Science, Technology, and Foreign Policy Objectives: Research Needs for the Next Decade

During the first years of the 1980's, a major effort of the foreign policy community will be to reformulate U.S. foreign policy objectives and replace those which are no longer serving U.S. interests. There is growing interest in the use of science and technology, which the United States controls both privately and publicly, as components of foreign policy. While this process will be particularly centered in Congress, agencies in both branches will also have to be well informed about the potential impact of the foreign policy objectives on the U.S. domestic situation, the policies of other countries, and the international situation. Although voluminous foreign policy research has been accomplished, aspects of science and technology have only witnessed minor attention until recently. The needs of decisionmakers for research findings on the impact of science and technology on policy options will cover many subject areas and should be answered by both governmental and nongovernmental research activities. Future research needs will include four approaches or areas of inquiry which presently represent voids of knowledge on the impacts of science and technology: national policies and programs, comparative analysis, international interaction/transaction analysis, and a linkage framework. Research programs at one or more of these levels of analysis might include the following: (1) development of indicators on aspects of science and technology; (2) research designed to report on the U.S. position in all areas of science and technology; (3) global aspects of science and technology, including resolution of specific global problems; (4) further development of a more responsive and useful method to account for interdependencies; and (5) evaluation of U.S. science and technology program implementation.