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253 Some reactions may be political. Many commentators expect that nongov- ernmental groups will seek to exploit contact to promote their own pur- poses; some may try to influence government decisions on dealing with contact.* Attitudes toward extraterrestrials will be determined in part by what people expect to gain or lose as a result of contact. Larger, more established organizations probably would deal with contact in a pragmatic way, con- sidering whether the discovery advances their interests, threatens those interests, or has no effect. Elites with their own interests and agendas are likely to affect the reactions of others.”* If the signal or artifact contains valuable information such as advanced scientific and technological concepts, some interest groups may argue that release should be controlled to prevent damage to their concerns. Others may argue that the release of information should be controlled to protect human cultures. At a minimum, people will look to their leaders to interpret the event. Should officials and politicians play up the importance of the dis- covery, or should they play down its significance? Should they emphasize the potential benefits or express concern about the possible negative impacts? An informed citizenry should be made aware of the full range of possibilities. Should governments act as filters, selecting which information should be distributed and which should not be? How should governments respond to pressure from nongovernment groups to distribute or withhold informa- tion? If those groups themselves hold back information, should officials intervene? What if some groups react violently to the distribution of alien ideas? Governmental authorities and politicians will want to show that they are well informed and decisive. They could try to take advantage of the dis- covery to accelerate preferred courses of action, capitalizing on the event and its attendant publicity. Their opponents may look for opportunities to gain political advantage by criticizing the government’s handling of the situation and by proposing different policies. Contact could introduce new elements of friction and resentment at the international level. Nations are technologically unequal in their ability to detect or communicate with extraterrestrial civilizations. Only a few have the large antennas and massive computer capabilities that may be needed to find and analyze alien signals, or the means to explore the solar system with spacecraft. Only a few have transmitters with enough power to send messages over interstellar distances. Those without these capabili- ties may feel excluded from an event that implicitly involves all of Humankind. Political Reactions Political Reactions