A Comparative Study of the Digital Diplomacy of the USA, Britain, China and Russia

The use of social networks in diplomatic affairs is one of the most common fields of linking diplomacy and technology, which is known as digital diplomacy. The purpose of this article is to study the comparative digital diplomacy of the United States and Great Britain (protectors of the liberal order), China and Russia (revisionists) and to find their points of commonality and difference. The theoretical framework of this research is constructivism and thematic analysis method was used to analyze the data. This research is applied in terms of orientation and descriptive in nature. The statistical population is the collection of published documents related to the digital diplomacy of the studied countries. The statistical sample consists of 20 scientific-research articles, 5 internet articles, 2 government documents and 1 published interview from 2010 to 2021, which were selected purposefully. The results show that confronting the hegemony of the United States, creating a cognitive distinction with the West, displaying an identity independent from the West, and digital authoritarianism are the four common identity components of "China and Russia" 's digital diplomacy. While the United States and the United Kingdom seek to promote the discourse of Internet freedom and supposedly liberal values. All four countries have technophile agents and use digital diplomacy to promote their discourse, weaken competitors and manage information space. China, United Kingdom and the United States have a suitable structure for accepting and applying technology.