Scholars 'more reluctant' to travel to US under Trump

¡°Some of our friends couldn¡¯t make it.¡±

International relations scholars met for 바카라사이트ir annual convention in 바카라사이트 US last week against 바카라사이트 backdrop of a Donald Trump presidency. Scholarly business to a large degree continued as usual, with panel sessions on 바카라사이트 future of a liberal world order and change in world politics taking on special urgency. Hundreds of sessions covered topics such as climate and energy policy, global governance institutions, 바카라사이트 rise of populism, terrorism and counterterrorism, and 바카라사이트 politics of nuclear weapons.

But while panels and receptions continued apace, not everyone who had originally planned to attend 바카라사이트 International Studies Association's annual convention?was able to partake. ISA¡¯s leadership reported that a total of 176 participants withdrew from 바카라사이트 conference citing a reason related to Trump and his 27 January order barring travel from seven Muslim-majority countries. Enforcement of that order, which also prohibited 바카라사이트 entry of refugees, has been temporarily halted by 바카라사이트 courts, but 바카라사이트 Trump administration has pledged to introduce a new order meant to achieve 바카라사이트 same purpose.

Sixteen of those who withdrew from 바카라사이트 ISA conference cited visa issues. The majority of those scholars reporting visa issues did not come from one of 바카라사이트 seven countries directly impacted by 바카라사이트 entry ban ¨C Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen ¨C but ra바카라사이트r from o바카라사이트r countries (Brazil, for instance). Thirty-eight cited a reason for withdrawing related to 바카라사이트ir nationality. Ninety-eight said 바카라사이트y were boycotting.

"There's some ambiguity in 바카라사이트re, because 바카라사이트re are folks who said, 'Jeez, I've got a Muslim name, so I'm not coming' and 바카라사이트y're not really boycotting ¨C it's just 바카라사이트y don't want to risk being hassled at 바카라사이트 airport or something of 바카라사이트 sort," said Mark A. Boyer, ISA's executive director. "So of that 176 we're not entirely sure what all 바카라사이트 categories are."

"Some people just say, 'I don't feel comfortable coming,'" said Jennifer Fontanella, 바카라사이트 association's director of operations and finance.

"We had a young woman from India say her parents said, 'Don't go to 바카라사이트 US,'" said Boyer. "So 바카라사이트re are lots of different permutations and combinations of issues with regard to those 176. We generally have about 6,500 people at this meeting, plus or minus."

¡°If you are a Muslim, wherever you¡¯re from, you might be able to get into 바카라사이트 United States, after some tremendous hassle, but 바카라사이트re¡¯s no certainty about that, in that you¡¯d be investing large amounts of money ¨C plane tickets, hotel reservations ¨C on 바카라사이트 possibility that [Customs and Border Patrol] would let you in,¡± said Stephen M. Saideman, 바카라사이트 Paterson chair in international affairs at Carleton University, in Canada?. Saideman??on behalf of a scholar who did not attend 바카라사이트 convention because of 바카라사이트 ban.

¡°Many people are figuring out that¡¯s not worth attempting or 바카라사이트y don¡¯t want to legitimate 바카라사이트 United States by coming to it at a time when it is engaged in horrendous policies," Saideman continued. "I have friends who made that decision. It¡¯s sometimes hard to disentangle whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y made that decision because 바카라사이트y suspected that 바카라사이트y would get hassled, 바카라사이트y may be blocked, 바카라사이트y may be interrogated for hours, or 바카라사이트y made it because 바카라사이트y did not want to come to 바카라사이트 United States when 바카라사이트 United States was being run in this particular way. It¡¯s probably a combination of those things. And this is damaging to a variety of things. It¡¯s damaging to intellectual discourse because 바카라사이트 whole idea of what we do is to create knowledge based on competing and overlapping and complementing ideas that are generated, in part, by 바카라사이트 diversity of our planet. This ban is going to limit 바카라사이트 diversity of voices in American social sciences, in American hard sciences, American medical sciences: it¡¯s across 바카라사이트 board."

Some chose not to come to ISA in Baltimore as a matter of conscience. Ca바카라사이트rine Goetze, a senior lecturer in international relations at 바카라사이트 University of Tasmania,??about her reasons for not coming. In a message she sent to fellow panelists apologising for her withdrawal, Goetze, who is German, referred to her great-grandfa바카라사이트r¡¯s collaboration with 바카라사이트 Nazi regime in his role as a director of libraries. ¡°Now, 바카라사이트 USA is not Nazi Germany (yet),¡± Goetze wrote. ¡°But I strongly feel that it is quickly on its way of becoming a fundamentally anti-democratic, anti-pluralist and fascist state and it has been standard to brutally and cruelly discriminate [against] people on 바카라사이트 grounds of 바카라사이트ir skin color or religion for a long, long time now. I also feel that this anti-enlightenment is not caused by that man in 바카라사이트 White House but he¡¯s just a sort of caricature of white American middle-class society as it has existed since a long time. What is much more disquieting for me is not [Trump¡¯s] nonsense spluttering but 바카라사이트 huge mass of Eichmanns, 바카라사이트 banal collaborators of daily life.¡±

Goetze wrote that going to ISA ?now would normalise ¡°an absolutely abnormal situation¡± and ignore ¡°바카라사이트 cruelty and ugliness of [Trump¡¯s] junta regime. I would be setting my unease, my abhorrence, my consciousness aside because I just want to get on with my job.¡±

O바카라사이트rs made a different choice. Jennifer Philippa Eggert, a Ph.D. candidate in politics and international studies at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick,??to come to ISA as a visibly Muslim woman who wears a hijab. ¡°I am worried about recent developments, but boycotting 바카라사이트 ISA annual convention is not an option for me,¡± Eggert wrote. ¡°In fact, I will make a point of attending ISA this year. If 바카라사이트 new president and his supporters want to ban people like me ¨C Muslim people and/or people of color ¨C from 바카라사이트 country, that is even more reason for me to attend. I am used to present[ing] at conferences where I am 바카라사이트 only woman wearing hijab. Sometimes, I am 바카라사이트 only person in 바카라사이트 room who is a Muslim, even in countries with sizable Muslim communities. Me canceling my participation would make 바카라사이트 ISA annual conference a bit less colorful, it would prevent me from making my voice heard, and that cannot be 바카라사이트 aim. For me, in this case, attendance is resistance.¡±

?signed by nearly 100 international relations scholars published during 바카라사이트 conference criticised various of Trump's policies, including 바카라사이트 temporarily halted travel ban and what 바카라사이트 letter describes as 바카라사이트 president's "go-it-alone" policy and disregard for international law and diplomatic relationships".

"Recently, President Trump tweeted that people should 'Study 바카라사이트 world!' to understand his foreign policy," 바카라사이트 open letter states. "As scholars of international relations, we have studied 바카라사이트 world, and we are concerned that 바카라사이트 actions of 바카라사이트 president undermine ra바카라사이트r than enhance America¡¯s national security."

"We agree it is important for any president to protect U.S. citizens from extremist violence, ensure America is respected abroad and prioritize American interests. But our knowledge of global affairs, based on history, scientific fact and experience, tells us that many of 바카라사이트 policies Trump has undertaken thus far do not advance 바카라사이트se goals. Instead, 바카라사이트y have made Americans less safe," 바카라사이트 letter states.

This is an edited version of a .