From Pugwash to Putin: A Critical History of US-Soviet Scientific Cooperation
Add to Wishlist
From Pugwash to Putin: A Critical History of US-Soviet Scientific Cooperation

From Pugwash to Putin: A Critical History of US-Soviet Scientific Cooperation

by Gerson S Sher

Overview

For 60 years, scientists from the United States and the Soviet Union participated in state-organized programs of collaboration. But what really happened in these programs? What were the hopes of the participants and governments? How did these programs weather the bumpiest years of political turbulence? And were the programs worth the millions of dollars invested in them? From Pugwash to Putin provides accounts from 63 insiders who participated in these programs, including interviews with scientists, program managers, and current or former government officials. In their own words, these participants discuss how and why they engaged in cooperative science, what their initial expectations were, and what lessons they learned. They tell stories of gravitational waves, classified chalkboards, phantom scientists, AIDS propaganda, and gunfire at meteorological stations, illustrating the tensions and benefits of this collaborative work. From the first scientific exchanges of the Cold War years through the years following the fall of the Soviet Union, Gerson S. Sher provides a sweeping and critical history of what happens when science is used as a foreign policy tool. Sher, a former manager of these cooperative programs, provides a detailed and critical assessment of what worked, what didn't, and why it matters.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780253042620
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Publication date: 05/17/2019
Pages: 318
Sales rank: 1,253,214
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Gerson S. Sher spent twenty years as Program Coordinator for US-Soviet and East European Programs at the National Science Foundation, before providing leadership throughout the rest of his career to private and public foundations at the intersection of scientific cooperation, international affairs, and global security.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments


Introduction


Part I: The Timeline


1. The Deep Cold War and the Exchange Program


2. Détente and the Heyday of Massive Agreements


3. Sanctions and Perestroika


4. After the Fall: New Times, New Approaches



Part II: In Their Own Words


5. How Did It Start?


6. What Kept Them Going?


7. Scientific Accomplishments


8. Other Accomplishments


9. Problems


10. On the Nature of Sciences in the Former Soviet Union


11. Vignettes



Part III: Conclusion: So What?


12. What to Make of It All?


Appendix: List of Interviews


References

What People are Saying About This

"

Sher's book is a masterful account of "what worked, what didn't, and why it matters" in science collaboration between the US and the Soviet Union during and after the cold war. Both scientists and diplomats interested in science diplomacy can learn from his authoritative account informed by insightful interviews with key participants.

"

E. William Colglazier

Sher's book is a masterful account of "what worked, what didn't, and why it matters" in science collaboration between the US and the Soviet Union during and after the cold war. Both scientists and diplomats interested in science diplomacy can learn from his authoritative account informed by insightful interviews with key participants.

Robert E. Berls

From Pugwash to Putin is a testament to the deep personal commitment of many brave scientists in the US and the USSR (and post-Soviet Russia) who triumphed over adversity for the betterment of mankind. Sher does a brilliant job in bringing this tale of commitment and cooperation to life. Let's hope this story will remind today's leaders that despite political differences there is much to be gained through scientific cooperation.

Customer Reviews