Science fiction is the realm where people traditionally wrestle with the idea of contact with an ETI (Extraterrestrial Intelligence).
Academics are going back and forth, one paper at a time, concerning the response and geopolitical fallout from potential contact with an ETI.
In WT 2020, the two authors pointed out that much of the thinking around ETIs is centered on the risks of Searching for Extraterrestrial Intelligence and Messaging an Extraterrestrial Intelligence . Realpolitik is the down-and-dirty, nitty-gritty politics between political groups, usually nations. Realpolitik is separate from the oration political leaders use in elections and public-facing situations, where ideology and virtue-signaling run amok and leaders use political theatre to sway the populace and advance their causes.
Churchill and Roosevelt needed Stalin to help win the war, and Stalin knew that. Stalin promised democratic elections for Poland after the war because he needed the allies to help him beat Germany. He backtracked on that as soon as the war ended, occupied Poland and other countries, and Russia and the West became open enemies. That's all realpolitik, and StalinBut that was long ago, and the world was at war.
"This possibility needs to be considered when analyzing the potential risks and benefits of contact with ETI."Any ETI would likely have an enormous technological advantage over us, and as long as the ETI wasn't malicious, that advantage presents an opportunity to nations. If a government monopolizes communications with the ETI, it could gain a technological edge.
But the new paper, which is a rebuttal to the WT 2020 paper and their realpolitik concerns, doesn't see these security actions as helpful. They also disagree that it's likely any nation could somehow monopolize communications with an ETI. Our most powerful observatories have multiple nations and institutions as partners, so monopolization seems doubtful. The scientific community runs on openness, not informational protectionism.
Also, what specific technological advantage could be gained? We already have enough nuclear weapons to destroy civilization. We have bioweapons, too. Could an ETI unintentionally share information that could allow the monopolizer to build some sort of super-weapon? According to the authors, this is drifting into the realm of science fiction and leaving realpolitik behind.
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