It's popularly believed that the Internet will undermine authoritarian rule . A new report questions that belief. The Information Age is creating such dramatic changes in the global environment, the fundamental concepts of diplomacy need overhauling. So argues Jeffrey R Cooper. It's underway, the long promised high-speed fibre optic network ringing the African continent.
Democracy suffers when individuals have fewer opportunities to express their views.
That's where e-democracy steps in. The new high-tech soldier faces particular difficulties in urban operations. Ninety four per cent of the world's population have never used the Internet . Here are five stories of individuals trying to solve the problem. Chief scientist Robin Batterham tells us what change means for high-tech Australia.