1106 



160 SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL COOPERATION 



goals of international activities are not necessarily incompatible and, in- 

 deed, may be mutually supportive. Not only the concrete outputs of in- 

 ternational science, but also the process of international science has 

 benefits to the participating countries. 



It seems that three prerequisites must obtain for a successful interna- 

 tional scientific program: 



1. There must be a strong political support by the participating 

 governments that must legitimize the program and provide its resources. 

 This support can be mobilized only on the basis of a commonality of 

 political objectives and a shared perception of benefits. The objectives 

 and structure of international programs must be carefully tailored to 

 enlist this support. 



2. There must be an adequate infrastructure of institutions, 

 communities, networks, and interests that allows access to both the 

 governmental and nongovernmental scientific communities. Such an 

 infrastructure can best be based on existing, successful structures that 

 have well-established constituencies and well-supported ongoing ac- 

 tivities, f^owever, specialized ad hoc hybrid arrangements that provide 

 considerable scientific sovereignty have great advantages. 



3. Above all, there must be valid scientific goals, recognized and sup- 

 ported by all participating countries and scientific constituencies. A pro- 

 gram pursued only for political or institutional ends will in the end 

 achieve no ends at all. 



Could a program such as GARP evolve in present circumstances and 

 carry on with comparable success into the twenty-first century? One 

 must admit that many circumstances today are far different from those 

 of the 1960s. International cooperation is no longer a novelty. Indeed, 

 our problem may be to use more effectively the international linkages 

 we have rather than to create new ones. Technology is now all- 

 pervasive, and our greatest problem is the unglamorous maintenance of 

 what we have rather than the launching of daring new ventures. The 

 parameters of our relationships with the Soviet Union and its allies are 

 much better defined now than in the 1960s. Again, the problem is one of 

 prudent management and maintenance rather than trailblazing. 



Thus, more than ever before, international programs pursued solely 

 for the purpose of doing something international seem both sterile and 

 redundant. Nevertheless, the potential benefits of international ac- 

 tivities to the United States remain great. The challenge for the future, 

 then, is to identify clearly and to define rigorously those scientific prob- 

 lems whose resolution will inescapably depend on organized coopera- 

 tion between the scientific communities and governments of the world. 



