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The interrelated nature of science, power and culture is subject to a ?conceptual silence? in common discourses related to science and politics in general and in large segments of the social sciences. International relations literature is no exception: this literature as well gives scant attention to the issue of legitimacy, and in particular the role of scientific legitimacy in global environmental politics. Instead, the ?erosion-of-sovereignty? literature has tended to focus on the issues of autonomy and control, categories that are less mediated by perception and hence easier objects of study for international relations scholars (ibid.). These silences in the social science literature about the challenge science poses to state control are startling given that science is a prime, powerful and persistent factor effecting transformation within and between nations. This paper seeks to fill some of these gaps through a case study of Brazil, with central focus on national anxieties in relationship to the Amazon and international science. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]