Academics in Service of the American Empire: The Minerva Research Initiative

Abstract

Since 2008, the U.S. military has relied on an ambitious research program called The Minerva Research Initiative established by then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates with the primary goal of achieving “a deeper understanding of the social, cultural and political dynamics that shape regions of strategic interest (to the U.S. government) around the world.” Initial funding for this program was fifty million dollars, an amount that has been increasing over the years. The primary purpose has been to finance the work of academics at American universities and experts in other research centers as analysts on issues that may have an impact on the national security policies of the imperialist State.