Thinking the future through fiction or the Influence of popular culture in Security: The Red team case study

Abstract

Popular culture artefacts have had a profound influence on the collective imagination, an influence that can be seen not only in the way people think about security today, but also in the strategic thinking of decision-makers. This reality may have only recently entered the academic arena, but it has been present in decision making spheres for much longer. Countries have created a real link between the political sphere and the major cultural players. The United States is a figurehead in this field, and the relationship between Washington and Hollywood is almost as old as the American film industry itself. Beyond being a simple influence, fiction, and mainly science fiction, has been used as a real player in security decision-making. The United States was the first country to create a team of science fiction writers to advise decision-making in the 1980s, and while this initiative was unique at the time, many other countries have now decided to create similar initiatives. The French Ministry of the Armed Forces is behind the Red Team initiative, a team of science fiction writers, scientists and military personnel working together to draw up scenarios of future threats to France. While this initiative is not exclusive to France, it does have a number of unique features.