U.S. and International Perspectives on Global Science Policy and Science Diplomacy Report of a Workshop (2012) / Chapter Skim
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2 Science for Diplomacy - Diplomacy for Science
2 Science for Diplomacy - Diplomacy for Science
Pages 25-40
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From page 25... ...
They stressed the importance of clarity and transparency with regard to the motivations for various activities that have been described by the term science diplomacy, and simultaneously acknowledged the difficulties in arriving at a single definition of the term and in defining boundaries that should be drawn between science cooperation and science diplomacy. DEFINITION OF SCIENCE DIPLOMACY Lama Youssef of Syria pointed out that according to Webster's Dictionary, diplomacy is defined as "the art and practice of conducting negotiations between nations" and also as "a skill in handling affairs without arousing hostility." Those two are quite different definitions with different implications.
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From page 26... ...
Scientific cooperation and exchanges between the United States and Iran were cited as an example of cases in which the label science diplomacy could affect scientific counterparts negatively. Diplomacy is also seen as the science or art of avoiding difficulties and successfully engaging in a dialogue with others; thus, it is not surprising that many workshop participants regarded science diplomacy as a useful means of global engagement.
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From page 27... ...
This role often refers to flagship international projects in which nations come together to collaborate on high-cost, high-risk scientific projects that otherwise could not be conducted. But it also refers to the set of policies, such as those governing international travel, that facilitate international science cooperation.
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From page 28... ...
do science diplomacy, scientists do science, and businesses do business." One comment was that a science component in governmental diplomacy is valuable, but science must still be real science; it must be true to the scientific method, for example, not using selected evidence to reach a desired conclusion. Susan Gardner of the U.S.
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From page 29... ...
Another example is the 1972 Moscow summit with President Nixon and Russian President Brezhnev, which led to the creation of a joint committee on science cooperation that resulted in seven science agreements. Unfortunately, U.S.–USSR science cooperation was cut off under President Jimmy Carter after Russia's invasion of Afghanistan.
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From page 30... ...
He noted that at times the science community was ahead of foreign policy leaders in demonstrating that value. For example, Hamburg was involved in discussions related to the Cuban missile crisis and consideration of communication steps aimed at prevention of a nuclear catastrophe.
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Sci ence envoy Gebisa Ejeta noted that implementation of controls in the United States since September 11, 2001, has been very discouraging and has stifled its global engagement capacities. Several workshop participants also noted that U.S.
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From page 32... ...
Eric Bone also noted the disconnect between the form that science diplomacy is taking today and the current organizational structure. Volker ter Meulen, of University of Würzburg and former president of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, underlined the common inflexibility in decision-making processes and described a political culture of "short-termism" among policy makers, where science is expected to provide easy answers quickly and contribute on short notice to single issues.
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From page 33... ...
embassies and suggested implementing a better struc ture within the State Department to make it easy, attractive, and useful for people from the science community to serve as science attachés. Lack of Human Capital and Infrastructure in Partner Developing Countries A serious lack of human capital, coherent national science and tech nology strategies, and research infrastructures in potentially partnering countries was identified by some workshop participants as an important barrier to more effective international engagement.
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From page 34... ...
There is a shortage of functional research centers and science support architecture such as science and technology commissions, merit-based funding mechanisms, or science academies in the develop ing world.2 Several participants identified building such structures as an important goal of science diplomacy. Lack of a Unified Voice Within the Science Community Many workshop participants underlined the failure of scientists to effectively engage policy makers and the public in understanding the role of science and its potential value in diplomacy and in development.
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From page 35... ...
In many cases there are already existing programs and agencies for international cooperation that have important goals and have built capabilities but do not have enough resources, and it may be effective to provide the programs already in place with needed resources. BETTER APPLICATIONS OF SCIENCE DIPLOMACY Workshop participants suggested a variety of ways to improve current and future science diplomacy efforts, some of which are described below.
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From page 36... ...
For developing countries, Abdul Hamid Zakri, science advisor to the prime minister of Malaysia, noted the increasing number of U.S. companies with branches and operations and many technical employees in the developing world.
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From page 37... ...
Encouragement of Competition In several cases, participants noted specific global challenges, such as creating food security, meeting energy needs, adjusting to climate change, and controlling infectious disease, that require collective action. Khotso Mokhele noted various ways in which the U.S.
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From page 38... ...
One partic ipant suggested publishing science diplomacy-related articles in foreign affairs journals instead of scientific journals, to expose politicians and the public to the importance of science in international affairs, and to the significance of what is currently being done. Furthermore, Hernan Chaimovich stated that science diplomacy and leadership can help con
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From page 39... ...
Importance of Transparency and Clarity Many participants reiterated the importance of clarity, transparency, and directness in the science diplomacy process: We need to be selective in choosing clear terms to explain what we are doing and why. Azamat Abdymomunov suggested clearly defining and communicating national interests to partners, to avoid future misunderstandings and contribute to building mutual trust.
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