Foreign‑tied Influencers Run Science Panels

Political influencers with business and foreign connections are being installed in advisory science roles, where they mix procurement advocacy, foreign policy views and public outreach without scientific credentials. That combination can intimidate collaborators, skew contracting, and make research bodies vectors for geopolitical influence. — If appointments like this spread, they can turn independent scientific advice into a tool for private gain and foreign‑policy signaling, undermining allied cooperation and evidence‑based policy in strategic domains (e.g., the Arctic).