Source: "Editorial: U.S.-Cuban Scientific Relations," Sergio Jorge Pastrana and Michael T. Clegg, Science 17 October 2008: Vol. 322. no. 5900, p. 345.The foreign secretaries of the U.S. and Cuban Academies of Science call for increased scientific cooperation in this editorial. They feel the need to suggest areas in which cooperation would be fruitful, but I discovered in 15 years of funding international scientific collaboration projects that the scientists themselves do a great job in figuring out whether a collaborative project will advance their interests. I would prefer an investigator initiated, peer reviewed process for selecting projects.
The more fundamental issue is whether the time is ripe for scientific diplomacy. My guess is that it is now time. The people of Cuba and those of the United States should come together, and the government of Cuba may well be ready for raproachment either now or soon. Scientific diplomacy is a good first step, as is cultural diplomacy more generally.
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