Det kalla kriget 2.0 och dess effekter på forskningen

IEEE, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, publicerar 30 procent av världens forskningslitteratur inom datavetenskap, elektronik och elektroteknik. Nu har organisationen rÃ¥kat ut för kritik dÃ¥ den hindrar medlemmar i sÃ¥ kallade ”rogue states” (Iran, Kuba, Irak, Libyen, Sudan) frÃ¥n att publicera i tidskrifterna.

Iran tycks ha drabbats värst. Där är 1700 forskare, universitetslärare och studenter medlemmar av IEEE.

Bakgrunden är att IEEE inte vill bryta mot de amerikanska handelssanktionerna mot dessa stater.

Andra vetenskapliga organisationer i USA gör andra tolkningar. En talesman för American Geophysical Union, med ett dussintal medlemmar i Iran, säger till Science att man inte hindrar publikationer; Science har samma hållning. Läs mer i Science. Jämför även Daniel Kevles om bioteknik och amerikanska restriktioner:

[I]n several ways todayÂ’s biologists face more difficult obstacles than physicists did in the early Cold War. Then, a scientist was made suspect by his or her political affiliations. In principle, suspicion could be allayed by repudiations of past political behavior and renunciation of current allegedly dubious activity. In contrast, what makes a scientist suspect today is his or her nationality, which is difficult to modify, or ethnicity, which is unchangeable. There is no appeal against the denial of access to selected biological agents on the basis of nationality; it applies absolutely without exception…. Visa delays and denials have already interfered with or caused the cancellation of important international conferences, disrupted careers, and slowed research projects– including, according to media reports, an anti-HIV drug, a vaccine against the West Nile virus, and sensors to detect biowarfare agents.Citerat via Alex Soojung-Kim Pang