@yahoo.fr

failure of the task force --- Can we consider that countries that faced several and severe waves that their national policies failed or their task force did not provide the right recommendations to prevent the spread of the virus.

Source author: Souhila Amazouz souhila_amazouz@yahoo.fr

Technical advice --- The task-force will advise the government on technical issues such as: what measures are needed to reduce the contamination among population. the effectiveness of the vaccine and how to organize the national compagn

Source author: Souhila Amazouz souhila_amazouz@yahoo.fr

list of experts --- In addition to Petal list , I would add representatives of - Law enforcement forces as they deal with the measures related to the lock-down - Custom services - Religious institutions

Source author: Souhila Amazouz souhila_amazouz@yahoo.fr

Origine of the virus --- Thank you YingChu for emphasizing that Corona virus may have emerged in other countries , indeed it is not clear and even became a political issue ? But the question is why scientists are not in a position to identify the origin of this virus , can we say that diplomacy prevented that ?

Source author: Souhila Amazouz souhila_amazouz@yahoo.fr

Well⋯⋯ --- I agree WHO was late to warn the global too late. But I still can't be sure the virus is from China. Some data are showing some people in other countries were infected before 2020, maybe in late 2019.

I heard about the COVID19 in December 2019, and I planned to Freedom Online Coalition annual general meeting in Ghana, February 2020. But all people thought it would be only in Wuhan, China. As you know the regulate and governing methods with China government, we couldn't have more news from inside of China.

That only thing I know.

Source author: YingChu Chen jungheng@gmail.com

Engage Communication and Education Specialists --- I would engage communication and education specialists to simply the findings of my research and link its applications to the climate policy. This would help to build the policy makers confidence in my research findings and support their initiatives. I would use the principles of science diplomacy here as well. One example is setting up a technical advisory team - as a cross functional team which includes members from other disciplines from my university - from social sciences, education and communication.

Source author: Petal Punalall Jetoo pjetoo@gmail.com

Indicators --- Some indicators could be: 1. Lack of climate change strategies with supporting measurable indicators and supporting action plans to support the national climate policy 2. Misuse/misinterpretation of technical advice to support other unrelated initiatives 3. Lack of follow up actions from meetings/discussions. 4. Lack/limited understanding of how to apply reason-based policy making.

Source author: Petal Punalall Jetoo pjetoo@gmail.com

Task Force Failure --- Factors that could have affected the Task Force from providing useful advice may have been: 1. Poorly structured task force (limited expertise) 2. Lack or limited access to relevant information which leads to poor designs 3. Limited engagement with key stakeholders

Source author: Petal Punalall Jetoo pjetoo@gmail.com

Contributing factors --- Some factors that could lead to governments not taking useful advice may include: 1. Poor communication which leads to limited/lack of understanding of the situation 2. Lack of trust 3. Lack of political will/motivation to embrace proposed changes 4. Competing interests

Source author: Petal Punalall Jetoo pjetoo@gmail.com

List of Experts --- I would include health experts (virologists, physicians, epidemiologists) as technical experts to advise on the nature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The task force should include education and communication specialists, indigenous leaders, youth representatives and representatives NGOs, CBOs FBOs etc. Government representatives from the health sector would also be included.

Source author: Petal Punalall Jetoo pjetoo@gmail.com

WHO duties and limitations --- As a citizens that watched the emergence of the Corona virus in China and then saw how it quickly spread cross the world , I think WHO was late in alerting states and declaring it an a global pandemic. I wonder if the rules and procedures stipulate that WHO can only qualify a disease as a about a pandemic after it concerns 100 countries and in this case what is the use ? Why WHO did not take action to confine the virus in one country or one region when it was still possible and what tools this organization is equipped with to challenge some controversial political decisions of countries in dealing with such a big threat to all people across the world.

Source author: Souhila Amazouz souhila_amazouz@yahoo.fr

Need for a treaty on cyberspace --- The application of existing international laws and norms to the cyberspace is securing a first layer of rules that is already internationally accepted. Building on that, I would say that a global treaty is needed to address the specificities of the cyberspace (attribution of an attack, global effect, cyber weapons using nations or individuals without their consent or knowledge, use of data, etc.).

Source author: Florence Tinguely Mattli florence.tinguely-mattli@eda.admin.ch

Content policy must be democratically controlled --- There are limits to freedom of speech (incitement to hatred, racism etc.). Fake-news and disinformation, above all when leading to violence, must be countered. Surveillance or content policy must be controlled by an independent and transparent body. Democratic institutions need to be solid to exert checks and balances. This is what is missing to most member countries of the SCO.

