Russian Intervention: Paranoia or Weapon for National Security? From the Perspective on Public Diplomacy

The 2016 U.S. presidential election changed the concept of public diplomacy as reflected in three aspects: media coverage, rhetorical accusations by governmental officials, and national security. The Russian intervention has become the battleground in U.S. domestic policy. The U.S. president Donald Trump regards the mainstream media as the enemy, referring to them as “fake news organizations”, and using social media, such as Twitter as his information weapon. In addition, Trump’s national security strategy has emphasized bolstering American influence through “strength”, which has changed the characteristics of international mass communication and fluidly defined public diplomacy.