Dear EMS Council,
We wholeheartedly support the EMS' strong condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, we propose to reconsider its recommendation to freeze academic cooperation with state institutions and business enterprises in Russia and refrain from starting new ones, see
https://euromathsoc.org/news/statement:-european-mathematical-society-solidarity-with-partners-in-ukraine---consequences-for-the-mathematical-community-56
For comparison, a similar statement from the AMS approved unanimously by its council contains no such recommendation:
https://www.ams.org/news?news_id=6990
There are many Russian mathematicians who oppose the war in Ukraine. This view is especially prevalent among those who collaborate with mathematicians in Europe and the US. In fact, a number of them have bravely protested the aggression. But now, as oppression of dissent in Russia is getting more and more brutal by the hour, these mathematicians are finding themselves in a very precarious position. Some of them have already been persecuted and imprisoned. Besides, they've lost funding due to sanctions. Mathematicians in Russia work at state institutions simply because that's the only choice, and we believe collaborations with them should continue. However, even individual collaborations formally entail collaboration with employers, hence fall under the above recommendation. We therefore believe that this recommendation can only make their plight worse without being effective at stopping the war.
25 Comments
Department of mathematics, University of North Carolina This time is especially difficult for mathematicians working in Russia. I believe our math society should fully support them
You are trying to outsmart people who cancelled a concert because it was composed by Prokofiev.
HU Berlin. In this form it forbids the invitation of scientists affiliated to Russian institutions, are opposed to the action of their government and want to leave the country.
This form of functions might increase the number of trained researchers that do work with military applications.
Israel, Hebrew University Certainly, many mathematicians in Russia (including my friends) are against this war and these crimes, some of them are taking risks, participate in protests and even were arrested. Also, there certainly are mathematicians that support the war. It makes perfect sense to stop international collaboration with them, but such decisions must be obtained on personal basis, as it was in other periods of the world history.
I want to clarify my understanding of this petition, and why I signed it. The petition calls to reconsider the EMS recommendation, not to abolish sanctions altogether. The explanation that follows does not discuss business enterprises, and the petition is not asking to change the recommendation on them. It only criticizes a blanket recommendation to cut ties with state institutions without a clarification that this does not cover joint activities with individual mathematicians affiliated with such institutions. Such a clarification is needed since otherwise cutting ties with institutions formally implies a restriction on such joint activities. I believe that the decision whether to (continue to) engage in such activities should be an individual decision of every mathematician. The EMS later informed me that they in fact agree with this principle. But this wasn't and isn't clear to me from the formulation of the EMS statement.
Kent State University
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Dear EMS Council,
We wholeheartedly support the EMS' strong condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, we propose to reconsider its recommendation to freeze academic cooperation with state institutions and business enterprises in Russia and refrain from starting new ones, see
https://euromathsoc.org/news/statement:-european-mathematical-society-solidarity-with-partners-in-ukraine---consequences-for-the-mathematical-community-56
For comparison, a similar statement from the AMS approved unanimously by its council contains no such recommendation:
https://www.ams.org/news?news_id=6990
There are many Russian mathematicians who oppose the war in Ukraine. This view is especially prevalent among those who collaborate with mathematicians in Europe and the US. In fact, a number of them have bravely protested the aggression. But now, as oppression of dissent in Russia is getting more and more brutal by the hour, these mathematicians are finding themselves in a very precarious position. Some of them have already been persecuted and imprisoned. Besides, they've lost funding due to sanctions. Mathematicians in Russia work at state institutions simply because that's the only choice, and we believe collaborations with them should continue. However, even individual collaborations formally entail collaboration with employers, hence fall under the above recommendation. We therefore believe that this recommendation can only make their plight worse without being effective at stopping the war.
25 Comments
I find a blanket freeze like that really counterproductive. It mainly hits people who condemn the actions of Russia, and is highly unlikely to do anything to change the stance of the Russian government.
Department of mathematics, University of North Carolina This time is especially difficult for mathematicians working in Russia. I believe our math society should fully support them
You are trying to outsmart people who cancelled a concert because it was composed by Prokofiev.
HU Berlin. In this form it forbids the invitation of scientists affiliated to Russian institutions, are opposed to the action of their government and want to leave the country.
This form of functions might increase the number of trained researchers that do work with military applications.
Israel, Hebrew University Certainly, many mathematicians in Russia (including my friends) are against this war and these crimes, some of them are taking risks, participate in protests and even were arrested. Also, there certainly are mathematicians that support the war. It makes perfect sense to stop international collaboration with them, but such decisions must be obtained on personal basis, as it was in other periods of the world history.
I want to clarify my understanding of this petition, and why I signed it. The petition calls to reconsider the EMS recommendation, not to abolish sanctions altogether. The explanation that follows does not discuss business enterprises, and the petition is not asking to change the recommendation on them. It only criticizes a blanket recommendation to cut ties with state institutions without a clarification that this does not cover joint activities with individual mathematicians affiliated with such institutions. Such a clarification is needed since otherwise cutting ties with institutions formally implies a restriction on such joint activities. I believe that the decision whether to (continue to) engage in such activities should be an individual decision of every mathematician. The EMS later informed me that they in fact agree with this principle. But this wasn't and isn't clear to me from the formulation of the EMS statement.
Kent State University
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I find a blanket freeze like that really counterproductive. It mainly hits people who condemn the actions of Russia, and is highly unlikely to do anything to change the stance of the Russian government.