INTRANETS, SECURITY SYSTEMS CAN HELP GOVERNMENTS WITH CRISIS RESOLUTION, NEGOTIATING.Intranet technology and developing security systems are offering the potential to assist heads of government, foreign ministers and diplomats Some famous diplomats include: Afghanistan
adj. 1. Having many sides. 2. Involving more than two nations or parties: multilateral trade agreements. negotiations, Sir Malcolm Rifkind Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind, KCMG, QC (born 21 June 1946) is a Scottish Conservative and Unionist politician and Member of Parliament for the constituency of Kensington and Chelsea. He is a patron of the Tory Reform Group. , former United Kingdom Foreign Secretary and Defense Secretary, said in remarks last week at the Computer Security Institute Conference and Exhibition. "I am persuaded that (government officials) must make full use of the opportunities provided by the new technology," Rifkind said. The importance of modern computer technology to commerce and industry is well-known well-known adj. 1. Widely known; familiar or famous: a well-known performer. 2. Fully known: well-known facts. , but "surprisingly...there has been little awareness of the unique contribution that the new technology can make not only within governments, but especially in diplomacy diplomacy Art of conducting relationships for gain without conflict. It is the chief instrument of foreign policy. Its methods include secret negotiation by accredited envoys (though political leaders also negotiate) and international agreements and laws. ," said Rifkind, who currently serves as a consultant to the board of Yorkshire Yorkshire, former county, N England. In 1974, Yorkshire was divided into the nonmetropolitan counties of Humberside, Cleveland, North Yorkshire, and partially into the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire. All but North Yorkshire have since been dissolved. , England- based software maker Authoriszor Ltd., as well as a consultant to PricewaterhouseCoopers, among others. "It is not just with regard to crisis resolution that government-to- government intranet communications would be invaluable. Much multilateral activity requires great preparation and negotiation," he said. For example, said Rifkind, official government conferences and organizations require a sophisticated and ongoing dialogue among many governments. Sometimes a government will want to communicate with all other governments in an identical form; and sometimes it will tailor A tailor is a person whose occupation is to sew menswear style jackets and the skirts or trousers that go with them. Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor the information or analysis sent to specific governments, but not to others. Some diplomatic initiatives may be exclusively at the head of government level or the foreign minister level; others may be being considered more widely. Intranet technology also overcomes the limitations of "Hot Lines" between heads of government, he said. Different time zones often make it difficult to find mutually convenient times for both sides to speak to each other. In other cases, the individuals concerned may be abroad or otherwise away from their office. It is often difficult to include advisers in the discussions. In addition, differences of language may result in misunderstandings that aren't immediately resolved. "Hot Lines remain important, but are insufficient to deal with a crisis where more than two countries are involved or where the complexities cannot be resolved by conversation alone," he said. |
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