ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a discussion of some important challenges for future research and practice, discussing policy considerations and the way forward. By around 2008, a handful of major volumes had established the core tenets of the ‘new’ public diplomacy, including the relatively young digital dimension. A broader history of public diplomacy is required; one that acknowledges its role in shaping foreign societies’ development as a form of soft power. Digitisation has simply provided a more level playing field, at least temporarily, in which digital platforms may be exploited at a relatively low cost. If domestic interest groups come under the purview of intelligence services simply because a foreign troll tweeted out a similar narrative, democratic opinion-building is undermined. In the case of digital propaganda, an actor can maintain moral authority by making the case that it has been harmed, that it has normative standing to engage in counter-interventions, and that it does so in an appropriate manner.
