---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Becky Lentz <[email protected]> Date: Sat, Aug 13, 2016 at 4:15 AM Subject: The militarization of social science... To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
This should be of interest to many of us attending the WSF this week in Montreal… Pentagon Preparing For Mass Civil Breakdown > By Nafeez Ahmed, www.theguardian.com > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.theguardian.com_environment_earth-2Dinsight_2014_jun_12_pentagon-2Dmass-2Dcivil-2Dbreakdown&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=8B37MXsgMDuj2CiqviVvAhnR2MQA5cw_8kVW3J2WVCI&e=> > August 7th, 2016 > https://www.popularresistance.org/pentagon-preparing-for-mas > s-civil-breakdown/ > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.popularresistance.org_pentagon-2Dpreparing-2Dfor-2Dmass-2Dcivil-2Dbreakdown_&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=xRyw9THmaMu15VcA4ClJaUpU8kZtAm7YX4f1xrapfAQ&e=> > > *Social science is being militarized to develop ‘operational tools’ to > target peaceful activists and protest movements* > > A US Department of Defense (DoD) research programme is funding > universities to model the dynamics, risks and tipping points for > large-scale civil unrest across the world, under the supervision of various > US military agencies. The multi-million dollar programme > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__minerva.dtic.mil_cois.html&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=ROmOkPoOa_7WMnvfS6FtNulUSPqel74mEpHXW8jGJHE&e=> > is > designed to develop immediate and long-term “warfighter-relevant insights” > for senior officials and decision makers in “the defense policy community,” > and to inform policy implemented by “combatant commands.” > > Launched in 2008 > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.wired.com_2008_12_earlier-2Dthis-2D1_&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=cUH6bMsHfFlcZaMKIFGPC57ZT7_jX8Aunw8F-21QGxc&e=> > – > the year of the global banking crisis – the DoD ‘Minerva Research > Initiative’ > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__minerva.dtic.mil_funded.html&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=s90wTvl6jrqcDKDiB4SEsUPoQw6F8KNtt7OFQF5q0io&e=> > partners > with universities “to improve DoD’s basic understanding of the social, > cultural, behavioral, and political forces that shape regions of the world > of strategic importance to the US.” > > Among the projects awarded for the period 2014-2017 is a Cornell > University-led study managed by the US Air Force Office of Scientific > Research > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.theguardian.com_education_research&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=JfXn2jduQreZdMK1CHeM5m_-BUtmGNApxJ25bcwQPvQ&e=> > which > aims to develop an empirical model “of the dynamics of social movement > mobilisation and contagions.” The project will determine “the critical mass > (tipping point)” of social contagians by studying their “digital traces” in > the cases of “the 2011 Egyptian revolution, the 2011 Russian Duma > elections, the 2012 Nigerian fuel subsidy crisis and the 2013 Gazi park > protests in Turkey.” > > Twitter posts and conversations will be examined “to identify individuals > mobilised in a social contagion and when they become mobilised.” > > Another project awarded this year to the University of Washington “seeks > to uncover the conditions under which political movements aimed at > large-scale political and economic change originate,” along with their > “characteristics and consequences.” The project, managed by the US Army > Research Office, focuses on “large-scale movements involving more than > 1,000 participants in enduring activity,” and will cover 58 countries in > total. > > Last year, the DoD’s Minerva Initiative funded a project to determine ‘Who > Does Not Become a Terrorist, and Why?’ > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__minerva.dtic.mil_doc_abstracts_Rasmussen-5FWhoNotTerrorist-5FFY13.pdf&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=Q_M1xCGvY_Sr4gjSK_NEeAVekrvC1zE8O7THsS-DRNA&e=> > which, > however, conflates peaceful activists with “supporters of political > violence” who are different from terrorists only in that they do not embark > on “armed militancy” themselves. The project explicitly sets out to study > non-violent activists: > > “In every context we find many individuals who share the demographic, > family, cultural, and/or socioeconomic background of those who decided to > engage in terrorism, and yet refrained themselves from taking up armed > militancy, even though they were sympathetic to the end goals of armed > groups. The field of terrorism studies has not, until recently, attempted > to look at this control group. This project is not about terrorists, but > about *supporters* of political violence.” > > The project’s 14 case studies each “involve extensive interviews with ten > or more activists and militants in parties and NGOs who, though sympathetic > to radical causes, have chosen a path of non-violence.” > > I contacted the project’s principal investigator, Prof Maria Rasmussen of > the US Naval Postgraduate School, asking why non-violent activists working > for NGOs should be equated to supporters of political violence – and which > “parties and NGOs” were being investigated – but received no response. > > Similarly, Minerva programme staff refused to answer a series of similar > questions I put to them, including asking how “radical causes” promoted by > peaceful NGOs constituted a potential national security threat of interest > to the DoD. > > Among my questions, I asked: > > “Does the