[Text/Observer Network Qi Qian] Just over a hundred days into President Trump's second term, major US media outlets have had enough and are now fiercely criticizing him.

"A century of American advantage has been destroyed by Trump in just a hundred days." On April 25, The Washington Post published an article with this title, stating that Trump's administration is pushing radical policies one after another, with his tariff policies causing massive fluctuations in global stock markets. However, from a long-term perspective, the policy that may ultimately cost America more is the White House's attack on universities and their research.

In the article, Farid Zakaria, columnist for The Washington Post and anchor for CNN, lamented with deep sorrow that Trump's "destruction" of American science will lead to the loss of America's "century-long advantage"—its ability to attract talent—over China.

Zakaria noted that America has long led the world in scientific fields, making it easy to assume that this has always been one of America's inherent advantages. But in fact, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, America was more of a follower than a leader. At that time, Britain often complained about American companies stealing their technology and violating patents.

Data shows that in the first few decades of the 20th century, the country that won the most Nobel Prizes in Science was Germany, accounting for one-third of all awards. Next was Britain, accounting for nearly 20%. The United States only received 6% of the Nobel Prizes in Science.

Fareed Zakaria is a renowned CNN anchor Video screenshot

The article mentions that in the mid-20th century, three powerful forces reshaped the landscape of international science.

The first force was Hitler, who drove Europe's finest scientists to seek refuge in the United States. Many of these scientists came to the U.S., forming the backbone of its scientific community. After the 1965 immigration reform, the U.S. continued to attract the world's best talents, many of whom came from China and India. They studied in the U.S. and then stayed to establish research labs and tech companies.

The second force was the two World Wars. By 1945, Britain, France, and Germany were all devastated, with millions of civilians dead, cities reduced to rubble, governments heavily indebted, and unable to bear the burden. Although the Soviet Union achieved victory in WWII, it also lost about 24 million people. In contrast, the U.S. dominated the post-war economy, technology, and military absolutely.

The third force was the U.S. government's strong funding of basic sciences. In the 1950s, the U.S. spent nearly 2.5% of its GDP on R&D, the highest in the world. This benefited from the U.S. government creating an innovative model where public and private universities across the country competed for government research funds. This competition and freedom gave rise to the modern American scientific system.

"But now, these three forces are reversing," Zakaria accused, stating that the Trump administration is waging war against America's top universities, threatening hostile takeovers, and withholding billions of dollars in research funding. As the crown jewel of American science, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation are being devastated.

Harvard University faculty and students held a rally to protest Trump's cuts Video screenshot

The article states that in the past decade, China has become a leader in many key scientific indicators. The proportion of Chinese papers published in the 82 major scientific journals tracked by Nature Index is higher than that of the U.S.; in engineering and technical papers, China far surpasses the U.S.; in patent applications, China receives almost half of the world's applications; in top universities, the number of Chinese universities entering the top 500 increased from 27 in 2010 to 76 in 2020, while the U.S. decreased from 154 to 133.

Zakaria further pointed out that America's advantage in attracting talent has clearly weakened. This is America's extraordinary advantage over the rest of the world and the last remaining advantage it holds over China.

Data shows that from 2000 to 2014, more than one-third of Americans who won the Nobel Prize in Science were immigrants; in 2019, nearly 40% of software developers were immigrants; at large cancer research centers, the immigrant proportion increased from around 30% in 2015 to 62%.

"But this situation is changing rapidly." The article mentions that since Trump took office in January this year, hundreds of visas have been revoked, international students have been rounded up and deported, and Chinese researchers now face the risk of continuous investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Meanwhile, China's government has introduced generous incentives to welcome the best and brightest talents back home.

In early March, the journal Nature asked readers through its website, social media, and email whether changes brought by the Trump administration prompted them to consider leaving the U.S. The survey results showed that approximately 1650 people completed the survey, with over 75% (1200 people) giving a positive response. They said they hoped to move to Europe, Canada, their home countries, or anywhere that supports science.

Nature survey found that over 75% of researchers in the U.S. are considering leaving the country

"American scholars are fleeing due to Trump." On March 31, the Financial Times published an article titled "These Are Professors Fleeing America Because of Trump," stating that since Trump took office, he has continuously launched "direct attacks" on education and science, leading professors to flee American universities en masse.

"These are the cornerstones of America's extraordinary strength built over the past century," Zakaria emphasized at the end of the article. "Now, America's century-long advantage is being destroyed in just a hundred days."

This article is an exclusive piece from the Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7497464210314543616/

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