Diplo Academy upcoming courses and programmes
🍂 Applications open! Diplo’s 2026 winter online courses
- AI Technology, Policy and Governance
- Diplomatic Communication
- Multilateral Diplomacy Institutional Aspects
- Public Diplomacy Essentials
Register now to reserve your place in our specialised winter courses!
👉🏼 Application deadlines for certificates issued by Diplo: 26 January 2026
For further information and to apply, click the course titles above or visit Diplo Academy’s course catalogue.
◆ Need financial assistance? Scholarships are available!
Thanks to support from the government of Malta, partial scholarships are available for applicants from developing countries to attend upcoming Diplo online courses. These scholarships cover 30%–60% of course fees and can be applied to most 2026 online courses. Browse our course catalogue and contact us at [email protected] for further information.
Blogs and publications
◆ When did diplomacy start? Earlier than we think.
We don’t know the exact moment diplomacy began, and we probably never will. But we can say, with high confidence, that its roots stretch far beyond palace courts and parchment treaties, back into the deep past of our species and even before it. Read the blog post!
◆ Can cities tame big tech?
Most picture an ambassador’s residence as a quiet, formal place, full of polished furniture and history. The conversations there are careful and complex, centred on treaties and statecraft. But a strange thing is happening: a new kind of diplomat is emerging. You’re more likely to find this person in a repurposed warehouse in London, or a glass-fronted conference room in Palo Alto, than on a traditional embassy row. They don’t talk about trade tariffs; they talk about data security and API protocols. Read the blog post!
◆ AI, smart cities, and the surveillance trade-off
The promise is compelling. AI systems can reduce traffic congestion, lower energy consumption, improve public safety, and allocate resources where they’re needed most. But beneath the techno-optimist rhetoric lies a fundamental tension that urban planners and policymakers are only beginning to confront. Read the blog post!
◆ How TikTok is changing world politics
For years, digital diplomacy was a niche practice, confined to the relative safety of embassy Twitter feeds and staid government websites. The era of TikTok diplomacy has made one thing clear: control over digital platforms has become as contested as control over any other strategic asset. Read the blog post!
◆ Breakthroughs in human-centric bioscience with AI
Scientists have harnessed generative AI to design synthetic proteins for genome editing, outperforming nature itself. This technical advance is a vivid case study of AI’s human-centred impact in medicine and biotechnology. Read the blog post!
◆ X-Ray of the UN General Debate: Echo, gloom, and hope
The annual General Debate at the UNGA is the stage where countries outline their strategic priorities, concerns, and proposals. Using advanced AI and human expertise, Diplo conducted an in-depth analysis of close to 200 statements by heads of state and international officials. Read the blog post!
◆ How globalisation changes the role of borders
Borders once defined state autonomy and separated ‘friend’ from ‘foe’. Globalisation has made this model obsolete, requiring new forms of diplomacy. Read the blog post!
◆ The illusion of free markets: Why rules are inescapable
‘Free markets’ without rules aren’t free – they collapse, breed corruption, or hand out windfalls. Rules aren’t obstacles; they’re survival tools in complex societies. Read the blog post!
◆ The quantum internet is closer than it seems
Quantum internet is emerging not only as a scientific milestone but as a transformative force that could redefine how governments, healthcare systems, and citizens interact in the digital age. Read the DW analysis!
◆ The global struggle to regulate children’s social media use
From Australia to Greece and China, policymakers are exploring how to balance safety, freedom, and accountability in children’s use of social media. Read the DW analysis!
◆ Digital Watch Monthly – Issue 103 – September 2025
In our September 2025 issue, we unpack how AI and digital issues took centre stage at UNGA80, and explore the strategic importance of open-source AI, the rise of AI-generated ‘slop’ on social media, and TikTok’s American makeover. We examine how the global chip race is reshaping notions of sovereignty, and how Nepal’s ‘Discord democracy’ turned a banned platform into a ballot box. We also look at growing calls to limit children’s online access, and recap key Geneva events shaping the future of international digital governance. Read Digital Watch Monthly #103!
◆ Weekly #233: New rules for the digital playground
In the latest issue of the DW Weekly newsletter:
- UNGA80 turns the spotlight on digital issues and AI governance
- Chips and sovereignty: The shift from globalisation to guarded autonomy
- From code to court: xAI sues OpenAI and Apple
Latest videos
◆ AI Shorts #22: The AI bubble and circular finance
When money keeps circulating but value doesn’t grow, what happens next? AI Shorts #22 breaks down the data and the déjà vu from the dot-com crash.
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