US Department of Defense see protest movements and social > activism in different parts of the world as a threat to US national > security? If so, why? Does the US Department of Defense consider political > movements aiming for large scale political and economic change as a > national security matter? If so, why? Activism > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.theguardian.com_environment_activism&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=jGHd0wzDjn73K76pk61agpAWYMibSBugZrYS5C5RM_A&e=>, > protest, ‘political movements’ and of course NGOs are a vital element of a > healthy civil society and democracy – why is it that the DoD is funding > research to investigate such issues?” > > Minerva’s programme director Dr Erin Fitzgerald said “I appreciate your > concerns and am glad that you reached out to give us the opportunity to > clarify” before promising a more detailed response. Instead, I received the > following bland statement from the DoD’s press office: > > “The Department of Defense takes seriously its role in the security of the > United States, its citizens, and US allies and partners. While every > security challenge does not cause conflict, and every conflict does not > involve the US military > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.theguardian.com_us-2Dnews_us-2Dmilitary&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=VuXURVvg119PMLFt9yEWjSTFf0OiJaSHJiU_8IdfnE0&e=>, > Minerva helps fund basic social science research that helps increase the > Department of Defense’s understanding of what causes instability and > insecurity around the world. By better understanding these conflicts and > their causes beforehand, the Department of Defense can better prepare for > the dynamic future security environment.” > > In 2013, Minerva funded a University of Maryland project in collaboration > with the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to > gauge the risk of civil unrest due to climate change. The three-year $1.9 > million project > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.livescience.com_38167-2Dnational-2Dsecurity-2Dimpact-2Dof-2Dwarming-2Dclimate.html&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=o8frw-J4zsx4wlR1nRNIgSjZWBp3-a8zR2k3hJTyHvw&e=>is > developing models to anticipate what could happen to societies under a > range of potential climate change scenarios. > > From the outset, the Minerva programme was slated to provide over $75 > million over five years for social and behavioural science research. This > year alone it has been allocated a total budget of $17.8 million by US > Congress. > > An internal Minerva staff email communication referenced in a 2012 > Masters dissertation > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__repository.asu.edu_attachments_93938_content_tmp_package-2DDBgi6R_Nair-5Fasu-5F0010N-5F11963.pdf&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=Emi_NuF_cLajsTb-eEkYK9n-lG3ufs03tKRGfpj6eTU&e=> > reveals > that the programme is geared toward producing quick results that are > directly applicable to field operations. The dissertation was part of > aMinerva-funded > project on “counter-radical Muslim discourse” > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__cidse.engineering.asu.edu_minerva-2Dinitiative-2Dproject-2Drecognized-2Dby-2Ddod_&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=Gtd46mcUQRWdM87kDbVXI1bLUk1ayYtXUCmm6tYfjc8&e=> > at > Arizona State University. > > The internal email from Prof Steve Corman, a principal investigator for > the project, describes a meeting hosted by the DoD’s Human Social Cultural > and Behavioural Modeling (HSCB) programme in which senior Pentagon > officials said their priority was “to develop capabilities that are > deliverable quickly” in the form of “models and tools that can be > integrated with operations.” > > Although Office of Naval Research supervisor Dr Harold Hawkins had assured > the university researchers at the outset that the project was merely “a > basic research effort, so we shouldn’t be concerned about doing applied > stuff”, the meeting in fact showed that DoD is looking to “feed results” > into “applications,” Corman said in the email. He advised his researchers > to “think about shaping results, reports, etc., so they [DoD] can clearly > see their application for tools that can be taken to the field.” > > Many independent scholars are critical of what they see as the US > government’s efforts to militarise social science in the service of war. In > May 2008, the American Anthropological Association (AAA) wrote to the US > government > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.aaanet.org_issues_policy-2Dadvocacy_upload_Minerva-2DLetter.pdf&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=NVDDHgdKnISRS6Bva5rpUby-lQBhNCKQOxD_wKdnyt0&e=> > noting > that the Pentagon lacks “the kind of infrastructure for evaluating > anthropological [and other social science] research” in a way that involves > “rigorous, balanced and objective peer review”, calling for such research > to be managed instead by civilian agencies like the National Science > Foundation (NSF). > > The following month, the DoD signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) > with the NSF to cooperate on the management of Minerva. In response, the AAA > cautioned > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.aaanet.org_-5Fcs-5Fupload_issues_press_22649-5F1.pdf&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=pHRmlp6r1LwTW8oqkoBTo8WNZ4JgCxQF3LOaQU9RA3A&e=> > that > although research proposals would now be evaluated by NSF’s merit-review > panels. “Pentagon officials will have decision-making power in deciding who > sits on the