information network
![Photo reprinted courtesy Christiaan Colen via Flickr Cyber Attacks, by Christiaan Colen](https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/sites/default/files/styles/275x168/public/uploads/20772328793_14d458b92c_k.jpg?itok=QFqi7zZE)
Forget proxy metrics and studying a single Twitter list—this is what Jihadist information dissemination really looks like.
![Photo source: University of British Columbia School of Journalism](https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/sites/default/files/styles/275x168/public/uploads/Taylor%20608x373_0.jpg?itok=JaNqqpnq)
TODAY: Join us for a digital diplomacy discussion with noted scholar Taylor Owen
U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Richard Stengel says that in the face of strong foreign propaganda machines such as Russia and the Islamic State, the U.S. needs to harden its "soft power" with its own participation in the global conversation.
![Photo reprinted courtesy Anthony Quintano via Flickr A man accepts the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge](https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/sites/default/files/styles/275x168/public/uploads/14848289439_0ed80a7179_k.jpg?itok=ANhYYUCM)
CPD Blogger Di Wu breaks down why the Ice Bucket Challenge went viral.
With its image battered by the conflict in Ukraine, Russia is accelerating its push to rebuild, modernize and expand its Soviet-era foreign media apparatus. One country of focus is Germany, the European economic powerhouse that has both close ties to Russia and rising public resentment of the U.S.
![Photo courtesy of visitsweden.com](https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/sites/default/files/styles/275x168/public/uploads/Dissertation2_0.jpg?itok=VfOHZKYu)
The Asian Journal of Communication has recently published an article titled "Information Networks and Social Media Use in Public Diplomacy: a comparative analysis of South Korea and Japan."