Abstract
This article introduces the special issue of Journal of Applied History about strategic communication. The ICT revolution has created new opportunities for information warfare, while history frequently is instrumentalized for propaganda purposes. The special issue asks what lessons history holds for these and similar challenges, presenting three original research articles. Outlining the history of strategic communication from the ancient world to the present, this introductory article shows that while it may be more important in today’s hyperconnected world than earlier, strategic communication has long been essential to politics and statecraft. This is ultimately explained by the centrality of communication to the human species, even if technological and cultural factors mean that strategic communication also displays significant dissimilarities between historical contexts.