523 Olivier Urrutia The role of Think Tanks in the definition and application of defence policies and strategies As pointed out by Abelson,33 think tanks develop their activities and exercise their influence either directly – through the revolving door mechanism and through connections with important political movers and shakers – or indirectly – through publications, meetings and seminars. Here, we should underline the fact that the process of bi-directional influence guarantees think tanks the opportunity to participate in decision making, to set priorities on the political agenda, and to contribute to the climate of opinion. It is worth pointing out at this juncture that American think tanks specialised in defence, security, and international relations have links to various government bodies – the Committee on Science, the Administrative Conference, the Consultative Council - with a wide variety of different prestigious players, both military and civilian (ex-politicians, professors, journalists, businessmen). Part of the success of think tanks, as well as the effectiveness of their influence strategies, comes from their internal construction. The philosopher Auguste Comte said that “ideas govern and disrupt the world; that is to say that the entire social mechanism is built on opinions”.34 So, with cons-cious influence being an indirect and asymmetric strategy to gain the approval of the “other” through prestige and attractiveness based on image and reputation, think tanks, NGOs, lobbies or public relations firms (influential organisations) are familiar with this process. Standard resources for influence involve the use of signs and symbols (words, images) opposing violence. Think tanks turn to discursive techniques like rhetoric, propaganda, publicity, applied social psychology, public relations, public diplomacy and storytelling. It is within this framework that military influence brings together methods - other than just force and threats - that help an army achieve victory, by, for example, playing on public opinion. Demoralising the enemy, motivating its own troops, gaining the support of the people, and positively selling its cause at the international level.35 Propaganda, rhetoric, diplomacy and storytelling are weapons than can mean success or failure. The concept of soft power, a strategic tool of influence, is not an antonym of force but rather relies on it to validate its potential. The War of Ideas In 1993, the analyst James A. Phillips, from the Heritage Foundation, used the term “war of ideas” in a paper on the role and important activities of the National Endowment for Democracy in the ideological battle against communist regimes in China, Cuba, 33 ABELSON, Donald, Do Think Tanks Matter? Assessing the Impact of Public Policy Institutes. Kingston and Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2002, p.88-122 34 COMTE, Auguste, Cours de Philosophie Positive, 1830-1842 35 HUYGHE, François-Bernard, Société d’influence, Think tanks, lobbies, NGOs,… 31 August 2012, http://www.huyghe.fr/actu_303.htm (viewed 15/01/2013)
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