627 



tic problems as pollution, racial tension, crime, and highway accidents ; 

 the limitations of technology for the waging of limited war were also 

 to be noted. The application of U.S. technology in support of world 

 health seemed to offer great opportunities, accompanied by awkward 

 side effects. For example, the insecticide DDT played an important 

 role in malarial control and resultant population increase, but raised 

 its own questions as to its ecological consequences. 



Various nations, developed and developing, became seriously con- 

 cerned over the net emigration to the United States of technologically 

 skilled persons. 



The territorial sovereignty concept in international law came in- 

 creasingly in question with the evolution of high flying aircraft, ob- 

 servation satellites, satellite communications, the Aiitarctic Treaty ^^ 

 (in which, as in the later agreement for lunar exploration, a condi- 

 tion of universal extraterritoriality was to prevail) , and the issue of 

 the ownership of the ocean floor. 



Related to the sovereignty question also was the rise of the multina- 

 tional corporation, resulting mainly from the opportunity seized by 

 American entrepreneurs to exploit U.S. computer and electronic tech- 

 nologies in European markets. 



Relieving and also complicating the emerging problem of world 

 population control was the "Green Revolution" — by which the evolu- 

 tion of new kinds of seeds significantly increased the farm labor 

 productivity of developing countries. This innovative development 

 seemed to offer at least a breathing space in which to search for solu- 

 tions of the great future problem of balancing food and population. 



Thus, by the close of 1970, it was e\adent that U.S. technology had 

 not been an unqualified success in furthering either U.S. foreign policy 

 objectives or the aspirations of tlie world at large. The undoubted 

 promise of technology had not achieved fulfillment. It was not clear 

 why. Was it because technologists were unable to produce unflawed 

 innovations? Were the diplomats unable to specify the performance 

 of technologies for global effects ? Was there an insufficient coupling 

 of technologists with diplomats to achieve proper teamwork toward 

 a successful product ? WTiere did — and do — ^the weaknesses lie ? 



III. Trends in Contemporary Technology 



This section considers the evolution of atomic weapons and de- 

 livery systems, space developments, agriculture, and the technological 

 infrastructure. These elements, chosen more or less arbitrarilv. illus- 

 trate a wide range of national and international issues of technology 

 evident in the world today. 



Four trends are to be observed: (1) the important ways in which 

 evolving technologies add to the problems and issues confronting the 

 diplomat, (2) the ways in which technology te^ds to draw nations 

 together in international enterprises, (3) the emergence of many posi- 

 tive values and serious dangers of technology that are of concern to 

 many nations, and (4) the need generated by technology for explicit 

 governmental plans and programs to ensure that its consequences over 

 the globe are compatible with U.S. foreign policy. 



21 Antarctic Treaty. Signed at Washington, December 1, 1959. 



