ABSTRACT
The Barack Obama administration's issues and responses essentially evolved from programs, policies, and legislation that had their origins during previous administrations. The USG legislation designed to deal with the overall terrorist threat in the aftermath of the attack on 9/11 remained the Authorization for the Use of Military Forces against Terrorists, passed under the George W. Bush administration. On the government front, the United States meanwhile reportedly has engaged in taking the cyber offensive, and the Pentagon established a US cyber command. The traditional mission of American public diplomacy is to support the achievement of US foreign policy goals and objectives, advance national interests, enhance national security by informing and influencing foreign publics and by expanding and strengthening the relationship between the people and government of the United States and citizens of the rest of the world. The terrorists' increasingly active and sophisticated use of the Internet presented a growing problem to the United States and other countries.
