Silicon Valley is playing a much larger role in international diplomacy in the Obama administration than in the Bush administration. That’s in large part thanks to Jared Cohen, who has played a role in both.
Cohen joined Condoleezza Rice’s State Department policy planning staff as its youngest member in 2006. A Stanford University graduate who won a Rhodes Scholarship and earned a master’s degree in international relations at Oxford, Cohen advised the State Department on youth and education, particularly in the Muslim world. He gained notice for his book: “Children of Jihad: A Young American’s Travels Among the Youth of the Middle East,” which was based on his travels there. He advised Rice on how to reach young people in the Middle East who were increasingly using social media tools
Now Cohen is on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s team and helped with her speech on Internet freedom. I spoke with him while he was waiting at the airport to board a flight for Moscow. He’s part of an effort that Secretary Clinton calls “21st Century Statecraft.” In January, Clinton held a dinner in Washington to explore how to use technology to promote diplomacy
That’s what Cohen will be doing for the next five days. He has teamed with Howard Solomon of the National Security Council and White House Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra to lead an all-star U.S. delegation to Russia to see how technology can mutually benefit both countries.
Among the luminaries headed to Russia with Cohen are actor Ashton Kutcher;
EBay CEO John Donahoe
Shervin Pishevar, executive chairman and founder of Social Gaming Network;
Twitter co-founder and Square founder Jack Dorsey;
Mozilla Foundation chair Mitchell Baker;
and Cisco System CTO Padmasree Warrior.
They will meet with Russian ministers of health and education, advisors to President Dimitry Medvedev, leaders of technology companies and more. They will tackle issues such as encouraging entrepreneurship and e-government initiatives and combating child trafficking and corruption
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carmencita ago
As for Ashton Kutcher - it is always handy to have a guy on board that has had hands on training in trafficking.
new4now ago
I'm wondering if it has to do with Tor?
carmencita ago
It may well be since thee are the Tech people there and Twitter Soc. Media, but I can tell you Kutcher is up to no good. There were many children that ended up in the Hospitals of Ukraine. I am getting very sick thoughts.
new4now ago
he's tied in with both McCain and Hillary
carmencita ago
I know. Very deep with McCain. He blew him Butterfly Kisses at the Congressional hearing
new4now ago
here's the BS story.....
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/35459947/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/t/ashton-kutcher-twitter-fans-while-russia/#.WgFADbpFyM9
carmencita ago
Ha. Very funny. The reasons we have bad relations with Russia is Hillary and Soros are constantly trying to pin everything on them. Baloney.
new4now ago
did you see the others that went?
Cohen and Rice
it stinks alright
carmencita ago
Yes, and Rice really stood out. I wonder what she has been up to all this time since her SoS position under Bush. Can you even imagine such a team? Bush Cheney and Rice. I have not kept up with Cohen all that much but know he is bad.
new4now ago
gonna post on Tor