Iranian students face expulsion from Norway

[ajb]

According to the BBC ten Iranian PhD science students have been told they will have to leave Norway due to international sanctions. Basically, the worry is that these students could gain the skills to help develop Iran's nuclear programme.

 

 

The letters say that Norway's Police and Security Service has ruled that their studies could result in the transfer of sensitive technology which could help Iran develop its nuclear industry.

BBC News. (Follow link below)

 

 

The students and their supporters say that these claims are baseless and wrong.

 

However, it has crossed my mind that the West should be banning more students from countries like Iran. Why help governments we do not like in trainning their scientists and engineers, especially is we are worried that they could develop nuclear weapons? The same should be said of chemical and biological weapons.

 

Should we also think about other countries in the Middle East that we are worried about?

 

What about China and even Russia? Both already have a large skills set, but we are talking about the principle of a ban.

 

Or Does allowing such students allow more of the citizens of these countries to see that there is another way of living? In return we also see face-to-face other cultures. Can science trainning be used to break barrers and foster peace and cooperation with countries like Iran?

 

In truth I do not know exactly where I stand on this. However, arming your enemies seems stupid to me, though the Western companies and governments do it all the time.

 

Link

Iran students face expulsion from Norway over sanctions

[CharonY]

To me, scientific education is more than just providing technical expertise. At the same time there is also a significant amount of cultural exchange. It may not happen that much in the undergrad level, where some foreign students may tend to huddle together, but once they hit grad school, they have to go outside their comfort zone to perform. When they go back (though quite a lot prefer to stay, being somewhere for a few years) they also take understanding of other cultural norms with them.

These students may then one day become educators themselves, and I much prefer that they have a global view on things and better understanding of other cultures than just growing up in their own system.

 

Personally, I interact and collaborate with researchers all over the globe toward common scientific goals, despite vastly cultural and linguistic backgrounds. I daresay that those would not have happened if not for exchange programs.

[fiveworlds]

Well all I would do is buy a few textbooks no point going to college if you want to make a nuke that's easy. But I can understand Norway.