Agents of National Governments in International Relations

All national governments maintain some organization structure to interface with and influence other nations or alliances of nations. Social media has become an essential tool in those agency communication efforts. Such agencies employ all the social media warfare tactics of self- validation, influence, reinforcement, persuasion of non-aligned entities, recruitment and indoctrination, and relationship building.

On behalf of the United States, the Broadcasting Board of Governors is specifically designated as the agency whose mission is to inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy. The Board oversees the activities of individual broadcasters including the Voice of America (VOA), which operates on several basic principles:

• ? VOA will serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news. VOA news will be accurate, objective, and comprehensive.
• ? VOA will represent America, not any single segment of American society, and will therefore present a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant American thought and institutions.
• ? VOA will present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively, and will also present responsible discussions and opinion on these policies.

VOA operates several broadcasting entities, including Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty, Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TV Maru), Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks (Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa). Voice of America delivers news and information in 45 languages to a weekly audience of more than 187 million people around the world.

VOA uses digital, web, and mobile media to engage viewers, listeners, users, and friends. Radio and television broadcast to approximately 3000 affiliates, and satellite transmissions reach countries where free speech is banned or where civil society is under threat. VOA’s four mobile social media applications have had more than one million downloads and cater to users on all major mobile platforms. There are over 40 versions of VOA social media applications on Apple iOS, Android and Symbian [11].

The United States interacts with other nations, organizations in those nations, and their populations through over thirty different government agencies. Each agency serves a specific purpose, and all the agencies increasingly rely on social media applications to accomplish their mission of validation, influence, reinforcement, persuasion, recruitment and indoctrination, and relationship building. These agencies include

• ? Arms Control and International Security
• ? Bureau of Consular Affairs
• ? Bureau of International Labor Affairs
• ? U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
• ? Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission)
• ? Court of International Trade
• ? Defense Intelligence Agency
• ? Defense Security Cooperation Agency
• ? Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• ? Department of State
• ? European Command
• ? Foreign Agricultural Service
• ? Foreign Claims Settlement Commission
• ? Global Affairs (State Department)
• ? Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• ? Institute of Peace
• ? Inter-American Foundation
• ? International Trade Administration (ITA)
• ? International Trade Commission
• ? INTERPOL Washington, U.S. National Central Bureau
• ? Japan-United States Friendship Commission
• ? Open World Leadership Center
• ? Overseas Private Investment Corporation
• ? Peace Corps
• ? Radio Free Asia (RFA)
• ? Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
• ? Radio and TV Maru
• ? Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
• ? U.S. Trade and Development Agency
• ? Transportation Security Administration
• ? Voice of America