AFSA NEWS 68 OCTOBER 2024 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL and the U.S. in 2017, which could have further negatively impacted U.S. relations in the Nordic and Baltic regions. Disinformation can cause such “butterfly effects” in international affairs—ramifications beyond initial intentions can arise from disinformation. Without fighting disinformation globally, the Foreign Service invites more, similar crises to arise, some of which may not be resolved without great harm to the U.S. Although the fight against disinformation is urgent, it is a formidable challenge that cannot be addressed hastily. The UN has called for greater control and oversight of disinformation. A 2021 resolution passed by the General Assembly tied the fight against disinformation to treaties including the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. It then, among other clauses, “call[ed] upon States to counter all forms of disinformation through policy measures, including education, capacity-building for prevention and resilience to disinformation, advocacy and awareness-raising,” and it requested that the SecretaryGeneral “seek the views of States, United Nations entities and relevant stakeholders” and submit a report. In response, Secretary-General António Guterres released a report in 2022 in which he noted that “any analysis of disinformation needs to be multifaceted” because disinformation wreaks havoc across initiatives and is not confined to isolated issues. His report raises elections, public health, armed conflict, minority rights, and climate change as examples of fields that disinformation can impact. Secretary-General Guterres further emphasized that efforts to mitigate disinformation must not infringe on freedom of expression or allow oppressive regimes to further limit their citizens’ rights. His recommendations for solutions included platform transparency regulations, public information campaigns, media independence, and more media literacy initiatives, all while considering both state and non-state actors. The existing UN action indicates a commitment to truth, and American diplomats are in a unique position to promote international acceptance of the UN’s findings given the international influence of the U.S. Through actively and forcefully adhering to and promoting UN guidelines, ensuring that U.S. diplomats are not engaging in dishonest diplomatic action, and providing American support for UN information campaigns, the United States Foreign Service creates a global environment that recognizes the gravity of the disinformation crisis. Given that disinformation can influence every single initiative to which the Foreign Service is committed, and given the moral leadership that the U.S. has the capacity to express, it is imperative that U.S. policy pursues truth not just internally but throughout its diplomatic dealings. The U.S. must hold its allies to a standard of truth. Without a guarantee of truth, transparency, and international dealings free of disinformation, the U.S. cannot claim its mantle of moral leadership. While disinformation has become an even more pressing concern since the aforementioned UN resolution and report because of the rise of generative artificial intelligence, neither the UN nor the global community has taken firm action. Efforts have been limited to remediating damage and building institutional trust, not dismantling the systems that propagate disinformation. Individually, however, the U.S. has been more proactive. Surrounding the 2018 midterm elections, U.S. Cyber Command interfered with the disinformation campaigns of Russia’s IRA, sending warnings to its operators, disconnecting servers, and disrupting internet connection. Although such perturbation may not disarm the IRA in the long term or deter Russian disinformation campaigns, sustained and multilateral efforts—coordinated and agreed on by diplomats—have the potential to subvert the disinformation industry in Russia and elsewhere. The U.S. is already engaging in international efforts, including a partnership with Bulgaria announced in September 2023, to counter disinformation. But there is an open opportunity for an international treaty, that incorporates more than two countries, to join the ranks of past landmark UN actions like the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. Such an agreement would not only affirm the standards for public information campaigns and honest diplomacy outlined by the Secretary-General’s report but commit the international community to tangible and concerted work to combat disinformation. While the U.S. alone disrupted the Russian IRA’s schemes, an alliance of nations would be able to more decisively and universally inhibit the spread of disinformation. The U.S. Foreign Service has the chance to reignite the spirit of the United States’ original diplomat, Benjamin Franklin, and prioritize truth before all else. With appropriate leadership, the war-torn and divided international community can unite against disinformation, which can derail any international effort, and cooperate to preserve good faith and truth, without which diplomacy cannot function. n The U.S. Foreign Service has the chance to reignite the spirit of the United States’ original diplomat, Benjamin Franklin, and prioritize truth before all else.
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