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Dr Hamad Al-Muftah

PhD in Digital Diplomacy

  • Deputy Chief of Mission at Embassy of the State of Qatar, Washington DC
  • Oversees most of the Embassy's day to day internal and external operations
  • Studied at Bradford as he wanted to dive deeper into the merging of digital communication and diplomacy
Dr Hamad Al-Muftah, PhD in Digital Diplomacy

Current role

"As the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Washington, I oversee most of the Embassy's day to day internal and external operations. I also oversee the Government Affairs Department at the Embassy, which focuses on enhancing our work with the United States Federal Government and local governments.

"The job is certainly demanding, as diplomacy does not work a standard 9-5. Not only must I juggle minute aspects of Embassy operations, but I also must constantly keep abreast of international developments to ensure we are engaging appropriately here in the United States. The United States is one of our most important partners, so ensuring strong diplomatic relations requires great effort. We work constantly on a number of bilateral issues.

"I have been in the Foreign Ministry since 2006. Originally, I worked in the IT Department, as one of my early degrees was in telecommunication and computer engineering. However, I decided to shift to a forward post as a diplomat in 2010, when I was placed in Houston as the Deputy Consul General. After a few posts, I found myself in Washington, which I have enjoyed very much. The environment here is fast paced and dynamic."

Dr Hamad Al-Muftah, PhD in Digital Diplomacy

Diplomacy has always been of interest to me, especially as the world has changed over the last decade or so. I've been particularly drawn to public diplomacy and the fundamentals of strong diplomatic relations. The United States has been a great case study for me, especially during the beginning of the blockade. It has been a really exciting post.

Adapting

"COVID-19 has dramatically impacted our work here at the Embassy. Though, I think we have managed very well. We immediately implemented safety protocols and shifted to a telework schedule. We have spent a lot of time working on internal organisation and communication, so COVID-19 has allowed us to test these protocols, and I think we've done very well. Diplomacy does require a lot of meetings and contact, but we've managed by remote meetings. In some ways, we engage more with our US counterparts, to compensate for the relative lack of in person meetings.

"We've also engaged in a lot of humanitarian assistance to the United States to help our friends here. There has been a large effort to help NGOs and aid organisations throughout the country since the beginning of the pandemic, which is something we're very proud of."

Experience at Bradford

"I really enjoyed my experience at the University of Bradford, especially because I was able to continue my work with the Foreign Ministry while earning my degree.

"Throughout my time at the Foreign Ministry, I was always fascinated with digital diplomacy. Social media and digital technologies have dramatically altered the fabric of communication globally. Information travels faster than ever before, and that presents both new challenges and opportunities.

"I took the opportunity to dive deeper into the merging of digital communication and diplomacy, to better understand how these tools could be used to help bolster diplomatic relations. At the same time, I wanted to better understand the potential negative impact of digital communications and in particular, misinformation, on the diplomatic relations. I really wanted to explore the intersection of digital communication and diplomacy, at both a government-to-government and government-to-people level.

"I love learning, so I'm sure I will continue to study throughout my career, but I'm not sure what my next course of study will be."

My country, Qatar, was a fantastic case study for this. The University of Bradford allowed me to explore this entirely new area of study while I was actually working in the field. This was an amazing opportunity, and I have implemented a lot of my studies in my work to this day, and will continue to do so throughout my career.

Helping my career

"I was already working with the Foreign Ministry during my studies and I do firmly believe that my PhD in Digital Diplomacy has helped my career.

"Working in Washington, I've been able to put my theories to the test and truly engage in the material I studied while at the University of Bradford, and I think this degree and these studies will allow me to continue to grow within the Foreign Ministry."