In January 2010, secretary of state Hillary Clinton stood before the world and delivered a landmark address, calling the internet a “new nervous system for the planet.” She was describing an emerging State Department doctrine known as the “internet freedom agenda,” which built on a universal declaration that “people have the right to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” 

For Nairobi’s commuters, summer has brought more woes than usual. [...] there has been an almost weekly shutdown as foreign VIPs fly in. [...] an increasing number are from the Middle East, their visits underlining a dramatic twist in the centuries-old battle between foreign powers for influence, trade, resources and military assets in a strategically sensitive part of the world.

Soldiers use the term kinetic force to describe the firing of bullets, bombs and artillery. Non-soldiers often think of the business of war as entirely about the kinetic. But it's not just about this hard power. The role of Influence is often more important than anything.

Contextual intelligence is critical for corporate and public diplomats alike. It is as essential to the effective practice of public diplomacy as it is to the global business environment. And as someone who has taught in various law enforcement and military academies, I would even argue it has direct application to our broader counter-terrorism and infrastructure protection efforts.