Close Encounters or Smoke and Mirrors? Lights of Transparency and Shadows of Legitimacy in New Jersey's Sky

In recent weeks, public discourse about extraterrestrial politics within the broader framework of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs)—commonly referred to as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs)—has suddenly transitioned from conspiracy (Roswell crash 1947) to reality (New Jersey sightings 2024), spanning almost one hundred years of speculation (Belgian Wave 1989–1990), fabrication (fake alien autopsy film 1995), mystification (Phoenix Lights 1997), and exploitation (Project Blue Book 1952–1969). The resurgence of the alien trend, which has gained considerable prominence in official discussions at both interstate and intrastate levels, probably originated in the United States during Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, when she appointed John Podesta, a leading advocate for disclosure, to her team, who pledged to declassify top secret information concerning the existence of extraterrestrial life forms upon her election.

Once considered a quintessential American phenomenon at the intersection of security politics, mass entertainment, and media sensationalism, as illustrated by comments from various former US presidents, such as Bill Clinton on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2014 and Barack Obama on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2021, the question of extraterrestrial apparitions has long mirrored the power dynamics of the post-Cold War era, during the “unipolar moment”, when US society, overly confident in its alleged full-spectrum dominance, believed it could only be confronted by global (climate change) or universal (alien invasion) threats. However, the fascination surrounding extraterrestrial manifestations has garnered worldwide attention due to the swift decline of US hegemony, which no longer resembles a future intergalactic empire reminiscent of Star Trek and Star Wars, and the emergence of new competitors on the international stage who possess advanced technological capabilities, such as Russia in military prowess, China in artificial intelligence, and India in space exploration. From Dmitri Medvedev's 2012 off-air interview, which revealed that he received files about extraterrestrial beings secretly residing among humans after his election as Russian president, to Taro Kono, Japan's minister of defence, who announced the official protocol for pilots regarding UFO sightings in 2020, the question of extraterrestrial intelligence has received widespread interest, prompting numerous governmental agencies, such as France's GEIPAN (Unidentified Aerospace Phenomenon Research and Information Group) and Argentina's CEFORA (Argentinean Republic Committee for UFO Phenomena Studies), to conduct investigations, raising questions related not only to physics and biology, or security and diplomacy, but also transparency and legitimacy.

In both extraterrestrial and terrestrial politics, transparency traditionally serves as a façade, a surface gesture devoid of genuine substance, as it comprises a selective and manipulative communication tool. Political theorists, ranging from non-Western thinkers such as Confucius and Kautilya to Western philosophers like Machiavelli and Hobbes, and even contemporary right-wing figures like Friedrich Hayek, as well as left-wing scholars like Gilles Deleuze, have consistently emphasized the crucial role of deception in the wielding of power. In the realm of cosmic contacts, it is unequivocal that official discourses on transparency seek above all to mitigate public curiosity and cultivate assurance in the civilian population that unexplained aerial phenomena are entirely under state control, as it is anticipated in liberal democracies where information, in theory, is horizontally shared with citizens. Operating as a mechanism for democratic virtue signalling, ostensibly demonstrating openness while reshaping narratives and limiting access to highly sensitive documents, thus allowing authorities to manage public perception, the notion of transparency can conveniently accommodate a wide array of conflicting interests, from legitimizing neo-imperialism, as evidenced by Ronald Reagan's 1987 address on human unification under US leadership in the event of an alien invasion, to reinforcing theological frameworks, as exemplified by Pope Francis's 2014 proposal to baptize extraterrestrials and incorporate them into the Catholic Church.

In the present case, the prevailing crisis of authority in the post-truth era certainly exacerbates the recent sightings in the state of New Jersey, making them particularly captivating, whether they pertain to classified advanced aircraft like the Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bombers of the 1980s, often misidentified as UFOs during their testing phase, or to authentic spacecraft piloted by non-human entities. The extensive utilization of digital technology, particularly smartphones equipped with high-resolution cameras, now allows ordinary people, rather than mainstream media or government officials, to shape the narrative regarding these presumed otherworldly apparitions via social media, thereby prompting inquiries not only into military security and territorial integrity but also public transparency and political legitimacy within American society. Indeed, the proliferation of these devices, which enable anyone to capture and disseminate content in real time and rapidly achieve viral status, underscores the decentralization of traditional information channels and power structures, challenging the governmental role in the alien disclosure process. However, what may initially seem to be a constructive approach to combat secrecy ultimately erodes institutional credibility, fuels public anxiety, and endangers national security by leaking footage that could expose critical military technology and unveil classified information potentially exploitable by enemies of the regime. In this context, a responsible government response should prioritize ambiguous information over concrete or explicit information to conceal the truth, adopt a controlled approach that allows authorities to distort public opinion for the sake of general interest, and safeguard sensitive information through limited censorship. This strategy would aim to reconcile the imperative of public awareness with the precedence of security concerns, particularly when it involves incidents related to the supreme state's interests, such as UFOs flying over air force bases and nuclear launching sites.

With potential significant advancements in aero-spatial technology, UFOs, while seemingly insignificant at first glance, could pose a considerable challenge to India’s territorial integrity and military security, particularly if regional competitors like China and Pakistan obtain a strategic advantage in this domain. The subject of extraterrestrial politics therefore poses both a risk and a prospect, as it encompasses unknown machinery supposedly capable of breaching sovereign airspace and disabling defence systems, while its examination may yield major scientific breakthroughs. In recent years, many platforms, including X and Instagram, have reported nationwide cases of sightings and contacts, indicating a growing fascination with UFOs among the Indian population, resulting in heightened demand for publicly disclosed information. Thus far, New Delhi has exercised much prudence in discussing the matter, maintaining a discreet stance to prevent the spread of misinformation on social media and potential risks to security agencies, such as the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Considering the critical importance of air defence systems, it is evident that revealing sensitive information might provide a substantial threat to national security, perhaps exposing certain vulnerabilities. Subsequently, in alignment with the aforementioned strategy, a more balanced approach could involve the withholding of crucial information about military engagements with alien technologies, while gradually disclosing low-sensitive information about civilian encounters with exoplanetary entities. This could also entail conducting independent investigations through diverse agencies such as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and encouraging public curiosity in the subject, perhaps benefiting technological innovation and research programs in general. As India positions itself as a global leader in space diplomacy by expanding initiatives and projects like Chandrayaan, it is leveraging its experience in multipolar leadership to propose a multilateral approach to extraterrestrial politics. This could involve, for instance, taking the lead in the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and using its diplomatic influence to shape international UFO-related discussions.

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