Source author: Florence Tinguely Mattli florence.tinguely-mattli@eda.admin.ch

Is cyberwar a war? --- @Florence. Great thoughtful question.. I believe it is a war but not necessarily at the same level as the IRAQ or Gulf War or even any of the past World wars . It can be considered a cyber conflict for those who are very diplomatic. however, though we claim to be at a time of peace, this is a false sense of peace as many persons are in danger of their livelihoods from these cyberwars or cyber conflicts; electronic wars can actually lead to physicals damage to CI and CIIs and even personal assets. so yes, I would agree with you that while we claim we are at peace, cyberwars are ongoing or being planned to the detriment of some of our fellow humans.

Source author: Bennette Thomas thomasb@dominica.gov.dm

Is cyberwar a war? --- Are we considering that we are at peace when a country is conducting a cyberattack against another country?

Source author: Florence Tinguely Mattli florence.tinguely-mattli@eda.admin.ch

World wide problem --- Cybersecurity is a matter of everyone, I would like to say, we must have agreements to fight back and regulate what is going on in cyberspace. Yes, we need an international treaty in order to all be clear about what's going on, where we going, and how to deal with problems. making clear our goals like stakeholders. We have to develop new techniques and move forward to the common well.

Source author: Iván Arnulfo Fernández Hernández administracionini01@sre.gob.mx

Important --- I found it important for cooperation between stakeholders, states, etc. In my point of view, those agreements are critical and every state/nation/member of UN must have them. It helps a lot to avoid misunderstandings and future conflicts. Also brings help solving those.

Source author: Iván Arnulfo Fernández Hernández administracionini01@sre.gob.mx

good question --- Phishing is a hacker tool and this is an attack method but it can be classify as incident so after some analisys we could identifiy if it was a casual event or we have been under attack.

Source author: Iván Arnulfo Fernández Hernández administracionini01@sre.gob.mx

are we incluiding everyone? --- Bringing new stakeholders is a good idea but are the actual stakeholders been inclusives with countries with dificult economies? Isn't like a exclusive club members? just asking

Source author: Iván Arnulfo Fernández Hernández administracionini01@sre.gob.mx

Cyberterrorism --- we can infer that it can be both options, on one hand, it can be just showing the capacity of the attacker or just testing the vulnerabilities. on the other side we might talking about Cyberterrorism

Source author: Iván Arnulfo Fernández Hernández administracionini01@sre.gob.mx

not just encourage but require --- Most international treaties now require States to implement their obligations into national law. Some of the requirements may be optional or soft but others may be hard (such as prohibitions). It is normally left up to the State to decide, however, how to implement based on their national legal traditions and processes.

Source author: Scott Spence scott.a.spence@gmail.com

they would start to gel over time perhaps --- Perhaps as different CBMs are developed, the strong ones gel into norms and the ones that aren't paid attention to or used fall aside. The norms can then form a basis for something strong, i.e. a binding treaty. A bit like a pilot project for a longer term project commitment.

Source author: Scott Spence scott.a.spence@gmail.com

not necessarily --- Ultimately, yes, States have the prerogative to organise their affairs with other States in the form of norms, international treaties, etc. And they are sovereign and have national security interests. However they are also representative of the citizens who live in those States (whether they can vote or not and participate as full citizens is another matter) so the participation of civil society in these matters is not only acceptable but crucial. It has mostly (but not always) been welcomed in the non-proliferation international fora.

Source author: Scott Spence scott.a.spence@gmail.com

Ambiguity --- Thanks for this explanation! You're so right, 'rhetorical' has become ambiguous between 1. power of rhetoric 2. type of question that does not require/expect an answer 3. hot air.

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu

Explaining Rhetorical --- I hope this response comes across as an explanation and not as defensive. I was using ‘rhetorical’ in relation to Ambassador Mahbubani in the formal sense of speech that is related to and concerned with the art of speaking or writing formally and effectively.

It was rhetorical in the classic sense as a way to persuade or influence people. Unfortunately, the word ‘rhetorical’ has acquired a pejorative connotation as something ‘insincere’ or ‘verbose’ which is the antithesis of the Ambassador’s delivery.

I was intending to ascribe the word as a badge of honor to this accomplished teacher and great diplomatic orator.

