The Think Tank Racket: Managing the Information War with Russia - Softcover

Diesen, Glenn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1949762807 ISBN 13: 9781949762808

Publisher: Clarity Press, 2023

Synopsis

How do think tanks influence Western policies toward Russia? The influence of think tanks in Washington has grown immensely over the past decades in terms of producing research papers, engaging with the media, and having their staff enter government.

The ideal purpose and appeal of think tanks is their ability to function as a bridge between academics, the media, the public, and decision-makers. Political decision-makers are expected to be experts across a wide area of governance which becomes increasingly difficult as the world becomes more complex. Acquiring advice and enhancing competencies through cooperation with scholars at universities can be challenging as academics tend to focus on narrow research questions that take place within a wider discussion of theory and method. Think tanks respond to this challenge as institutions that provide focused research studies and policy papers to address specific and current challenges.

The negative aspect of think tanks is the power they wield, from controlling information to functioning as a waiting room for politicians out of office. Information is power, and a think tanks business model has been established that sells political influence in Washington and manufactures consent among the public. The military-industrial complex is the dominant donor to think tanks, which results in a bias toward military solutions and perpetuating conflict.

Russia remains a leading adversary of the West and has sustained Washington’s exorbitant military spending over many decades. Think tanks accordingly have a great incentive to push for a confrontational posture towards Russia as they operate in an industry where conflicts are profitable and peace produces losses A mutually acceptable post-Cold War settlement threatened the revenue of one of the largest and most influential industries in the US, which was reversed as a result of NATO expansion and renewed tensions with Russia.

This book explores how the think tanks function, and how their growing role has influenced US policies toward Russia.

About this title

About the Author

Glenn Diesen is a professor at the University of Southeast Norway (USN) and an associate editor at the Russia in Global Affairs journal. Diesen’s research focus is Russia’a transition from the Greater European Initiative to the Greater Eurasian Partnership. Diesen has previously published nine books, a multitude of journal articles, and is a frequent contributor to international media. Recent titles include: Great Power Politics in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. I.B. Tauris and with Alexander Lukin The Return of Eurasia. Palgrave Macmillan, both in 2021.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

1. INTRODUCING THE THINK TANK INDUSTRY
In swanky conference rooms, with bottles of fancy water brands scattered across tables, the West’s policymaking elites gather to sing from their hymn sheets. There is little, if any, disagreement because they have come to confirm their own biases rather than conduct real debates. When evening arrives, they retire to expensive restaurants where they slap each other on the back and grandiosely refer to themselves as “Atlanticists” or “Fellows.” Here, opposing nations and different points of view have no agency of their own; they are only useful to the extent that they contribute to a pre-ordained narrative.
These are the people who run the think tank movement. And their job is to manufacture consent for the goals of their paymasters―who, these days, are overwhelmingly drawn from the arms industry, and other vested interests that benefit from tensions with Russia and certain other states. The community is tightly knit and well paid. It enjoys huge power due to its ability to influence politics and manipulate the mainstream media. However, the general public is generally unaware of this phenomenon. The public has no idea that the seemingly benign experts who write policy papers and turn up in the media to offer authoritative views are often beholden to the think tank trough. Media consumers are rarely if ever, warned about how the views and opinions of these pundits are not neutral or objective, but are in actuality sponsored opinions, providing a gloss of objectivity while promoting their sponsors’ interests.
In theory, and as reflected in public perception, think tanks are supposed to be unbiased and objective research institutions that connect academia with decision-makers to deliver the most informed and optimal foreign policy. The reality is that the think tank business model instead tends to undermine the principle of academic inquiry and to corrupt political decision-making. As this book will demonstrate, rather than asking questions and seeking answers through intellectual pluralism to pursue the best foreign policy, the think tanks stifle intellectual diversity of thought as they are in the business of policy advocacy on behalf of their donors. Indeed, the funders of think tanks are not paying for contributions in the media to create an informed public; rather their incentive derives from instrumentalizing this optimal means of public indoctrination and manufacturing of consent.

Edition details

• Publisher: Clarity Press
• Publication date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1949762807
• ISBN 13: 9781949762808
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 212