Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

Influence of militarism on research

Nature magazine has published an article on the impact of prioritizing military objectives on researchers and research. It has confirmed that military spending is growing, especially in economically wealthier countries. Almost half of this increase is attributable to China and the United States, and NATO countries have agreed to devote 5 per cent of their GDP to defence and security by 2025.

Nature predicts that the propensity for militarism will mainly affect five aspects. First, it will lead to a strengthening of the nationalist approach, which will disrupt collaboration and hinder the migration of researchers. For example, according to the University of Shanghai, the number of articles co-signed by American and Chinese authors has fallen by more than 10% between 2018 and 2024.

At the same time, it announces the strengthening of allied blocs. For example, China has strengthened its cooperation with India and Russia.

“Among those who will receive the money are artificial intelligence, robotics, space, cybersecurity, quantum computing...”

The third conclusion is that the scientific and technological gap between countries will increase. In fact, it is impossible for economically weak countries to advance at the speed of the most technologically rich. It also recalls that some impoverished countries have precious raw materials and suggests that rich countries may have an extractivist interest in them when establishing relationships.

On the other hand, according to Nature, the money will go to certain areas of research, while others will be left out. Among those who will receive the money are artificial intelligence, robotics, space, cybersecurity, quantum computing, biotechnology, weapons and communication technologies.

Finally, the article also refers to the ethical aspect. In this case, there is a greater risk of ethical uncertainty. He gives the example of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) After the Israeli massacre in Gaza in 2023, several MIT students and teachers called for a break in relations with Israel. This resulted in the loss of contracts. It is a clear demonstration of what can come.