Gulf Crisis Rocks Worldwide Science Community

Iraqi invasion interrupts many international projects; Kuwaiti researchers fear warfare gas devasted their life's work As the world watches with alarm the unfolding crisis in the Middle East, the international science community is assessing losses resulting from the August 2 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The blow to Kuwaiti science is disastrous, and the damage of the attack extends beyond the borders of the small Persian Gulf country. Future international collaborations in the Middle East may be

Written byRobin Eisner

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Iraqi invasion interrupts many international projects; Kuwaiti researchers fear warfare gas devasted their life's work

As the world watches with alarm the unfolding crisis in the Middle East, the international science community is assessing losses resulting from the August 2 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The blow to Kuwaiti science is disastrous, and the damage of the attack extends beyond the borders of the small Persian Gulf country. Future international collaborations in the Middle East may be in jeopardy.

The exact extent of the destruction to Kuwait's scientific research as a result of the invasion is unknown. People who fled the Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR), the country's major research facility, report that Iraqi soldiers looted many of the scientific instruments and all the computers. But scientists are also worried about the fate of files, books, computer tapes, incubators, and freezers that still may be there.

A number of Kuwaiti ...

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