14 DAY TRIAL // A new report, released by an appointed panel of the non-partisan National Research Council, shows that the way in which America's scientific secrets are kept is no longer secure, now that the Soviet Union is gone and the term “enemies” can designate virtually anyone. Additionally, the report underlines the fact that foreign scientists, who could make a positive contribution to the development of the United States, are discouraged from coming to America by endless Visa waiting lines, formalities and paper work, as well as by immigration controls.
"Our visa controls have made it more difficult or less attractive for talented foreign professionals to come and learn what is great about this country, or to stay and help grow the American economy. Our [science] export controls retard both the U.S. and its allies from sharing access to military technology, and handicap American business from competing globally," reads the recently-released report.
It goes on to say that "The committee's findings confirm the urgent need for fundamental policy change to counteract the harm that is being done to national security and economic prosperity by national security controls adopted in the 1960s and 1970s that reflect Cold War-era policies. The committee recommends the issuance of an Executive Order that implements the recommendations it has outlined as one of the first orders of business in January 2009."
Tennessee Democrat Bart Gordon, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee for Science and Technology, accepted the report as a very "serious attempt," and pledged to have his subordinates go over it thoroughly over the next few months. Indeed, some old regulations seem obsolete, especially those stating that any science exports should be done vigilantly, and not open-heartedly. Refusals to do so should be justified by authorities as well, the report states.
"Many of the most important technologies for continued military superiority originate in the commercial sector rather than in the military sector. Furthermore, such technological capabilities increasingly arise from scientific and engineering research taking place around the world, not just in the United States," it concludes.