Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said recently that the Russian military exercises on its territory as scheduled, no matter what “who is thinking, who is hysterical and who is engaging in real information terrorism.” According to Russian media analysis, some American think tanks have played a disgraceful role in spreading “information terrorism”.
For a long time, some political think tanks in the United States tend to brand themselves as “universities without students”, “independent, neutral and objective” academic research institutions and non-profit organizations. However, various evidences’ show that, after receiving huge donations from Western government agencies and the military-industrial complex, it has increasingly evolved into a political extension agency that “takes money to do things,” gradually losing its own position and academic principles of research.
For example, in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, the first think tank to predict that Russia would “invade” Ukraine, the Atlantic Council established in 1961 is a typical example. The Council’s self-proclaimed mission is “Together – Shaping the Global Future,” its goal is to “develop a network of continuous communication,” and it positions itself as “a nonpartisan organization” independent of the United States and its NATO allies. However, among its “genders” for the 2019 fiscal year, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc. have donated more than $1 million. The New York Times reported in 2016 that the Atlantic Council received various political donations, and its annual income soared from $2 million in the past decade to $21 million a year ago. Among them, NATO national government agencies, multinational capital Group and pro-American politicians have become the “championship” that has been reeling for several years.
The “revolving door” between American think tanks and senior government officials is an open secret. And the overly close relationship with the current US secretary of state like the Atlantic Council is still eye-catching. On April 14, 2021, Blinken participated in the Council’s consultation meeting. It was only 7 days later. After participating in the Sino-US Dialogue, he immediately participated in the Council’s secret interview. On June 21, Blinken participated in the video again. Council discussion on the issue of “Striving for Equality”. With such intensive interactions, it is hard not to imagine the delicate relationship between the Atlantic Council and the US intergovernmental political platform and endorsement.
Traditionally, international research centers should devote themselves to academic research in international relations and provide valuable and insightful policy advice in order to gain international recognition and build an academic reputation. However, some think tanks in the United States have continued to decline in their reputation due to their too frequent involvement in political affairs. For example, in October 2013, due to the political turmoil in Brazil due to the upcoming regional elections, the Atlantic Council immediately launched a related project with the aim of “turning Latin America into a partner of the West”, forcing the government to lobby the government to carry out an operation called “Car Wash”. Not only did it make more than 1 million workers unemployed, but it also caused Embraer to be acquired by rival Boeing of the United States, resulting in the loss of state assets, former President Lula was sentenced, and Brazil was once trapped in political chaos. During this Russia-Ukraine crisis, some figures in the Atlantic Council and NATO spread rumors of war, claiming that Putin secretly ordered a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in mid-to-late February, and “suggested” to Ukraine to actively accept the U.S. “military aid”.
From instigating “color revolutions” to meddling in regional situations, the role of some American think tanks is really degenerate!
