Digital Diplomacy During the Crisis: 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War Comparative Twitter Review

Abstract

DIGITAL DIPLOMACY DURING THE CRISIS:2020 NAGORNO-KARABAKH WAR COMPARATIVE TWITTER REVIEWDiplomacy is in line with international relations. It is in the flow of life in terms of its meaning. This reveals the intellectual side of the word diplomacy in a sense. After the First and Second World Wars, countries recognized the importance of diplomacy was. The newly established international organizations and the increasing number of actors in the international system has encouraged the adoption of inter-state diplomacy.The material and psychological costs of war encourages countries to use effective diplomacy channels. Countries work efficiently in their foreign policies to have the upper hand at the negotiation tables. Accordingly, public diplomacy, which is the reflection of soft power and soft power in the field, is an area of activity frequently used by countries.Recently, structural changes have occurred internationally with globalization. Increasing correspondence and communication channels affect countries in the field of diplomacy as well as in every field. Public diplomacy is used more effectively through digital diplomacy; namely the realization of diplomatic activities of countries using internet channels. This situation naturally pushes countries to engage in diplomatic activities through social media.Digital and public diplomacy experience elevating prominence and due to advantage, they are used more by various countries recently. In this study, it is mentioned how traditional diplomacy has evolved to the present and how and what in way the internet and social media are used by countries as a foreign policy tool today.Digital diplomacy is a method that is deployed especially before a crisis occurs. In this study, the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war that was a crisis period between 27 September 2020 and 10 November 2020 is examined the official Twitter posts made by Armenia and Azerbaijan on digital diplomacy. The study comprises a comparative analysis and evaluation of the political actor, the content, and the quality. Key Words: Digital Diplomacy, International Crisis, 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, Twitter