zlacker

"In a parting shot before her retirement, the European Commission’s top science diplomat has castigated the US for destroying its reputation as a global scientific leader.

...

Speaking at the European Science Diplomacy Conference in Copenhagen, she did not elaborate on exactly how the US was wrecking its reputation.

...

The next programme, which starts in 2028, will also be more focused on European defence technology and industrial strength, raising questions over how welcome non-European partners will be, particularly in sensitive projects."

I am inclined to agree with her conclusion. But this is a political statement by a European diplomat selling her programme and asking for funds.

We can find better sources for documenting what’s happening. There is even nascent progress in measuring the harm.

>>JumpCr+(OP)
From the EU perspective, I can see why it pays to say the US is an unreliable or unnecessary partner. It may or may not be true, but cui bono: EU gets to reindustrialize and invest domestically. Seems like a great idea for EU and US both.

>>JumpCr+(OP)
Not entirely baseless though :

> the US government has cut scientific grants to academics working on diversity-related topics, halted biomedical grants to international partners, and demanded universities shut down academic units that “belittle” conservative ideas, or risk losing federal funding.

> These efforts have in some cases been overturned by courts or faced opposition from universities. And huge proposed cuts in federal research funding may be blunted by Congress. But still, the reputational damage has led Europe to attempt a poaching spree of disillusioned US academics.

>>JumpCr+(OP)
While America is appearing to be the abject fool here, it’s hard to take any of Europe’s criticisms like this seriously when even in the best of times they have constantly castigated us as fools.

They were calling us fools when we were inventing AI in 2015 too.

I think what we are doing today is horribly executed, but likely motivated by a farsightedness Europe can’t believe is there since we are all just dumb fools. (Collapse of globalism as a sustainable system)

>>jvande+T
What makes you think the U.S continues to be a reliable partner for anyone anywhere?

>>tsunam+h1
>They were calling us fools when we were inventing AI in 2015 too.

were they? You invented AI in 2015? My Nokia had predictive text over 20 years ago

> but likely motivated by a farsightedness

Oh you're thinking two quarters ahead now?

>>jvande+T
The US doesn't have any partners anymore, except for some small countries like Hungary and Israel.

>>tsunam+h1
> While America is appearing to be the abject fool here

I would just leave it at that.

>>sallve+41
Sure. But the editorialized titled makes it sound like we have evidence of the damage. The article doesn’t provide that, it’s citing a political speech.

>>wozer+t2
I think you'd be surprised how much intel sharing and cooperation happens behind the political curtains.

>>JumpCr+y3
For sure and it’s not even clear if there will be be a lot of long term damage. The next admin might roll all of it back and then some.

It doesn’t seem extremely likely at the moment but I also don’t think it’s super unlikely.

>>sallve+vk
These things tends to do decades of harm in science, the USA isn't the first to do stupid things to its academia, even if the next administration tries to repair. Stuff, relations and people will be gone.

>>jvande+C3
This was starting to change even during Trump 1. It's unlikely to last throughout this current term.

>>disgru+ck1
> This was starting to change even during Trump 1

What is your source?

We’re entering a multipolar world. That means more border wars, not less. Everything I’ve seen indicates more demand for American military and intelligence sharing, not less, despite the paradox therein.

>>jvande+C3
A number of European countries have PUBLICLY come out to say they are suspending cooperation on a number of different fronts. You can only imagine what it’s like in private.

>>lawles+V1
I was on googles founding LLM research team so… yes?

>>JumpCr+yG1
Just general EU political news, I remember the UK not sharing some intelligence in Trump 1. I presume that a lot more of that happens behind the scenes.

I totally take your point around border wars, but I would expect to see substantial efforts to reduce the need for US intelligence, given the caprice shown by the current administration.