"What am I missing?"

That nationalism is the new state doctrin? Foreigners are inferior by definition, so they cannot really help with research anyway, all they want to do is steal secrets. If you think like that, then it makes sense.

It is often asked what an actual foreign agent would do differently if he were trying to destroy the country.

I don't think that's entirely valid. Nonetheless, there is enough overlap that the question keeps getting raised.

So... perhaps that's what you're missing?

Their goal is to destroy science in the US because it comes up with results that are inconvenient for them.

You're missing the preparation for WW3.

It feels like they are banking on their AI moment. Thinking that AI will do everything for them, they're isolating themselves like China historically did. Now all they have to do is create a proper AI that can surpass top notch researchers.

It makes no sense to people who want to live in a globally-competitive democracy. But other people don't share that goal, and the moves make perfect sense in their context.

The goal is the grift + outrage. If you can get both, great. If you can get just one, a very solid win. Each time something is thrown into full chaos there stands a private actor or dozens to make 7-8 figures.

> What am I missing?

The age of counter productive selfishness which escalates to national and international politics.

The administration has done nothing but be loudly and proudly racist and ant-science.

It mades all the sense in the world. It is terrible, but it makes sense.

They have brought incalculable shame and future suffering on the US.

> What am I missing?

Racism and Christian Nationalism

USA does not want to train scientists from other countries, who come home and can use that knowledge against interest of US companies, as a competition, or security. There are vast areas of science that are "double use". Will it help to keep stuff out of range of unwanted foreign actors? Hard to tell. Does it hurt USA soft power, sure. So the net result is to be seen.

You’re missing nothing. This is just another boneheaded footgun by this admin. What a time to be live and be an American. I’m ashamed to be one and living internationally. Everyone is either pitying me or laughing at me because my government is so corrupt, stupid and incompetent.

More problematic than my own ridicule is what this will portend for US science and the US for leading science research. We must fight to keep the US a destination for cutting edge science and research and one way to do that is to attract the best and brightest from all parts of the globe.

Did you miss who was elected president?

There isn’t much rationality since then.

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The fact that there are many American citizens willing to do that work

It’s protectionism. These lab positions are basically like residencies. They are government paid research spots that enable people to do government funded work in furtherance of their PhD. Why should American taxpayers basically be paying for foreign nationals to complete their PhDs?

>What am I missing?

I will answer this question honestly. I used to be friends with a group of PhD students work worked in labs. Every week I heard their complaints. One relayed a story in which a Chinese lab mate / co-worker was refusing to following their boss (PI) directions or request, and shared secret results with another Chinese student in a competing lab.

- Their boss (the PI) had asked the Chinese student to train other labmates on some specific testing methods, they refused.

- The Chinese PhD student would simply ignore the PI emails.

- Then magically their study results end up leaked to another Chinese PhD candidate.

Chinese PhD types can 'buy' their way into labs. They have so much money no one wants to turn them away. Only the government can force it.

Most people have no idea what day-to-day life is actually like in PhD life / labs. It's a lot less "science" and way more "human drama" than you could imagine.