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Soviet Glasnost, Perestroika and Democratization

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Soviet Glasnost, Perestroika and Democratization ~8 --------------------------------------NBNSREVI8N--------------------N~AT~U~R~E~v_o~L~- ~33~I_7~JA~N~U~A~R~Y~t~9~ France puts trust in Soviet glasnost, perestroika prestige projects Paris and democratization IF a single phrase had to be found to London policy is not contemplated. The Inter­ summarize the mood of French science in DuRING 1987, glasnost focused in particu­ national Federation of Scientists for 1987, it could well be 'keeping up appear­ lar on environment and health. Statistics Soviet Refusniks is now preparing a new ances'. France has said 'oui' to many ofthe were published on formerly sensitive campaign calling on the Soviet authorities expensive, European big-science projects, issues such as occupational accidents and to draw up, implement and publicize a to which Britain has said 'no', yet France is diseases, hepatitis and infant mortality clear policy on the secrecy issue, with a no better prepared, financially, to take (which for some regions is admitted to be maximum cooling-off period that cor­ scientific leadership in Europe than is comparable with developing countries). responds to the current rapid rate of scien­ Britain. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, it The threat of AIDS has been recogniz­ tific progress. has been a year of political turmoil, cuts in ed, and a doctor claiming to have an anti­ Perestroika, now that the most notor­ basic science and budgetary sleight of AIDS vaccine received media coverage, iously slack institutes have been closed, hand. although not the support of the Academy focuses on shedding excess personnel and The year began without a science minister of Medical Sciences. Environmental cam­ restructuring research to make it more in the still-new conservative government. paigns have flourished and many 'infor­ 'relevant' to industry and agriculture. Alain Devaquet was forced to resign just mal' groups of young environmentalists Neither is easy. There is a strong lobby before Christmas 1986 after his disastrous have been formed. Environment-related within the Academy of Sciences against proposals for university reform brought demonstrations in Erevan and Minsk compulsory retirement and the new upper protesters on to the streets, leaving one have, for the first time, been reported in age-limit on appointments, which may student dead. His successor, Jacques the official media, and some concrete well have a knock-on effect. 'Relevance' is Valade, was saddled with the task of sort­ decisions were made in 1987 - the pro­ hard to ensure; the planned 'research­ ing out the imbroglio in France's major posed Daugavpils hydroelectric plant and production associations' intended to public-sector research body, the Centre plans for two of a projected twelve nuclear break bureaucratic deadlocks are slow to National de Ia Recherche Scientifique, power/heating stations for Soviet cities get started, and even show-pieces of which has a budget of £850 million. Its were abandoned. relevance such as the Paton Welding Insti­ scientific appointments committee had But discussion (and, political climate tute of the Ukrainian Academy of Sci­ been illegally dismissed by Devaquet, freez­ permitting, demonstrations) will continue ences seem to have lost some of their ing recruitments and promotions until a in 1988, particularly where offending media appeal. And the supreme example high court ruling reversed the ex-minister's enterprises ignore official directives and of 'relevance' in the space programme­ decision in the middle of the year. enforcement orders, as in Armenia and the promise of zero-gravity technology France, like other European countries, is Kirgizia. Moreover, Soviet planners will aboard a permanently manned space­ feeling the technological dominance of the have to reconcile the conflicting demands station - which for three decades has United States and Japan and knows that it of different groups. Thus the decision, in been used to still criticism of the cost of has to invest more in research and develop­ 1986, to halt the scheme to divert the space, is itself in doubt. According to ment to keep up. But the government still Siberian rivers southwards has exacerbated Vladimir Shatalov, head of cosmonaut lacks a coherent science policy. A large part the water problems of the Central Asian training, new developments in terrestrial ofthe science budget is now allocated by the republics, and generated new campaigns. technology since such a station was first Industry Minister and Minister of Finance, Glasnost, however, does not operate planned have made the planned 'weight­ who, for 1988, gave an invisible, but on uniformly. Many ministries and govern­ less' workbench largely unnecessary. paper, large (£50 million) boost to research ment departments still pay it only lip­ 'Democratization' in science means the and development in the form of tax incen­ service, and a new word, nedoglasnost election of institute and laboratory dir­ tives, despite a lack of evidence that it has (unachieved openness) has been coined ectors, and is , in fact, lagging behind the worked elsewhere. by disgruntled journalists. Some unclassi­ country at large, as posts in academy Even if all is not well at home, France has fied documents (such as plans for an anti­ institutes are decided by academy mem­ tried to project a decisive and forward­ narcotics campaign) have been improperly bers only, without the participation of looking attitude by backing all the major withheld from the media; other informa­ institute staff (who are pressing for European collaborative research facilities, tion (such as the three fatal accidents at change). And there are disturbing reports including the synchrotron and the CERN the Chernobyl site in 1987) is mentioned from Novosibirsk of a candidate for an particle accelerator, as well as the Euro­ only in the specialist press. During the institute directorship falling victim to pean Community's science and technology past year, hints of a 'Challenger-scale' an unfounded smear campaign by the programmes. near-disaster (apparently a launch-pad Russian-nationalist antisemitic Pamyat France's chief success, though, has been abort in 1983) have appeared in the Soviet (memory) association. the European Space Agency's long-term media, but according to Vitaly Korotych, What will 1988 hold for the Soviet programme, which was approved by all editor of Cgonek, there has been consider­ Union? Primarily a continuation of Gorba­ member states except Britain. France will able pressure from the Glavkosmos space chev's threefold reforms. It will also, be responsible for 45 per cent of the cost of administration to suppress the story. almost certainly, involve a propaganda the Ariane 5 heavy-lift rocket launcher and On formally secret issues, there has drive to promote the marxist-leninist managed to push through its pet, the been some progress, both in the military weltanshauung (world philosophy), to Hermes shuttle plane, largely because field and on the secrecy restrictions on counter the revival of Islam in the southern Britain's revolutionary horizontal take-off emigration. Some prominent refusniks republics and the forthcoming millennium and landing craft (HOTOL) could not be have been granted permission to leave the of the 'Baptism of Rus'. Science will demonstrated to work. country, including Aleksandr Lerner, undoubtedly play a major part in this French basic science achievements were Aleksandr Joffe and Irina and Viktor campaign, and full advantage will be taken less evident, but Jean-Marie Lehn's share Brailovskii. But these have been ad hoc of the Mars launch 'window' which con­ ofthe 1987 Nobel prize for chemistry came decisions, and Mr Gorbachev has made it veniently coincides with the Christian as a welcome tonic. Peter Coles clear that an across-the-board change of celebrations. VeraRich © 1988 Nature Publishing Group.
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