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How Russia’s War in Ukraine Will Hurt Academic Exchange

时间:2022-06-07 00:51:23

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How Russia’s War in Ukraine Will Hurt Academic Exchange

When Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, many Western governments acted to restrict trade and other exchange with Vladimir Putin's government.

But the restrictions1 with Russia have not only affected2 the exchange of goods. The restrictions have also affected academic exchange.

Western students studying in Russia came home. Universities in the United States that offered support to Russian universities withdrew their financial and academic aid. Western scientists working with Russian scientists suspended their research.

Arik Burakovsky is an expert on international law and diplomacy3 at Tufts University in Massachusetts. He is also the assistant director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the university's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

In an explainer written for The Conversation, Burakovsky said that the cutting of ties with Russian universities will harm academic exchange. He added that, without the exchange of ideas between Russians and Western scholars, President Vladimir Putin may be able to keep democratic ideas from coming into his country.

What kind of connections existed between Western and Russian universities?

Since the end of the Cold War in 1991, Burakovsky said, Russian and Western universities worked on academic exchange programs, lesson development and research projects.

As a result, Russia's universities have become stronger.

Russian universities also built school buildings in former Soviet4 countries and offered their students chances to study abroad. In recent years, Russian universities taught more classes in English. This helped welcome students from other countries. Russian universities also created degree programs with Western universities. For example, there was a master's degree offered by the Moscow School for the Social and Economic Sciences together with the University of Manchester in Great Britain.

What have the relationships produced?

Western and Russian students learned about each other's cultures, languages and societies. Scientists worked together on projects related to space exploration, physics, climate change, Arctic biology and more.

However, after a while, Russian leaders started to worry about educating young people in the Western way. They thought the Western ideas might influence young people. They were concerned those young people would then protest and ask for a more open government and open elections.

Even before the invasion of Ukraine, Putin's government started restricting the kind of organizations that could work in Russia. For example, in 2021, an American professor at St. Petersburg State University was deported5 because of his connection with Bard6 College in New York state. Bard was considered an "undesirable7" organization.

That same year, Russia changed an education law and required government approval for all foreign academic partnerships9. The law related to "propaganda" and "negative foreign influence in the educational process."

Burakovsky said in his time at Tufts, he has overseen10 teaching and research exchanges with universities and research organizations in Moscow, Vladivostok and St. Petersburg. The exchanges permitted students to gain a better understanding of international policy.

But since March, that work has been considered "morally unacceptable" by leaders at his university.

Are future relationships between Western universities and Russian universities in trouble because of the war?

Burakovsky says: "yes." While many academic leaders in the U.S. cautioned against moving too quickly, students are no longer permitted to study in Russia and most U.S. universities ended support of programs in Russia. A number of universities ended their financial investments in Russia as well.

For example, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ended a partnership8 that had cost millions of dollars with the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Russia. The partnership had been in place since 2010.

What are the reasons both for and against breaking ties with Russia?

Britain also said it would remove funding for all research projects with links to Russia.

Chris Philp is Britain's minister for technology and the digital economy. He said he does not see "how anyone in good conscience can collaborate11 with Russian universities."

Philp and others who support ending attachments12 with Russia say it is a way to stand against Putin and his government. They also say breaking academic connections protects their countries from Russian spying, hurts Putin's ability to spread propaganda and reduces Russia's ability to steal technology.

Opponents of the stand against Russia say students and scholars are getting hurt. They add that the plan to detach from Russia sets a bad example for the future of international exchange.

They say that cooperating on work such as scientific research strengthens democracy and fights the spread of false ideas. Nations working together on research, they say, supports the idea that countries can work together to solve political problems, too.

In a speech at Imperial College in London, Harvard University president Lawrence Bacow spoke13 of the importance of keeping academic relations in place even in difficult political times.

However, Burakovsky notes that Harvard's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies published a message condemning14 Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Davis Center said it would no longer work with Russian universities whose leaders signed a document offering their support for the war.

How will the broken connections affect higher education in Russia?

Burakovsky suggests the broken connections will hurt young Russian scholars. The moves also may help Putin's government by making the students and teachers feel like there is no hope of help from the West.

Russian researchers say they feel the lack of connection with colleagues in other parts of the world. Russia said in March that it would not permit its scientists and educators to take part in international meetings.

Can Russian scholars safely speak against the invasion of Ukraine?

In short, Burakovsky says "no," and points to recent laws in Russia that punish the spread of false information with up to 15 years in prison.

Educators in Russia risk losing their jobs and going to prison if they criticize the war. Many teachers, students and writers left the country on their own when the war started.

Words in This Story

academic – adj. relating to schools and education

scholar– n. a person who has studied a subject for a long time and knows a lot about it

lesson –n. a single class or part of a course of instruction

negative- adj. harmful or bad, not wanted

conscience- n. the part of the mind that makes you aware of your actions relating to right and wrong

collaborate- v. to work together on a project

colleague– n. a person who works with you


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 restrictions 81e12dac658cfd4c590486dd6f7523cf     
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则)
参考例句:
  • I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
  • a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制
2 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的,假装的
参考例句:
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
3 diplomacy gu9xk     
n.外交;外交手腕,交际手腕
参考例句:
  • The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
  • This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。
4 Soviet Sw9wR     
adj.苏联的,苏维埃的;n.苏维埃
参考例句:
  • Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
  • Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。
5 deported 97686e795f0449007421091b03c3297e     
v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 );举止
参考例句:
  • They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格,将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 bard QPCyM     
n.吟游诗人
参考例句:
  • I'll use my bard song to help you concentrate!我会用我的吟游诗人歌曲帮你集中精神!
  • I find him,the wandering grey bard.我发现了正在徘徊的衰老游唱诗人。
7 undesirable zp0yb     
adj.不受欢迎的,不良的,不合意的,讨厌的;n.不受欢迎的人,不良分子
参考例句:
  • They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
  • Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。
8 partnership NmfzPy     
n.合作关系,伙伴关系
参考例句:
  • The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
  • Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。
9 partnerships ce2e6aff420d72bbf56e8077be344bc9     
n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 );合伙人身份;合作关系
参考例句:
  • Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
  • It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句
10 overseen f7b3beb421f0dbe6f0a7d84036f4aa00     
v.监督,监视( oversee的过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He was overseen stealing the letters. 他被人撞见在偷信件。 来自辞典例句
  • It will be overseen by ThomasLi, director of IBM China Research Laboratory. 该实验室由IBM中国研究院院长李实恭(ThomasLi)引导。 来自互联网
11 collaborate SWgyC     
vi.协作,合作;协调
参考例句:
  • The work gets done more quickly when we collaborate.我们一旦合作,工作做起来就更快了。
  • I would ask you to collaborate with us in this work.我们愿意请你们在这项工作中和我们合作。
12 attachments da2fd5324f611f2b1d8b4fef9ae3179e     
n.(用电子邮件发送的)附件( attachment的名词复数 );附着;连接;附属物
参考例句:
  • The vacuum cleaner has four different attachments. 吸尘器有四个不同的附件。
  • It's an electric drill with a range of different attachments. 这是一个带有各种配件的电钻。
13 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
14 condemning 3c571b073a8d53beeff1e31a57d104c0     
v.(通常因道义上的原因而)谴责( condemn的现在分词 );宣判;宣布…不能使用;迫使…陷于不幸的境地
参考例句:
  • The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
  • I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

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