Laptop Diplomacy and Long-Term Results

Laptop Diplomacy is a buzzword often bandied about in diplomatic circles. It’s also an issue particularly near and dear to our Saint Lucia.

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]ne that right now is at an important point in our history, and is set to be a central pillar in the future of our local tech industry and growing digital economy. Let’s look now at it in-depth.

ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY ABOVE ALL ELSE

An understanding of laptop diplomacy begins with a recognition that the world of diplomacy has rapidly changed in recent decades. Decades do appear a long time to someone counting birthdays but are a mere blink of an eye in the thousands of years nations have been dealing with one another. And the shift has come far closer to our time than Ancient Rome or Greece.

At its core, nations in 2018 see the inherent value of economic diplomacy above all others. Since the end of the Cold War, and the rise of the online age, the capacity for one nation to curry favour and seek influence with another has come far more often via economic stimulus than weapons of war.

This, as well as the shift in our world that today sees the risks of digital espionage and other cyber-attacks increasingly outpace skirmishes between fighter planes and submarines.

Alongside this shift, the rapidly rising economic power of numerous Asian nations – most notably the People’s Republic of China – has seen Beijing and rival nations look to the economic front as a new frontier for competition. Many nations have been the beneficiaries of this new landscape but, so too, have not all initiatives been welcomed, or ultimately useful in the long term.

WHY LAPTOP DIPLOMACY?

It’s here that ‘laptop diplomacy’ has loomed large. As a diplomatic tool, laptop diplomacy ticks all the boxes. The gifting of laptops and other mobile computer equipment from a benefactor nation to a beneficiary nation can deliver the former a number of benefits.

It usually offers an economical way to connect directly with citizens in a nation beyond the rarefied air of a government’s foreign affairs department. It signals that the gifting nation is technologically advanced and it also provides an avenue to boost the relationship between governments in a way that is risk-free diplomatically.

An opposition party or sizeable community group may be at the ready to protest the supply of weaponry, or other potentially odorous goods, but nobody can fairly resist the gift of goods that will allow a local community faster and more universal access to the digital economy.

However, for all the theoretical virtues of laptop diplomacy, there has been a significant disconnect in its implementation.

LAPTOP DIPLOMACY IN SAINT LUCIA

This is something that has been seen in Saint Lucia. A whole newspaper could be devoted to its history, step by step, but the major milestones will be recalled by anyone who has followed the establishment of ICT centres here, and can be quickly recognised by anyone coming up to speed now.

The most recent incarnations have been seen via Venezuela in 2015 when 6,000 laptops were set for distribution to students throughout Saint Lucian schools, and via the Republic of China (Taiwan) in 2017 with the finalisation of the National ICT Centre in Castries, a project begun in 2012. These are fine starting points for the growth of local tech, but it is the follow-through that is important. And it is in this regard that Saint Lucia has dropped the ball.

The failure of these initiatives, and countless others, has been the prevailing perception amongst overly-eager politicians that once the computers have been powered on, the project is complete. Lip service may have been put forward suggesting otherwise, but the reality is that Saint Lucia’s national portfolio of ICT centres is a grossly underutilized asset. This determination is readily observable if you go see them for yourself—most are shuttered. This attitude has undermined the potential for all Saint Lucians to harness the existing technology as a powerful vehicle for development.

A vehicle that could drive business growth and our tech sector certainly, but at its heart the capacity for individual Saint Lucians and families to grow their own skills and opportunities.

Saint Lucians have never struggled to take to the field and compete, but what’s been missing in the ICT centres is a clear strategy to drive that competition and deliver real and enduring success as a result.

With the recently established Innovation Unit within the Ministry of Education, a change in course may now be afoot. This augurs well for the ICT centres, especially when a new education policy for their use is developed beyond government, and in partnership with the wider community.

What does our future look like when high-quality education is available to all Saint Lucians, not just the rich ones? This is the future we are working towards

A NEW CHAPTER WITH TELECARIB LABS

Fixing the flaws of laptop diplomacy is also a cause near and dear to us at the STAR. In tandem to his corporate development role at the parent company of this newspaper, STAR Publishing, Christian Wayne is also founder and director of TeleCarib Labs, Inc.—a capacity building firm focused on spurring economic development in Saint Lucia through positioning the country as a test-bed for disruptive technologies and innovative businesses.

The failures of laptop diplomacy have always occurred when there is the provision of technology, but not the technologists. When cutting-edge computers have not been accompanied by contemporary training and education.

It’s a difficult fact that this disconnect has not only been seen abroad but closer to home. In the halls of Parliament, you can still hear some politicians spruiking the benefits of new ‘state-of-the-art’ facilities constructed in their electorate, but very little in-depth discussion on what actual benefits they will provide to Saint Lucians when it comes to new training, education and meaningful outcomes for the target audience. The achievement is not merely securing a payload of 25 donated computers, it’s using them to deliver quality education to their users.

It is exactly here where TeleCarib Labs wants to bridge the gap the country’s underutilization of its ICT centres and the government’s chronic underinvestments in higher-education pathways for Saint Lucians.

“What we are doing here is not only building a recognition of the value of these ICT centres when used in an effective and ongoing way, but also a national conversation,” says Wayne.

“We cannot expect to develop as a nation if the only way to get a meaningful education is by emigrating to another country after secondary school or community college.

“What does our future look like when high-quality education is available to all Saint Lucians, not just the rich ones? This is the future we are working towards. The evolution of higher-education is not taking place in traditional, sprawling college campuses; it’s taking place online. And these changes have made access to it drastically cheaper.”

Wayne’s team plans to work with the government of Saint Lucia to begin a one-year pilot programme that seeks to turn each community ICT centre into a mini-university campus. TeleCarib Labs calls this its Hybrid Learning Programme.

“On one hand, the government has these underutilized community ICT centres, scattered throughout the country, that they’re trying to find a sustainable purpose for. On the other hand, there’s now an abundance of extremely high-quality and very affordable education pathways available online. The Hybrid Learning Programme is designed to use the ICT centres as host facilities where members of the community can enroll in a variety of online-based education pathways specific to their interests and goals. The programme couples online education with in-person support and employability training to deliver a blended learning experience that’s both more social than traditional online programmes, but also more career-aligned,” commented Wayne.

TeleCarib Labs plans to pilot this initiative in Castries, Anse La Raye, Vieux Fort, and Soufriere. Over 80 persons from these constituencies have signed-up to join.

“Now that we’ve conducted several successful community engagement sessions, we have the testimonies and evidence to prove to the government that Saint Lucians are eager to take their education into their own hands. We’re hopeful the government will hear us.

“It’s a wide range of offerings. If you want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in accounting, earn skill-based credentials in construction management or electrical engineering, or become an expert in emerging technologies like blockchain or artificial intelligence, the programme is flexible enough to accommodate you,” says Wayne.

CONNECTING THE COMMUNITY

A strong beginning has been made, and good progress has occurred. The issue here is not commencement but continuation. And however one looks at it, the failure to properly ensure that the launch of a new tech initiative is followed through with a long-term plan, is a huge issue.

It does a disservice to those individuals and communities who would benefit, and it is a waste of time and money if an enduring result is not seen. The frustration for all involved is when the potential exists but is not permitted to progress.

That has been the story with laptop diplomacy in Saint Lucia in recent years, and that’s why the current dynamic must be a candidate for change. Progress here doesn’t require beginning on a whole new journey, just a readiness to take the wheel and continue what’s been started.

TeleCarib Labs represents a tremendous initiative in this field, and its aspiration to continue on the work begun is inspiring but also inherently practical. It can be done, and progress made soon.