User:Cambogin/oncopolicy

The story of the Tower of Babel (probably derived from the ancient Sumerian myths around their great towers, or ziggurats) is well known (Figure 1). Divine intervention shattered humanities single language into a multiplicity of tongues, thus sowing confusion (balal is the Hebrew word 'to confuse'). To describe the structural and advocacy constructs in Europe and the United States as 'Towers of Babel' underestimate the scale of the problem. There is little interest in cancer-research policymaking circles about questions of dependence and interdependence, asymmetrical relations amongst funders and countries, centre-periphery relations or indeed in research imperialism. And yet considering the scale of cancer research activity, investment and the socio-political prominence that it enjoys such questions must be addressed. Without this understanding it is seriously questionable whether any major funder, country or representational body can honestly construct a strategy that has external validity.