Containing Russia's nuclear firebirds : harmony and change at the International Science and Technology Center /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Schweitzer, Glenn E., 1930-
Imprint:	Athens : University of Georgia Press, ©2013.
Description:	1 online resource (xviii, 293 pages) : illustrations
Language:	English
Series:	Studies in security and international affairs Studies in security and international affairs.
Subject:	International Science and Technology Center. International Science and Technology Center. Nuclear nonproliferation -- International cooperation. Nuclear nonproliferation -- Former Soviet republics. Nuclear nonproliferation. Nuclear nonproliferation -- International cooperation. Soviet Union -- Former Soviet republics. Electronic books.
Format:	E-Resource Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11202826

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	9780820344713 0820344710 9780820338699 0820338699 9780820344348 0820344346
Notes:	Includes index. Includes bibliographical references (pages 271-283) and index. Print version record.
Summary:	"In Containing Russia's Nuclear Firebirds, Glenn E. Schweitzer explores the life and legacy of the International Science and Technology Center in Moscow. He makes the case that the center's unique programs can serve as models for promoting responsible science in many countries of the world. Never before have scientists encountered technology with the potential for such huge impacts on the global community, both positive and negative. For nearly two decades following the Soviet Union's breakup into independent states, the ISTC has provided opportunities for underemployed Russian weapon scientists to redirect their talents toward civilian research. The center has championed the role of science in determining the future of civilization and has influenced nonproliferation policies of Russia and other states in the region. Most important, the center has demonstrated that modest investments can encourage scientists of many backgrounds to shun greed and violence and to take leading roles in steering the planet toward prosperity and peace. Schweitzer contends that the United States and other western and Asian countries failed to recognize the importance, over time, of modifying their donor-recipient approach to dealing with Russia. In April 2010 the Russian government announced that it would withdraw from the ISTC agreement. After expenditures exceeding one billion dollars, the ISTC's Moscow Science Center will soon close its doors, leaving a legacy that has benefited Russian society as well as partners from thirty-eight countries. Schweitzer argues that a broader and more sustained movement is now needed to help prevent irresponsible behavior by dissatisfied or misguided scientists and their patrons"-- "In the aftermath of the Soviet Union's breakup into fifteen independent states, the governments of the United States, the European Community, Japan, and Russia established the International Science and Technology Center in Moscow to address the dangers of nuclear scientists "on the loose." The purpose of the ISTC (also known as the Moscow Science Center) was to prevent the illicit flow of dangerous weapons expertise out of the former Soviet Union by helping its underemployed nuclear, biological, chemical, and aerospace weapons scientists redirect their skills to peaceful civilian endeavors. Since its creation in 1994, the ISTC has provided more than $1.3 billion to support 2,740 projects involving nearly 100,000 scientists from the former Soviet Union and international partners. Thirty-nine governments have become part of the ISTC family. Somewhat unexpectedly, in April 2010, the Russian government announced that it would withdraw from the agreement establishing the ISTC, contending that the Center had accomplished its mission. The Moscow Science Center will close its doors in 2015, effectively terminating ISTC activities based in Russia. Schweitzer examines the impact and effectiveness of the ISTC and emphasizes opportunites for the internal community to draw on its legacy"--
Other form:	Print version: Schweitzer, Glenn E., 1930- Containing Russia's nuclear firebirds. Athens : University of Georgia Press, ©2013 9780820338699

Review by Choice Review

Containing Russia's Nuclear Firebirds is an excellent analysis of the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC). This is a success story, even as the ISTC closes its doors and a billion dollars in funding from dozens of nations dries up. As the USSR dissolved, the goal was to offer scientists in weapons-related fields peaceful options in the wake of collapsing salaries, disbanded research projects, and demands from potentially dangerous sources for their scientific skills and knowledge. Schweitzer (US National Academies) was the first executive director of the ISTC from 1992 to 1994. His unique perspective offers valuable insight into policies that facilitate international efforts to reduce proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. The bulk of funds went to Russian projects, but all of the former Soviet countries managed to stem some of their brain drain. The ISTC financed hundreds of investigations in physics, chemistry, environmental science, energy, fusion, medicine, agriculture, etc. This book's 13 chapters cover the challenges as well as strategic successes of an organization caught amidst an array of political agendas, from xenophobic mistrust to a fear that noncorrupt business models may become the norm. This book offers lessons for 2013 and beyond for combating international weapons proliferation. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; general readers. D. Ostergren Goshen College

Review by Choice Review

Containing Russia's nuclear firebirds : harmony and change at the International Science and Technology Center /

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