Science as a Gateway to Understanding:

International Workshop Proceedings, Tehran, Iran
Glenn Schweitzer and Yousef Sobouti, Editors, National Research Council, 2008

In October 2007, the U.S. National Academies and the Iranian Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Science organized the first of a series of planned U.S.-Iranian workshops on the topic "Science as a Gateway to Understanding."........This book includes papers that were presented at the workshop and summaries of the discussions that followed some of the presentations. At the conclusion of the workshop there was general agreement that the presentations on many aspects of science and scientific cooperation that have a bearing on mutual understanding were an important first step. Several participants underscored that the next workshop should emphasize how scientific cooperation can lead in concrete terms to improved understanding among both academic and political leaders from the two countries.

Comment: The workshop reported here seems to me to have been an important initiative. While our governments are at odds one from another, scientists can bridge the gap in understanding, and can sometimes find fruitful ways to cooperate. That in turn can help the political and diplomatic people to bridge their gaps in understanding. JAD