From Monday, April 10, to Wednesday, April 12, the Strauss Center is joining the SlavX Podcast in hosting the 2023 #Connexions Conference, Global Media in Diplomacy & Foreign Policy. #Connexions will create an international space for discourse on modern media and technology in state affairs to help address the critical need for informed and expert leadership in the information sphere, promoting a safer and healthier digital environment that in turn shapes the direction of history. Of main focus will be the chaos of information itself and how it informs and impedes the creation, execution, and communication of policy and the effective conduct of diplomacy. Academics, policymakers, and media practitioners will convene to address the key issues of our ever-evolving media environment, including fake news, disinformation, social media, cyber warfare, artificial intelligence, and the vulnerabilities of technologies that govern and drive global connectivity.

Registration is required. See here for more information or to register for the conference.

Strauss Participants

Several among the Strauss Center community, including Director Adam Klein, are moderating or presenting at the conference, and their times are listed below.

• “BARN OWL: Identifying Disinformation Campaigns through Blackhat Website Link Architecture” April 10, 4:30 – 5:30pm
  • Speaker: Liz Wong, Strauss Center Brumley and Cyber Fellow
• Global Disinformation Lab (GDIL ) Happy Hour, April 10, 5:30 – 7:30pm
  • Panelist: Kevin Lentz, Strauss Center Brumley and Cyber Fellow
  • Panelist: Liz Wong, Strauss Center Brumley and Cyber Fellow
  • Moderator: Taylor Ham, Strauss Center Brumley Fellow
• “TikTok Talk: Is Social Media Really a National Security Threat?” April 11, 9:45 – 10:30am
  • Speaker: Glenn Gerstell, Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
  • Moderator: Adam Klein, Director of the Strauss Center
• “Post-Truth Public Diplomacy” April 12, 4:30 – 5:15pm
  • Speaker: H. Denis Wu, Professor of Communication at Boston University
  • Discussants: Nicholas Cull (Professor of Public Diplomacy at University of Southern California), Art Markman (Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at UT), Lee McIntyre (Research Fellow at Boston University)
  • Moderator: Jeremi Suri, Strauss Center Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs

Event Sponsors

Other sponsors include: the Clements Center for National Security, the Strauss-Clements Intelligence Studies Project, the Global Disinformation Lab, the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, the Department of Slavic & Eurasian Studies, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, the Moody School of Communication, the South Asian Institute, Texas Global, the Graduate School, the Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors, the Ohio State University Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, and the Kennan Institute.

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