| dc.description.abstract | THE INTERPLAY of science, technology, and foreign relations is a
primary issue of our times. Foreign policy questions with major
technological components now rank with territorial and ideological
concerns in international debates. 1 t seems that Winston Churchill's
prophecy has come true: "The empires of the future are the empires
of the mind. ''
What will these empires be like? Will genetic engineering so advance
agriculture in arid and tropical climates that poor nations become
able to produce enough food for themselves? Will materials and
biotechnology research in university laboratories today have commercial
applications in the next 5 to 10 years?
What might such advances mean for the international community?
What policies and practices are being devised at home to assure that
science and technology support our objectives for military and economic
security, expanded employment opportunities, improved public
welfare, and national prestige? What will be the impact of what we
do on our allies and adversaries? What do they think it will be?
These are sorne of the broad questions that surround the main issues
of technological advance and foreign relations-industrial competitiveness
and economic growth, military security and the push toward
locating strategic defense systems in outer space, impediments
and incentives to technology transfer, population growth and distribution,
and food and nutrition. New concerns are appearing on the horizon
as the already pervasive influence of advanced technology on economies, societies, and relationships among nations continues to
intensify.
Establishing an analytical framework for the highly complex interactions
that underlie such issues requires an interdisciplinary effort.
The symposium on which this book is based was a first step in bringing
together leaders from high-technology industries, banking and finance,
the law, labor, government, and the university and foreign policy
communities to consider these interactions. | |
