Nature: Trump agenda threatens U.S. legacy of science diplomacy
“…U.S. President Donald Trump has a deep bench of scientific and technical expertise to tap across multiple government agencies — but it is not clear that he will use it. Science diplomats are watching warily to see whether the volatile new president will draw on the best available evidence when setting foreign policy. So far, his isolationist tendencies are winning: Trump is reportedly considering whether to pull the United States back from international organizations such as the United Nations. … ‘Everybody’s worried that we won’t be in the room any more as a voice of reason advocating for evidence-based decision-making, for bringing the best and brightest to the table no matter where they come from or who they are,’ says Frances Colón, who until last week was the deputy science adviser at the U.S. Department of State. For decades, scientists have had a key role in informing U.S. foreign policy, primarily through the State department…” (Witze, 1/27).