The Global Research Think Tank and Its Organization

Global Research

The website I chose is Global Research, which is the Centre for Research on Globalization. This is an organization that acts as "an independent research and media ... non-profit organization in the province of Quebec" (About Centre for Research on Globalizaiton, 2015). The Centre publishes books, promotes humanitarian projects, educational outreach, conferences, and also serves as a "think tank on crucial economic and geopolitical issues" (About Centre for Research on Globalizaiton, 2015).

The lay theories that the website aligns with most closely are the Court of Public Opinion theory behind the Hired-Gun View as well as the Silver Bullet theory, which holds that there is an existing mainstream narrative "that can shape how people think" (Eadie, 2009, p. 701) -- and the Global Research organization is dedicated to providing an alternative perspective on global, geopolitical events.

The reason the website appears to align with these theories is that it is obviously concerned about shaping public opinion, as it calls itself a "think tank" in its About section. And the narratives that it promotes and publishes are antithetical to the mainstream mass media narratives that one finds being trumpeted on networks like Fox News or CNN. Global Research takes the position, for example, that Turkey "protects and supplies" Al-Nusra in the Middle East and that events like 9/11 and the Paris attacks need to be investigated by an independent authority to uncover whether there was foreknowledge or involvement on the part of agencies within Western governments (9/11 and War on Terrorism, 2016).

The organization targets disaffected portions of the populace who are anti-establishment in outlook because the majority of its articles and publications are oriented against the prevailing doctrines and narratives of the mainstream mass media. The organization benefits from technology like the Internet and social media because without these the organization would never get its message or content out as profusely as it does today, without little overhead or competition (as the Internet allows virtually anyone and everyone to host a site and present a point-of-view). However, the organization does attract respected names in the field of independent journalism, such as William Engdahl, who has written extensively on geopolitics in the Middle East. By utilizing the Internet, the organization is able to share, communicate and dispense information in a more efficient and profuse manner than were it to depend solely on print media.