First the arms race Š now the knowledge race. America's military industrial complex is discovering the information revolution, and the results would give Dr. Strangelove a wry smile. If knowledge really is power, the generals are wondering, how can it be wielded most effectively as a weapon?
One method, suggested in the March/April issue of Foreign Affairs, is for America to dole out carefully measured doses of knowledge to affect the balance of power. When Britain wanted to know what the Argentineans were up to in the Falklands, for example, the US provided satellite imagery.
But over the long run there is no policy surer to poison the well from which America's influence springs. Knowledge is only power as long as it's not seen to be power; once its nature becomes obvious, it loses its status as knowledge.