panels”: > > “… there remain concerns within the discipline that research will only be > funded when it supports the Pentagon’s agenda. Other critics of the > programme, including the Network of Concerned Anthropologists, have raised > concerns that the programme would discourage research in other important > areas and undermine the role of the university as a place for independent > discussion and critique of the military.” > > According to Prof David Price, a cultural anthropologist at St Martin’s > University in Washington DC and author of *Weaponizing Anthropology: > Social Science in Service of the Militarized State*, “when you looked at > the individual bits of many of these projects they sort of looked like > normal social science, textual analysis, historical research, and so on, > but when you added these bits up they all shared themes of legibility with > all the distortions of over-simplification. Minerva is farming out the > piece-work of empire in ways that can allow individuals to disassociate > their individual contributions from the larger project.” > > Prof Price has previously exposed > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__zeroanthropology.net_2010_02_16_david-2Dprice-2Dhuman-2Dterrain-2Dsystems-2Ddissenter-2Dresigns-2Dtells-2Dinside-2Dstory-2Dof-2Dtrainings-2Dheart-2Dof-2Ddarkness_&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=ocMjuDT-l5cQyKopzOKdCWdU40jzW-3KWKZrEIZE2SA&e=> > how > the Pentagon’s Human Terrain Systems (HTS) programme – designed to embed > social scientists in military field operations – routinely conducted > training scenarios set in regions “within the United States.” > > Citing a summary critique of the programme sent to HTS directors by a > former employee, Price reported that the HTS training scenarios “adapted > COIN [counterinsurgency] for Afghanistan/Iraq” to domestic situations “in > the USA where the local population was seen from the military perspective > as threatening the established balance of power and influence, and > challenging law and order.” > > One war-game, said Price, involved environmental activists protesting > pollution from a coal-fired plant near Missouri, some of whom were members > of the well-known environmental NGO Sierra Club. Participants were tasked > to “identify those who were ‘problem-solvers’ and those who were > ‘problem-causers,’ and the rest of the population whom would be the target > of the information operations to move their Center of Gravity toward that > set of viewpoints and values which was the ‘desired end-state’ of the > military’s strategy.” > > Such war-games are consistent with a raft of Pentagon planning documents > which suggest that National Security Agency (NSA) mass surveillance is > partially motivated to prepare for the destabilising impact of coming > environmental, energy and economic shocks > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.theguardian.com_environment_earth-2Dinsight_2013_jun_14_climate-2Dchange-2Denergy-2Dshocks-2Dnsa-2Dprism&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=oNcwdKET6crPsUpW43yu-KjerwJhvX2DdJuu7C3ALfs&e=> > . > > James Petras, Bartle Professor of Sociology at Binghamton University in > New York, concurs with Price’s concerns. Minerva-funded social scientists > tied to Pentagon counterinsurgency operations are involved in the “study of > emotions in stoking or quelling ideologically driven movements,” he said, > including how “to counteract grassroots movements.” > > Minerva is a prime example of the deeply narrow-minded and self-defeating > nature of military ideology. Worse still, the unwillingness of DoD > officials to answer the most basic questions is symptomatic of a simple > fact – in their unswerving mission to defend an increasingly unpopular > global system serving the interests of a tiny minority > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.theguardian.com_environment_earth-2Dinsight_2014_may_28_inclusive-2Dcapitalism-2Dtrojan-2Dhorse-2Dglobal-2Drevolt-2Dhenry-2Djackson-2Dsociety-2Dpr-2Dgrowth&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=o7sA3zKMZvL9xCI8yTiTOlytGopz_w7oY5FYNlfXEkc&e=>, > security agencies have no qualms about painting the rest of us as potential > terrorists. > > *Dr. Nafeez Ahmed > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.nafeezahmed.com_&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=7h_7tsWt7qvORxlml1xWoG31iu2b7d_ya6NZQ2VJA80&e=> > is > an international security journalist and academic. He is the author of A > User’s Guide to the Crisis of Civilization: And How to Save It > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__crisisofcivilization.com_&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=UUSiPF_xbB7_9KOHJ25AcU4tbBGv1j3EZO02xBvp9Qs&e=>, > and the forthcoming science fiction thriller, ZERO POINT > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__zro.pt_&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=JaUrl07JDkrp2nCqYPafdQ59BlPpEBJXw8G-yIwGse4&e=>. > Follow him on Facebook > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.facebook.com_DrNafeezAhmed&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=_G72KYJQyr8DJC-T8gJP4sZX7QIew9hI6kdSrHg31Lo&e=> > and Twitter > @nafeezahmed > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.twitter.com_nafeezahmed&d=DQMF-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=-k1EmYwcE48OAymCtDkSeblNjZFKk3Rs8KIoDq4NWsU&m=mphqW5bLXsRkBnxkRbboK3T7Luxwv6ezHGnBiWKp8-E&s=laeBy_kRCON9Mepipppi-NFtZAhAaDTUYQhg6nqFDHU&e=>.* > > -- Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at: http://commonstransition.org P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/
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