Iraq's Promise

Iraq's Promise I was delighted to read your thoughtful comments1 on Iraqi science. I agree with you wholeheartedly. Also, I have been saying similar things here at the National Academy of Sciences and the United States State Department, in addition to similar organizations in the Arab world. In the meantime, the real work has to be initiated and performed by the scientific community at large. For this reason, I believe that the call by The Scientist is most appropriate and very timely. Fa

Written byFarouk El-Baz
| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share

I was delighted to read your thoughtful comments1 on Iraqi science. I agree with you wholeheartedly. Also, I have been saying similar things here at the National Academy of Sciences and the United States State Department, in addition to similar organizations in the Arab world.

In the meantime, the real work has to be initiated and performed by the scientific community at large. For this reason, I believe that the call by The Scientist is most appropriate and very timely.

Farouk El-Baz
Boston University
Boston, MA
farouk@bu.edu

***

Your editorial1 on rebuilding Iraqi science brings out the fact that Iraq has quite a number of doctorates (around 10,000) who will help build an Iraq dampened by dictatorship and destroyed by recent bombardment. Iraq's social stability rests with its scientific foundation. Science is open and scientists are technical builders of society. Therefore, in a free country the scientists have a choice ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

Published In

Share
Image of a man in a laboratory looking frustrated with his failed experiment.
February 2026

A Stubborn Gene, a Failed Experiment, and a New Path

When experiments refuse to cooperate, you try again and again. For Rafael Najmanovich, the setbacks ultimately pushed him in a new direction.

View this Issue
Human-Relevant In Vitro Models Enable Predictive Drug Discovery

Advancing Drug Discovery with Complex Human In Vitro Models

Stemcell Technologies
Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Beckman Coulter Logo
Conceptual multicolored vector image of cancer research, depicting various biomedical approaches to cancer therapy

Maximizing Cancer Research Model Systems

bioxcell

Products

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Pioneers Life Sciences Innovation with High-Quality Bioreagents on Inside Business Today with Bill and Guiliana Rancic

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Expands Research Reagent Portfolio to Support Global Nipah Virus Vaccine and Diagnostic Development

Beckman Coulter

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Partners with Automata to Accelerate AI-Ready Laboratory Automation

Refeyn logo

Refeyn named in the Sunday Times 100 Tech list of the UK’s fastest-growing technology companies