The UAE has more open communication with its citizens than people abroad realise, acording to a senior adviser at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy. Tom Fletcher, former British ambassador to Lebanon, said there was a perception in the West that the region was a more "closed world". [...] He said social media had proven efficient in terms of crisis management because "you can move the dial more quickly".

When Aigul Saiapova decided to take up a political science course at New York University - Abu Dhabi, she did not expect to be propelled into a digital world. The 19-year-old Russian recently finished an i-Diplomacy class led by Tom Fletcher, a former adviser to three British prime ministers. [...] The course, which started last month, focuses on the way digital technology is reshaping the interaction between states

A tech-savvy public demands more transparency from government, and that foreign ministries can do a lot more to open up. Behind-the-scenes negotiations will always remain a vital part of the job - Fletcher mentions the recent Iran nuclear deal and the BelfastAgreement as examples - “but we do need to explain to people that that’s what we’re there for, and that it’s going on.”

On 31 July 2015, Tom Fletcher, the outgoing British ambassador to Lebanon, signed off with an open letter on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website to the country he had served in for four years, titled “So . . . Yalla, Bye”. [...] The blog went viral and generated much discussion in Lebanon.