New Tools and New Challenges

Charles Weiss

In late February of this year, as diplomats in New York were at loggerheads over Iraqi weapons inspections and a second UN resolution, a small panel convened here at Georgetown to discuss a cluster of interrelated communications and information gathering technologies-and the implications of these technologies on the current international system. Broadly titled "Technology and International Relations: New Tools and New Challenges," panelists dissected three specific technologies: satellite newsgathering equipment, wireless communications handsets and networks, and commercial observation satellites.

Less than a month later, television viewers around the world watched in amazement as journalists, reporters, and news editors put these tools to work in their coverage of the Second Gulf War. Twenty-four hours a day, viewers could watch live video coverage of front line bombings and firefights. Network commentators could complement live broadcasts with high-resolution satellite imagery, allowing armchair generals at home the chance to view troop movements or conduct post-bombing damage assessments…

Charles Weiss is Distinguished Professor and Chair of Science, Teachnology, and International Affairs at the Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.