Hello Everyone,
I have to admit that i am sort of surprised that this topic is being posted here.
As i did not know that such question would actually get serious replies.
But that being said, fact is fact the question is out there: Are we alone?
One has to remember that in human history there are loads of myths and stories about aliens and alien like events.
Now regardless if any of this is true, i personally believe that humankind in general is not yet ready to accept the fact that IF the day comes or the final proof is being presented that we are not alone as it would trash most of our cultural beliefs (Religion and such) Which would be a massive slap in the face to millions and millions of people.
So beside the above facts there use to be a day that people where thinking that guys like Jules Verne, Nostradamus and many other "experimental" people where completely out of their mind. In fact people got killed in the dark ages for having alternative ways of thinking.
Nowadays we call those guys visionary and part of our history as some or most of their visions and idea's got proven.
At the present day the call for "proof" and the question: Are we alone? is more alive and on top then ever.
Out of all the space telescopes and radio/signal installations (not to mention other systems and organizations) there is a small portion dedicated to finding out if we are alone or not.
Day in day out satellites and all kinds of hardware are seeking out the universe to find something. (Regardless if this is a new planet, a new star or ET's home)
That being said there is not a single person on the planet that 100% can rule out the possibility that we are NOT alone, but there is neither a person who can proof that we are ALONE.
Fact is that human history is full stories about "visitors" and "extraordinary" events.
Culture upon culture even thousands of miles apart from each other report similar events and include those events into their teachings and historical or cultural records.
So lets assume that 1% of everything that we know or think to know about ET turns out to be true, then its save to say that humankind has to change their very principal foundations and common values and believes.
Imaging to have all the religious leaders sitting on one big table during a meeting and tell them that their "religion" is flawed and tell the world that everything we knew and everything we did accept was based upon wrong info, Tell the world that the very principles of our society needs to be rewritten.
That on its own would be a catastrophic shock, and a event bigger then WO1 and WO2 combined.
So how would the world respond upon detection of a incoming alien armada (Or ship) None of us can reply to that as everything we would be able to say is based on hypothetical protocols and smart thinking.
Hell we do not even know if we could detect them, we do not even know if human logic would be accepted by ET not forgetting that Human logic might not have a reply to that..
For all we know every book in the world, every scenario might be worthless in a alien visit event.
Not to mention that if ET is capable of evading our detection and if ET is capable of traveling long distances trough space then i venture to say that the odds are NOT into our favor.
Humankind evolved generation upon generation but we are a young race as some animals are WAY older then we are.
During our evolution and teachings we have learned everything we can do at this point.
From making fire to splitting the atom in a few thousand years...
However science itself is bound to the laws of nature and we are not capable yet to rewrite those laws.
We might alter them a bit but they are still in the context and frame of what nature and earth/ technology allows us to do.
My point here is:
If ET can come here to earth and if ET would be capable to bring a force with them, then this is already shocking and would change most of our technological laws.
At NASA, ESA and the Russian Space Industry we have the worlds brightest minds working.
At Harvard, MIT and other Universities we have think tanks and seriously promising people working to invent the next big thing.
People like Einstein and Freud did write the mathematical and universal laws and and many others adjusted those laws based upon new discoveries.
But the same people would have NO clue and no reply if ET picks our planet to make a pit stop.
The very fact that they can come here would mean by definition that human kind would be technological in a disadvantage and that every technological book needs to be rewritten.
Everything we believe and have learned in our couple thousand of years would be challenged to the very core.
So a ET visit itself would be both fantastic and amazing, but also catastrophic on its own.
And then we did not even mention ET's intentions or Human response.
So before debating how we would react we first need to understand the fact that the very detection of ET itself will set the balance and set the stage for future responses.
And yes human logic itself might be catastrophic and diplomacy might fail before it even started, which ultimately would lead to a confrontation.
Lucky for us there are billions of humans around so the sheer numbers would indicate that there is a option for human survival (That is if ET does not blow up our planet lol)
Fact is if Humanlogic, Reasoning and Diplomacy fails that war or a conflict is the last thing we have left.
That being said the major powers like: USA, Russia, China, France, UK, Germany, India, Japan and regional powers would do wise in avoiding any mass confrontation for the simple fact if these powers fall then humankind will fall pretty much right after it.
So assuming that Humanlogic, Reasoning and Diplomacy fails then going Underground and Guerrilla (Al Quada) style warfare and Intel gathering would be our best bet.
And this are just basic things as its WAY more complicated then described by others.
Our whole idea of Warfare, Strategy and Intel Gathering would be subject to massive changes.
Governments around the world (Specially major powers) spend millions and millions in space programs and some might laugh about it the other might find it odd and another might justify it for perfect legit reasons.
But fact is they found bacteria in space, they found micro organism's and they found minerals and traces of life supporting chemicals.
So that on its own would be reason enough to increase our technological progress towards space and our need for knowledge.
Also it would require the whole world as ONE community to research and develop new idea's and accept new logic based upon the findings.
And as long we are fighting amongst ourself, and challenging social/political and economic/strategic difficulties it would mean by definition that what ever we did accomplish it would be to little and not enough.
Also the question needs to be asked: Why would ET visit us in the first place?
Are they explorers like a typical Star Trek Scenario?
Are they gathering resources? Like the battle of LA Scenario?
Are they Colonizing planets because their own planet is about to run out of whatever they need?
Regardless their motives fact is that if one would apply standard human logic and if one would read our history then it has always been the case that the one with the biggest stick rules a less bigger stick.
And our own history proves beyond the reasonable doubt that our drive for expansion did come at the cost of a lesser nation.
Look what happened in the Golden Age, Dutch, British, and Spanish colonization on a massive scale.
Little nations, tribes and civilizations around the world got overthrown and turned into slaves and such to support a bigger power.
So if ET would be subject to Human knowledge then its save to assume that there is a huge risk that Earth and human kind might be enslaved one way or another.
To get back at the prime question which institution would be responsible to make first contact, that would be the UN or a UN appointed Institution or Person.
However the question is would it be a first contact, or would contacting them itself be a war declaration?
And the final question would it be first contact or would it be: Hello Mister ET long time no see... our historical books mentioned your bother frank visiting the maya's.
So there is to much what ifs, but as other people posted in this topic.
If such a event would happen, then this event would be by definition the biggest event ever recorded in human history and would make the discovery of Fire, Penicillin, and splitting the Atom look like childsplay.
Cheers