Containing Russia's nuclear firebirds

Description

"In Containing Russia's Nuclear Firebirds, Glenn E. Schweitzer explores the life and legacy of the International Science and Technology Center in Moscow. He makes the case that the center's unique programs can serve as models for promoting responsible science in many countries of the world. Never before have scientists encountered technology with the potential for such huge impacts on the global community, both positive and negative. For nearly two decades following the Soviet Union's breakup into independent states, the ISTC has provided opportunities for underemployed Russian weapon scientists to redirect their talents toward civilian research. The center has championed the role of science in determining the future of civilization and has influenced nonproliferation policies of Russia and other states in the region. Most important, the center has demonstrated that modest investments can encourage scientists of many backgrounds to shun greed and violence and to take leading roles in steering the planet toward prosperity and peace. Schweitzer contends that the United States and other western and Asian countries failed to recognize the importance, over time, of modifying their donor-recipient approach to dealing with Russia. In April 2010 the Russian government announced that it would withdraw from the ISTC agreement. After expenditures exceeding one billion dollars, the ISTC's Moscow Science Center will soon close its doors, leaving a legacy that has benefited Russian society as well as partners from thirty-eight countries. Schweitzer argues that a broader and more sustained movement is now needed to help prevent irresponsible behavior by dissatisfied or misguided scientists and their patrons"-- "In the aftermath of the Soviet Union's breakup into fifteen independent states, the governments of the United States, the European Community, Japan, and Russia established the International Science and Technology Center in Moscow to address the dangers of nuclear scientists "on the loose." The purpose of the ISTC (also known as the Moscow Science Center) was to prevent the illicit flow of dangerous weapons expertise out of the former Soviet Union by helping its underemployed nuclear, biological, chemical, and aerospace weapons scientists redirect their skills to peaceful civilian endeavors. Since its creation in 1994, the ISTC has provided more than $1.3 billion to support 2,740 projects involving nearly 100,000 scientists from the former Soviet Union and international partners. Thirty-nine governments have become part of the ISTC family. Somewhat unexpectedly, in April 2010, the Russian government announced that it would withdraw from the agreement establishing the ISTC, contending that the Center had accomplished its mission. The Moscow Science Center will close its doors in 2015, effectively terminating ISTC activities based in Russia. Schweitzer examines the impact and effectiveness of the ISTC and emphasizes opportunites for the internal community to draw on its legacy"--

Subjects

Series Statement

• Studies in security and international affairs