The growing trade war and isolationism being advanced by the current government administration will have a severe impact on U.S. science. To appreciate this it must first be understood that science is an international endeavor. The culture of each nationality provides a different perspective on a given science problem. Putting those perspectives together yields new insights into a discovery. In my scientific career, I have written journal articles with scientists from many different countries (South Korea, Japan, China, England, France, Norway, Italy, Germany, etc.). Everyone wins from this type of interaction.

We as a people are concerned about the theft of intellectual property, as we should be. But remember, in the 1790s Samuel Slater brought the industrial revolution to America from England. We did it, and we should expect others to try. Unfortunately, it is up to us to protect ourselves. We should also remember that game theory experiments have shown that everyone does better when you play win-win vs. win-lose. However, when money is involved one worries about who is playing win-lose and who is playing win-win.

With respect to the current trade war for scientists, the first problem occurs when we must spend more money on laboratory equipment because it comes from China and becomes more expensive. This is exacerbated by the decrease in funding for U.S. science; equipment costs more and we have less money to spend. A second problem arises if we are not allowed to collaborate with foreign scientists. This will limit our advances. A third problem arises in the threatened shutdown of visas for students from other countries to study in the U.S. A major source of science students in our university is other countries. They pay full out-of-state tuition. They make our university more efficient from a financial viewpoint. If students from other countries are not allowed to study here, we will have a financial problem.

When I was a student, I had to learn German, because most of the older journal articles were written in German. Those scientists were driven out of Germany in the 1930s. It is no longer necessary for a scientist to learn any language other than English. However, some of my colleagues have already left for jobs in other countries. Most of the postings of job opportunities are for outside the U.S., and the Chinese are heavily recruiting for science jobs in China. Will the U.S. lose its role of leadership in science?

My point is that going it alone is not a good idea.