brain trust for disaster plutonomy security complex-- Yesterday I wrote about the Pentagons dubious role in funding social science research that could be applied to active military operations in the context of the increasing propensity for global systemic crises to challenge US interests. Several key research projects highlighted the extent to which US security agencies, assisted by civilian academic institutions, view entire populations – particularly those involved in political activism – as potential terror suspects who, therefore, deserve to be carefully monitored and studied. Advertisement It is not just the US where the effort to subordinate social science to the demands of state military ideology continues apace. In Britain, a key area where this is occurring is in the Research Councils UK (RCUK) Global Uncertainties programme, recently rebranded as the Partnership for Conflict, Crime and Security Research. The programme is led by the Economics and Social Research Council (ESRC), and supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). But it is not an independent exercise.
Posted on: Sun, 15 Jun 2014 16:10:37 +0000