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Published online 7 July 2008 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2008.938
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Netherlands bans Iranians from studying nuclear technology
Legislation bans nationals from courses and facilities.
The Dutch government has enacted legislation barring Iranian nationals from access to courses and facilities related to nuclear technology.
Under the new law, passed on 4 July, Iranians, including those holding dual citizenship in the Netherlands, will be unable to enrol in graduate-level courses involving nuclear and rocket technologies.
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"I am against Iranian policy and ideology; that is why I live in the Netherlands, You are banning the enemy of your enemy," ... true - some of the enemy of the enemy but also some of the enemy. But all in all a very inefficient way of going about it. Cutting the head of the hydra is no use. A hundred more will sprout. You have to recognise and name the enemy and then cut off the root. The enemy is fanaticism bred out of ignorance, dogmatism, superstition and lies. The root cause is childhood indoctrination. Ban the schools that indoctrinate children, free the human mind and the problem of radicalism will disappear. My two cent bit - I now leave the field to the chorus of righteous indignation.
Does The Netherlands also apply the same restriction to students from nuclear states that are not party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty - India, Israeli and Pakistan - which, unlike Iran, don't allow IAEA inspectors to monitor their nuclear facilities?
I am Iranian student and I am doing my PhD in Europe. May be it’s the first official ban But I have seen lots of unofficial restriction in another western country against Iranian students. In my opinion it is too late to make such this restriction against Iran and Iranians. Iranian government has got the uranium enrichment technology that is why this sanction only suffers Iranian people and students who are not politician. On the other hands according the IAEA laws Iran has signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty and has the right to have peaceful nuclear technology. Scientists and Sciences should be free of politics.
"Iran's uranium-enrichment technology is thought to be based on plans taken by a Pakistani scientist working at Urenco during the early 1970s." ... Doesn't logic dictate that Pakistanis should be prevented from accessing courses and facilities in nuclear technology, instead of Iranians, who are often political refugees?
As an Iranian student I would like to say that there is no reasonable logic behind this decision. Clearly, such sort of movements is mainly affected by the US policy and indicates that Netherlands decision making people are not doing independently. Why you are banning people who have been totally peaceful all through the history? It is a clear sign which shows that the problem is not nuclear energy, but there are some countries who don’t like to see a developed Iran.
I think we all should be concerned that policies like this could undercut the spirit of openness and international collaboration that has long existed in the sciences. As others have commented, the logic behind a ban on Iranians quickly extends itself to many other nations. It also extends itself to many other fields of study. Nor does it seem very effective to ban someone from taking a graduate level course if he is still allowed to read all of the recommended books and journal articles and to discuss them with those teaching or taking the course. If the logic behind this policy were applied consistently, the world could risk losing the sense of scientific progress as a public good and could come to view university research in general as a secret military activity.