Tech diplomacy; Iranian Communications Ministry’s strategy to break digital monopoly
By Sattar Hashemi
Iran’s communications & IT minister
In recent years, the world has witnessed an unprecedented leap in technological interactions and communications between nations. This phenomenon, like any emerging technology, has brought about a mix of opportunities and threats. Notably, the intertwining of the internet, particularly social media, and satellites with the fabric of private and public life of the majority of people has made current and future opportunities in this field extremely valuable, while the existing and potential threats are equally perilous.
There is no doubt that achieving the valuable goal of “maximizing benefits” from the output of communications and information technology developments, and containing the “challenging pitfalls” that come with it, is beyond the power of one or a few organizations or even countries. In fact, the nature of the ICT (information communication technology) sector is such that without expanding international cooperation and collaboration with states and leading multinational companies, its development is almost impossible.
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