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From April 10-12, 2023, The University of Texas at Austin hosted the #Connexions Conference on global media in diplomacy and foreign policy. #Connexions created 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 was 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 tackled some of the key issues of our ever-evolving media environment, including propaganda, disinformation, social media, cyber warfare, artificial intelligence, and the vulnerabilities of technologies that govern and drive global connectivity.
Many thanks to all who participated and made this event a success!!
Scroll down to view the recordings!
#Connexions 2024 info coming soon // Save the date: March 17-20
![Image by Lewis Guapo](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_0577082ff50847e289407ad7b9fa2a54~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_68,h_45,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/nsplsh_0577082ff50847e289407ad7b9fa2a54~mv2.jpg)
Day 1
Day 1
![Day 1](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/141e95_7f415271be464400ad25c1f103f7a841f002.jpg/v1/fill/w_940,h_529,enc_auto/file.jpeg 1x, https://static.wixstatic.com/media/141e95_7f415271be464400ad25c1f103f7a841f002.jpg/v1/fill/w_1880,h_1058,enc_auto/file.jpeg 2x)
![1. #Connexions: Intro Keynote by Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VbWRaMewtrQ/mqdefault.jpg 1x, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VbWRaMewtrQ/mqdefault.jpg 2x)
1. #Connexions: Intro Keynote by Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova
![2. #Connexions: "The Good, the Bad, the Ugly" with Matt Armstrong](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vk8guFcnBZQ/mqdefault.jpg 1x, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vk8guFcnBZQ/mqdefault.jpg 2x)
2. #Connexions: "The Good, the Bad, the Ugly" with Matt Armstrong
![3. #Connexions: "The New Cold War" with Brian Whitmore](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MOls5CUF1qc/mqdefault.jpg 1x, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MOls5CUF1qc/mqdefault.jpg 2x)
3. #Connexions: "The New Cold War" with Brian Whitmore
![4. #Connexions: "The Wonderful World of Disinformation"](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iKNGpLDKA0Q/mqdefault.jpg 1x, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iKNGpLDKA0Q/mqdefault.jpg 2x)
4. #Connexions: "The Wonderful World of Disinformation"
Download
Program in Eastern Time
Day 2
Day 2
![Day 2](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/141e95_2d76012597ac4e18b25ac2bd5673e49ff002.jpg/v1/fill/w_940,h_529,enc_auto/file.jpeg 1x, https://static.wixstatic.com/media/141e95_2d76012597ac4e18b25ac2bd5673e49ff002.jpg/v1/fill/w_1880,h_1058,enc_auto/file.jpeg 2x)
![8. #Connexions: Effective Communication in the Networked Information Environment](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BvqkYG3yLdc/mqdefault.jpg 1x, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BvqkYG3yLdc/mqdefault.jpg 2x)
8. #Connexions: Effective Communication in the Networked Information Environment
![9. #Connexions: Propaganda, Mass Media, & US Information Strategy in the Middle East](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Pk5WDcPda3A/mqdefault.jpg 1x, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Pk5WDcPda3A/mqdefault.jpg 2x)
9. #Connexions: Propaganda, Mass Media, & US Information Strategy in the Middle East
![10. #Connexions: TikTok Talk: Is Social Media Really a National Security Threat?](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XFJLYwVEXpA/mqdefault.jpg 1x, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XFJLYwVEXpA/mqdefault.jpg 2x)
10. #Connexions: TikTok Talk: Is Social Media Really a National Security Threat?
![11. #Connexions: Over the Great Firewall: Social Media in Closed Spaces](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4zjtw3WU9do/mqdefault.jpg 1x, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4zjtw3WU9do/mqdefault.jpg 2x)
11. #Connexions: Over the Great Firewall: Social Media in Closed Spaces
Day 3
Day 3
![Day 3](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/141e95_8023c00acb3148478f55c142ee885b28f002.jpg/v1/fill/w_940,h_529,enc_auto/file.jpeg 1x, https://static.wixstatic.com/media/141e95_8023c00acb3148478f55c142ee885b28f002.jpg/v1/fill/w_1880,h_1058,enc_auto/file.jpeg 2x)
![18. #Connexions: The DJ Who "Brought Down" the USSR](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TEso7AWfAAY/mqdefault.jpg 1x, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TEso7AWfAAY/mqdefault.jpg 2x)
18. #Connexions: The DJ Who "Brought Down" the USSR
![19. #Connexions: The Changing Role of News Media in Public Diplomacy & Government Communications](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jqeZ4Kk4F64/mqdefault.jpg 1x, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jqeZ4Kk4F64/mqdefault.jpg 2x)
19. #Connexions: The Changing Role of News Media in Public Diplomacy & Government Communications
![20. #Connexions: Around the World with VOA News](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/asY1e55sAM8/mqdefault.jpg 1x, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/asY1e55sAM8/mqdefault.jpg 2x)
20. #Connexions: Around the World with VOA News
![21. #Connexions: Muppets in Moscow: How Sesame Street Went to Russia](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bU_bmqQtYMo/mqdefault.jpg 1x, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bU_bmqQtYMo/mqdefault.jpg 2x)
21. #Connexions: Muppets in Moscow: How Sesame Street Went to Russia
Download
Program in Eastern Time
#Speakers
#Schedule
Day 1
8:00 - 8:45 am
Central Time
WELCOME by Sonia Feigenbaum
KEYNOTE by Oksana Markarova, Ukrainian Ambassador to the US
Moderator: Myroslava Gongadze
8:45 - 9:45
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A Historical Look at the Politics of US Information Warfare
Speaker: Matt Armstrong
Moderator: Jeff Trimble
Discussant: Nicholas Cull
9:45 - 10:15
The New Cold War: What Went Wrong in the 90s
Speaker: Brian Whitmore
Moderator: Jeff Trimble
10:15 - 11:00
Moody College Panel on Global Media
Panelists: Shanti Kumar, Shiv Ganesh, Wenhong Chen, Joe Straubhaar
11:00 - 12:15
The Wonderful World of Disinformation
Panelists: Jessica Dawson, Xiaozhong Liu, Lee McIntyre, Asha Rangappa
Moderator: Kiril Avramov
1:00 - 1:45
Misinformation: Can We Totally Remove It?
Speaker: Xiaozhong Liu
Moderator: Art Markman
2:00 - 2:45
The Competition for Influence: Russia, China, and the United States
Speaker: Vivian Walker
Moderator: Jill Dougherty
2:45 - 3:45
(Dis)Information in the Land of Magical Realism
Speaker: Colonel Barbara Fick
Digital Repression: The Use of Social Media & Its Impact on the Balance of Government & Civil Society
Speaker: Brigadier General (Ret.) Boris Saavedra
Moderator: Katherina Wierschke
3:45 - 4:15
Online Platforms' Liability and Disinformation in the United States: Insights from the EU
Speaker: Jean De Meyere (UC Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium)
4:30 - 5:30
Global Disinformation Lab (GDIL) Presentations
5:30 - 7:30
GDIL Happy Hour (Powered by Intelligence Studies Project)