The Growing Contribution of Technology to Democracy and Conflict Resolution

…everything is connected
BRIEFING PAPERS
THE GROWING CONTRIBUTION OF TECHNOLOGY TO DEMOCRACY AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION

This briefing paper reviews the increasing contribution of technology to democracy and conflict resolution. It examines the consequences of pervasive Information Communications Technology (ICT) and a global networked society engaged in a state of perpetual communication. The requirement for agile decision making from state to individual level and the effects of the democratisation of technology are discussed. The paper examines the evidence that Moore’s law continues to be extant, contributing to the democratisation of data, through social media. The information deluge will result in more objective knowledge but governments and organisations must be positioned to take advantage of these circumstances. The global situation will become more complex but technology has a key role to play in mitigating conflicts; from increasing awareness, providing more accurate assessments and enabling deeper and more comprehensive conflict resolution. The paper concludes with a discussion on the importance of the freedom to access information and to harness technology as a means to provide the best possible conditions for stable democracy and conflict resolution. Introduction and Background In Paris on the evening of 7 April 1814, two envoys, one British and one French, set off on a journey to the city of Toulouse. They were tasked with conveying a message that Napoleon had unconditionally abdicated and the French Monarchy restored, ending twelve years of war between Britain and France. The envoys arrived in Toulouse on 12 April. The battle of Toulouse was fought on 10 April; the British suffered 4,558 needless casualties, the French 3,236. Technology in today’s world offers very different opportunities for conflict awareness, assessment and resolution. As an example, at the conclusion of 2010, a press statement announced that, ‘The Satellite Sentinel Project -

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