From: Gordon Simons (gsimons@email.unc.edu)
Date: Sat Aug 24 2002 - 16:15:50 EDT
Figuring into any discussion of this subject has to be the current state
of science in the Muslim countries. There was a very talented young
Iranian who spent a year as a visitor in our department about 15 years ago
who went back to an Iranian university -- and went completely off the
radar screen. There was very little opportunity within Iran for him to
develop his scientific talent. My guess is that the state of science in
most Muslim countries is so low that it invites very little interaction
with Western scientists. In contrast, during the Cold War, Soviet science
was flourishing, and the best mathematicians in the world were Russian.
Not surprising, there were many contacts between Soviet and Western
scientists. While politics played a role, quality played a much bigger
role.
Gordon Simons
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