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Scientists as non-state actors of public diplomacy

Nature Human Behaviour volume 3, pages 1129–1130 (2019)Cite this article

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To the Editor — Establishing trust between distant nations requires a level of openness that fosters mutual understandings at individual and population scales. This is especially true in countries separated by degrees of economic development, where feelings of distrust felt by a less developed nation may cast perceptions of imperialistic intents upon the activities of more industrialized nations. Furthermore, between countries that do not enjoy advanced diplomatic relationships, there may appear to be no clear path to realizing cross-border connections in a top-down manner. We present here the argument that, under conditions of suboptimal diplomatic ties between developed and developing governments, there is an opportunity for non-state actors to fill the void and foster nationwide trust. The vehicle, in our case? Science education.

For over a decade, Bolivia and the United States have not appointed ambassadors to their respective embassies, following diplomatic strife in late 2008. Despite relative economic growth and political stability in recent years1, Bolivia remains among the poorest-ranking Latin American countries in social inequality, poverty, public health, education and innovation2. Observing that Bolivian scientific output accounts for only 0.22% of that in all Latin America3, we sought to understand whether alternative teaching methods might increase Bolivian youth participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, thereby strengthening the next generation’s potential for competition on a global scale.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clubes de Ciencia Bolivia Foundation, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia

    Giovanni A. Carosso, Leonardo M. R. Ferreira & Mohammed A. Mostajo-Radji

  2. Predoctoral Training Program in Human Genetics, McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Giovanni A. Carosso

  3. Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

    Leonardo M. R. Ferreira

  4. Diabetes Center and Sean N. Parker Autoimmune Research Laboratory, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

    Leonardo M. R. Ferreira

  5. Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

    Mohammed A. Mostajo-Radji

  6. The Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

    Mohammed A. Mostajo-Radji

Authors
  1. Giovanni A. Carosso
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  2. Leonardo M. R. Ferreira
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  3. Mohammed A. Mostajo-Radji
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Correspondence to Mohammed A. Mostajo-Radji.

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Carosso, G.A., Ferreira, L.M.R. & Mostajo-Radji, M.A. Scientists as non-state actors of public diplomacy. Nat Hum Behav 3, 1129–1130 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-019-0716-1

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