Source author: John D. Hipsley jhipsley@igc.org

The e-Tainable Process for the 17 UN MDG's --- The original ordering of the Seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is my own. It is not derivative but originally created to provide clarity to a confusing collective of goals.

The sheer number of goals presented was overwhelming to me. It is also counter-intuitive because ‘goals’ are a very poor measure of success. In business it is not setting goals but defining processes that determine good outcomes. That is something I learned from my business background and would be the subject of a longer explanation.

My professional focus on learning suggested that e-Learning was a term that could anchor the categories. Reflecting on the seventeen I looked for similarities which is a natural way to begin the process of simplification. I imposed a constraint on the process and required that I choose only categories that could be related.

I settled on the notion of “attainable goals” which resonated with “sustainable”. Attainment conforms with my understanding of processes rather than setting goals.

I wanted a unique term with the potential for universal recognition; and that comes down to a method of choosing a brand.

There are a number of other elements to the process but that gives the gist of the origination of the e-Tainable process model.

Source author: John D. Hipsley jhipsley@igc.org

A necessity for the creation of new knowledge --- Thank you, the compliment is returned to you Petru in the words attributed to Pablo Picasso who reportedly said, “good artists borrow, great artists steal.”

Whether or not Picasso was truly the first person to voice this idea is in some dispute. ... But, whoever first put forward the idea, it is an essential truism in the creation of new knowledge.

All I ask, if you become the manager of this message, is a modest footnote attribution to the humble originator.

Source author: John D. Hipsley jhipsley@igc.org

Seeking Democratic Outcomes --- Democracy is a vast topic, which Petru has introduced into our conversation; and his comments are assuredly an opportunity to learn from an experienced diplomat.

From December 9 to 10, US President Biden will host a virtual summit for "leaders from government, civil society and the private sector," and some key themes include "defending against authoritarianism" and "promoting respect for human rights," according to a statement released on the website of the US State Department.

Complex and diverse this is a topic that resists precise definition; but it is a discussion which most assuredly is one of the most compelling consideration for our time.

A starting point would be to consider the opinions of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle. Socrates defended the Athenian democratic system, even as it condemned him to death. Plato deeply distrusted democracy because, amongst other concerns, it condemned his teacher Socrates to death. Aristotle feared that democracy, as he defined it, could lead to mob rule, although he favored stable and just rule by the many in what he called a polity.

Socrates’ trial and condemnation to death offer a microcosm of the Athenian democratic process. It gives insights from the perspective of the condemned man who nevertheless supported the extant democratic system.

Fast-forward to the forthcoming Summit on Democracy which ought to, but may not, provide a productive forum for consideration of the merits of the democratic process.

Immediately after President Biden asked President Xi Jinping for cooperation in the stabilization of oil prices Biden invited Taiwan to the Summit. This is a 'red-line' concern for the Chinese.

The press has begun to circulate Biden’s definition of ‘authoritarianism’. This term simplistically contrasts with democracy and is used to describe the Chinese political system.

As the world is trying to work together in the post-pandemic era it needs to promote cooperation among, not some but, all, the major powers capable of influencing outcomes.

The outcomes remain to be seen but they are best which benefit the greatest good for the greatest number. That seems democratic, irrespective of how a society is organized and governed.

Source author: John D. Hipsley jhipsley@igc.org

Which are the organizations... --- ...that you have in mind? Specifics are always useful.

Source author: Kishan S Rana kishanrana@gmail.com

I am glad to read... --- I am not the only one that thinks that National Days are sometimes a burden. Focusing on this activity as the ultimate event of all can be very damaging. This is because resources are diverted from different departments of the embassy to carry out an event that is held every year and that therefore, no longer has so many benefits after a certain time. On the other hand, having different cultural festivals helps to overcome this situation. In the case of Mexico, we also use the Day of the Dead, the Day of the Revolution, May 5 and other festivities to promote economic promotion agendas.

Source author: Ricardo Daniel Delgado Muñoz rdelgado@sre.gob.mx

I agree that... --- a good economic intelligence platform can attract more actors. This is specially important for SMEs since they often do not have the capacity to build their promotion channels. So, through major systems, they can benefit from the national economic promotion strategy.

Source author: Ricardo Daniel Delgado Muñoz rdelgado@sre.gob.mx

Actually, more and more.. --- queries are being received through social media, specially in open comments. So, the lack of response can actually become a great issue in the reputation of the mission for promoting commercial activities.

Source author: Ricardo Daniel Delgado Muñoz rdelgado@sre.gob.mx