The Foreign Service Journal, September 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2013 85 must be mindful that life in the field today is more constrained by security restric- tions and terrorism concerns than it was during Adair’s career. Even so, his adven- tures underscore the value of diplomacy and the unique satisfaction that comes from Foreign Service life at its best. Shawn Dorman, a former FSO, is associate editor of the Journal and editor/publisher of Foreign Service Books, AFSA’s book publish- ing division. The Next Future Shock The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen, Knopf, 2013, $26.95, hardcover, 315 pages. Reviewed by James Patterson A timelier book than The New Digital Age: Reshap- ing the Future of People, Nations and Business is unlikely to come our way this year. In it, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen of the Council on Foreign Relations describe a brave new world where wars will be waged online, governments will exist virtually, fatwas will be issued via Twitter, and mobile devices connected to the Internet will give even the world’s poorest netizens access to opportunities never before imagined. Because these advances are rooted in technological advancements, nations with historic traditions of freedom and democracy, including an independent press and the free flow of accurate and uncensored information, will have a significant advantage. But even nations as authoritarian as China are also affected by this trend. Two years ago postings on Weibo, a Chinese microblog platform roughly equivalent to Twitter, forced Beijing to acknowledge design flaws as the cause of a deadly high-speed train wreck in Wenzhou, despite initial claims that bad weather was the culprit. True, as Schmidt and Cohen note, so far the regime’s Inter- net blocking tools, collectively known as The Great Firewall, still stand as “the guardian of Chinese statehood.” But how much longer can that firewall hold back the rising flood of connectivity before it bursts under the stress of freedom? The authors expect a revolution, but do not give specifics. In the meantime, China seems to be stepping up its much-publicized cyberattacks on the intellectual property of companies like Google and against various U.S. government agencies. (Such incursions were a prime topic of discus- sion during President Barack Obama’s June meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Los Angeles.) Despite the IP protections required by member- ship in the World Trade Organization and adherence to the World Intellec- tual Property Organization Copyright Treaty of 1996, China routinely engages in cybertheft. So it is regrettable that Schmidt and Cohen don’t offer more details on the cost of such campaigns or deterrent measures. Beijing certainly is not alone in such efforts, to be sure. Both Barack Obama and George W. Bush deployed the cyber- weapon known as the Stuxnet worm, a joint U.S.-Israeli project, to stall and dis- rupt Iranian nuclear facilities. According to former CIA director Michael Hayden, that initiative actually represented the first cyberattack to effect physical destruc- tion in another country. Schmidt and Cohen report that digital activists are already at work all over the world, pursuing missions that support— and conflict with—U.S. policies. For instance, the World Food Program has used radio frequency identification tech- nology in Somalia for better coordination of food aid deliveries. “Diplomacy,” the authors observe, “has never been as interesting as it will be in the new digital age.” Enhanced global connectivity could produce policy suc- cesses previously thought attainable only over considerable timeframes. However, state efforts to filter the Internet and limit connectivity may delay technological benefits in some states. As Schmidt and Cohen explain, under- standing and management of the digital world will not only challenge existing paradigms but encourage global connec- tivity and cooperation. (While the authors employ some technical terms throughout the book, they do so in a way that will not confuse or frustrate lay readers.) For all these reasons, The New Digital Age has as much potential to be a game- changer in global affairs as Alvin Toffler’s 1971 work, Future Shock , which also predicted technology would change the world. In its pages, Foreign Service personnel and policymakers alike will find strategies for managing current and future diplomatic challenges. n Former FSO James Patterson’s reviews, essays and reporting have appeared in The Foreign Service Journal , Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review, The Hill, the Washington Post, In These Times and Choices , among other publications. Schmidt and Cohen report that digital activists are already at work all over the world, pursuing missions that support— and conflict with—U.S. policies.