1677 



and poverty, aggravated by crises in energy and food, and the effects 

 of world inflation. And, to repeat, one reason for underdevelopment 

 is the brain drain. 



Some Illustrative Questions 



The C3ntral question which the problem of the brain drain poses 

 for the United States is: What institutional arrangements will most 

 effectively insure that significant foreign policy problems involving- 

 science and technology are not displaced from the agenda of official 

 concerns but, rather, are actively addressed with the best resources 

 available to the United States, through timely and proportionate 

 efforts? 



Should these arrangements (i.e., for identifying and tracking 

 problems or potential problems, assessing both their possible impacts 

 and the kinds of effort required to cope with them, and alerting the 

 appropriate action agencies or recommending new ones) focus on the 

 interface of science, technology, and American diplomacy, or alter- 

 nativel}^ on the full range of foreign policy issues? If the latter, would 

 there be a tendency — following traditional patterns of policy issue 

 identification and decisionmaking — to overlook or slight the tech- 

 nological component? If the former, would there be a danger of think- 

 ing too exclusively in technical and rational terms and losing sight of 

 the larger picture with its blend of rational and nonrational elements? 



What implications do the answers to these questions have for 

 both long- and short-range foreign policy planning mechanisms and 

 staffing in the executive branch: (a) at the Presidential level, (b) in 

 the State Department; and (c) in the various mission agencies — all 

 in relationship to each other? What for the Congress? 



To accomplish U.S. foreign policy purposes in an increasingly inter- 

 dependent (even though sometimes hostile) world, it seems essential 

 that the good will which America has traditionally projected and 

 evoked among the peoples of the world be refurbished and built upon. 

 This good will — whether existing, or lost but recoverable, or poten- 

 tial — might be regarded as a third resource, along with technological 

 and managerial skills, that America could summon in unique degree. 

 Would it be useful to look to some U.S. institution, such as the Depart- 

 ment of Health, Education, and Welfare or the National Science 

 Foundation, to identif3^ areas in which U.S. foreign policy initiatives 

 building on these three resources might yield a high return in helping 

 the poor nations of the world solve their development problems, for a 

 relatively small expenditure of American money and effort? One such 

 area, as mentioned in discussion of Issue Two {The Politics oj Global 

 Health) might be that of public health. Would country-by-country or 

 regional assistance in solving problems of brain drain from the LDCs 

 represent ar other such area? Would it be constructive for the United 

 States to make diplomatic representations to regional organizations 

 such as the Organization of African Unity, expressing willingness to 

 help in the planning and establishment of regional and national science 

 and technology infrastructures, w^ith provision for balanced programs 

 of higher education? 



Should the United States assist in setting up regional "centers of 

 excellence" of in strengthening those already in existence? 



How can the United States best help to foster two-way communica- 

 tion between the developed countries and the LDCs to collect, analyze, 

 and disseminate information about the migration of talent in relation 



