The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2007

framework for engagement that is outside the realm of contentious, highly politicized matters of foreign policy. Virtually every country in the world needs to find solutions to chal- lenges posed by pollution, infectious diseases, declining biodiversity and carbon-producing energy sources. Fourth, social science research shows that the best way to improve relations between groups is sustained and meaningful contact to address common problems. Issues of science, technology, environment and health fit this bill exactly. Addressing global challenges together, as partners, will help to remedy the challenges them- selves — and it may also improve broader international relationships. Fifth, the scientific enterprise is already global and engages a network of individuals linked by common interests, not ideology, ethnicity or nationality. Thus, science and engi- neering offer a promising foundation on which to build stronger bonds. Sixth, S&T cooperation allows the United States to engage in a public diplomacy of deeds, not words — an approach recently endorsed by Under Secretary of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes. At a time when America is distrusted even by the populations of allied countries, tangible acts that reflect our values are an invaluable way to achieve U.S. public diplomacy goals. S&T cooper- ation, with its focus on strengthening the human potential and institutional capacity necessary for education, sci- entific inquiry, health care, innovation and economic opportunity, speaks to what we stand for as a nation. A Comprehensive Systemic Approach Finally, the scientific enterprise reflects values Americans embrace: meritocracy, transparency, the com- petition of ideas, accountability and the need to engage in critical thinking. Tackling these important issues directly may seem politically motivat- ed, patronizing or even subversive. Addressing them in the context of sci- ence is more constructive and less political. After all, these values are already embraced by the global scien- tific community, not just Americans. Important as they are, OES and STAS are far from the only sources of S&T cooperation in the U.S. govern- ment. Other functional bureaus in the State Department — such as the Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs — have valuable expertise and relationships in this area. And numerous other federal agencies engage in S&T cooperation and outreach to foreign publics. As a 2005 Brookings Institution report observed, nine U.S. govern- ment agencies — ranging from USAID and the Department of Health and Human Services to the National Science Foundation and the Environ- mental Protection Agency already maintain extensive programs to engage foreign scientists, engineers and doc- tors. Moreover, organizations outside the federal government — professional societies, corporations, think-tanks, research organizations, laboratories and universities — work on literally thousands of initiatives that engage for- eign publics and civil-society groups. Deeper and more focused engage- ment with these organizations in the United States and overseas would benefit American public diplomacy. But first things first. U.S. diplo- mats can accomplish much with few additional resources simply by engag- ing the State Department’s S&T ex- perts in the critical task of public diplomacy. Such cooperation affords rich opportunities for positive engage- ment with foreign societies, but its full potential remains untapped. Kristin M. Lord is associate dean of The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and a nonresident fellow at The Brookings Institution. From 2005 to 2006, she served as a special adviser to Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky. J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 15 S P E A K I N G O U T These programs offer benefits for education, health care and economic opportunity, and they speak to what we stand for as a nation.