Exploring the ‘dark side’ of digital diplomacy, this volume highlights some of the major problems facing democratic institutions in the West and provides concrete examples of best practice in reversing the tide of digital propaganda.

List of figures List of tables List of contributors Acknowledgements Introduction: the ‘dark side’ of digital diplomacy Corneliu Bjola and James PammentPart IStrategic communication 1 Propaganda as reflexive control: the digital dimension Corneliu Bjola2 Information influence in Western democracies: a model of systemic vulnerabilities Howard Nothhaft, James Pamment, Henrik Agardh-Twetman and Alicia Fjällhed3 A digital ménage à trois: strategic leaks, propaganda and journalism Emma L. Briant and Alicia Wanless4 The use of political communication by international organizations: the case of EU and NATOEva-Karin Olsson, Charlotte Wagnsson and Kajsa Hammargård5 The unbearable thinness of strategic communication Cristina ArchettiPart IICountering violent extremism 6 The democratisation of hybrid warfare and practical approaches to defeat violent extremism in the Digital Age Alicia Kearns7 The aesthetics of violent extremist and counter-violent extremist communication Ilan Manor and Rhys Crilley8 Virtual violence: understanding the potential power of ISIS’ violent videos to buttress strategic narratives and persuade foreign recruits Sean Aday9 The battle for the battle of the narratives: sidestepping the double fetish of digital and CVE Akil N. Awan, Alister Miskimmon and Ben O’LoughlinConclusion: rethinking strategic communication in the Digital Age James Pamment and Corneliu BjolaWorks cited Index

'Disinformation is a plague that resists efforts to eradicate it. Truth – a foundation of democratic discourse – is its principal victim. Countering Online Propaganda and Extremism presents thoughtful and comprehensive analyses of this phenomenon written by an all-star, multidisciplinary roster of experts. For anyone who is teaching courses about these matters or is just personally committed to preserving open and free debate about important issues, this book is essential reading.'-- Philip Seib, University of Southern California, USA‘I highly recommend reading this book, if you want to know more about the dark side of digital diplomacy. The authors reveal how the use of digital technologies as disinformation and propaganda tools has started to threaten the global order. The book is a page-turner.'--Matti Saarelainen, Director of The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, Helsinki, Finland'Countering Online Propaganda and Extremism is a remarkably prescient and prodigious interdisciplinary volume situating the catalytic challenge of disinformation – including its sources, its drivers, and its consequences – within a succinct conceptual framework that researchers, practitioners, and students will find tremendously useful. It weaves together policy and research expertise to tackle some remarkably thorny questions, ranging from attribution and deterrence, the line between public diplomacy and propaganda, the dark side of digital diplomacy to the value and character of moral authority in this space. The book has lasting power and will certainly serve as a cardinal text for all those interested in understanding, studying, and addressing the internecine threat disinformation presents to our democratic institutions.'-- Shawn Powers, Senior Advisor, Global Strategy & Innovation, US Agency for Global Media