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366 Nations is unlikely to take policy action in advance of contact, its members could call for a study of that event’s implications. To U.N. or Not U.N. We must recognize the limitations of pursuing this idea through the United Nations. Although the U.N. is the most comprehensively inclu- sive intergovernmental body, that organization’s operating style has disadvantages. The United Nations, not known for its efficiency, may be slow to react to contact. Doyle, assuming the remote contact scenario, described the probable UN. process. That organization eventually would convene a meeting of the General Assembly to hear general statements from national repre- sentatives. The issue would be referred to COPUOS and possibly to other organizations such as the International Council of Scientific Unions. These bodies would conduct assessment studies that could take years. In Doyle’s view, there would be no reason to hurry.”’ COPUOS is in session for only a few weeks a year. As the committee operates on the basis of consensus, a single nation could block the approval of a proposed policy statement. If the U.N. process proves too slow and unwieldy, some governments may turn to other options. There may be pressure for a quicker response, particularly if we find alien technology in our own solar system. This has led to proposals that the matter be referred to the U.N. Security Council, which is always in session. Referring contact with extraterres- trials to that body makes some people uncomfortable because it implies that they are a threat to human security. What if there is no agreed international procedure when contact occurs? Nations with the necessary technical capabilities might act preemptively in an uncoordinated way—for example, by sending separate messages to the detected civilization. One or more governments could head this off by quickly proposing a coordinated set of actions, within or outside of the U.N. system. Policy-makers should not dismiss the search for extraterrestrial intelli- gence as just an exotic scientific enterprise. Contact will raise policy ques- tions; governments will be forced to respond. Without preparation, they may respond in ways that are not in the best interest of their nations or of Humankind. Government and political leaders respond best when the event is of a familiar type: an economic crisis, a natural disaster, even a war. They may Annex: Preparing Preparing Governments for Contact