They Shoot Earthlings, Don't They?

Question: If aliens landed on the White House lawn, what do you think that the response of the world's governments would be? How about the response of the U.S. government in particular?

I think we can all agree that our government is overwhelmingly negligent of the growing interstellar threat posed by extraterrestrials. I tell you now, the next great battle won’t be fought in the mountains of Afghanistan, or the jungles of the Congo, but in the cold, dark vastness of space. So, to prepare for that, our military and civilian institutions need a code of conduct in place to determine what steps to take when the aliens land at our doorsteps.

Looking at this from an ideological perspective, we would have to prioritize our actions when meeting this new power. Realism dictates that our first action should be to determine the level of threat posed by the newcomers. This includes both the potential military threat as well as any health and biological effects of allowing them to land on Earth. That’s not to say that I expect a military threat; I don’t believe that a civilization so militarily-inclined as to attack us immediately would ever be able to develop technology so advanced as to reach our planet. They would most likely be ready to communicate with us, and convey that they are interested in peaceful relations. Nevertheless, security should be the first matter of concern, on general principle alone. Better to be safe than sorry, I always say.

In fact, this demonstrates why I tend to call myself a realist: it’s not that I discount other less-wary ideologies, it’s that I address security first and foremost, and move on to liberal and constructivist courses once my security concerns have been assuaged.

After our own safety is guaranteed, the next step to take should be to communicate that we, too, are not hostile. This will be harder for us than them, since many of our people may want to independently act in a hostile manner towards the aliens. It is important that we establish the legitimacy of our ruling bodies, and ensure the safety of our visitors. After that, we should put together a team of scientists, linguists, anthropologists, sociologists, Oliver Stone, and others that would help us decode their speech patterns and communicate with them. Of course, the aliens should not be introduced to the public. Extreme and non-contiguous views should not be the impression we leave on them. We must have a constructive dialogue with the aliens, and learn several important points. For example, what kind of sentient beings exist that we are unaware of? How many are there? What kind of technology do they possess? What kind of cultural and technological innovations do you have that could benefit us? I strongly suspect that any civilization advanced enough to reach us would have better answers to these questions than us.

Many have voiced their belief that an alien arrival would certainly amount to an invasion. These opinions have no doubt been influenced by popular culture, and are not grounded in fact or logical reasoning. To them, I offer this anecdote. It provides an interesting parallel to our scenario. Take note.