Academic freedom at risk: Russia, China, Syria

Russia, China, Syria: How the University of Münster deals with "challenging" partner countries and dictatorships. WWU - Robert Matzke It has long been the case that no one country can by itself master the global challenges of our times such as climate change, wars or the Covid pandemic. Academic and scientific collaborations and alliances are indispensable for dealing with these problems, and they form the basis not only for fact-based findings but also for culture and education policies as part of a country's foreign policy. For most universities, therefore, internal cooperation with colleagues around the world is not only a necessity but also, as a rule, a matter of course. The University of Münster alone is currently a signatory to over 550 partnership agreements. But the fact that critical, independent universities are under serious threat from autocracies and dictatorships is something that has been clear since long before the war in Ukraine: Myanmar, Iran, Afghanistan and Syria bear witness to this. The consequence is that scientific cooperation is in danger or has even been forbidden by law.