|
- - - -
Diplomacy for Science
Diplomacy for Science
Just as science can support diplomacy, so too must diplomacy support science.
The most ambitious, game-changing scientific innovations increasingly require
collaboration across disciplinary and territorial borders. For example, the Human
Genome Project, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor and the Large
Hadron Collider are projects that require huge up-front investments in infrastructure
that are beyond the budget of any one country. Even on a smaller scale, contract -
negotiations, intellectual property agreements or visa regulations require diplomatic assistance. This ideal has been realised very successfully in the scientific programmes of the European Union.
But scientific innovations also pose risks. Warfare in the 20th century was transformed by the development of nuclear technology. In the 21st century, developments in neuroscience, chemical and biological weapons, and cybertechnology will pose new risks. Diplomacy will therefore have a critical role in establishing rules, norms and governance structures to manage such risks.
© National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 2011
|
|
