Posted on 30-4-2003

Boycott Of US Reaches Science
Eminent physicist refuses to review American colleagues' papers, Reprinted
April 25, 2003 (Photo shows Dr Daniel Amit)

Sent: Friday, March 21, 2003 6:11 AM
Subject: Review_request AMIT EA8932

Dr. Daniel Amit, Univ. di Roma, La Sapienza, Ple Aldo Moro 2, 00185 Roma,
ITALY. Electronic URL-Download Referral from Physical Review E Code: EA8932

Title: Transitions in oscillatory dynamics of two connected neurons with
excitatory synapses. Received 08 January 2003

Dear Dr. Amit:

We would appreciate your review of this manuscript, which has been
submitted to Physical Review E. This message is the COMPLETE REFERRAL. No
hardcopy will be sent unless requested.
——————————————————————————————
From: "Daniel Amit" <daniel.amit@roma1.infn.it>
To: "Physical Review E" <pre@ridge.aps.org>
Sent: Friday, March 21, 2003 6:11 PM
Subject: Re: Review_request AMIT EA8932 Roudi

I will not at this point correspond with any american institution.

Some of us have lived through 1939.
——————————————————————————————
From: "martin blume" <blume@aps.org>
To: <daniel.amit@roma1.infn.it>;
<damita@green.fiz.huji.ac.il>
Subject: your email to the American Physical Society
Date: Tuesday, April 08, 2003 10:31 PM

Dear Dr. Amit,

We have received your email with your decision not to review a paper for us
in light of American actions in the middle east. We recognize that
reviewing manuscripts is a voluntary activity, one that you perform as a
service to the physics community, and we thank you for your efforts.

Given the voluntary nature of your participation we of course respect your
decision to cease, and have made an indication in our database so that no
further papers will be sent to you for review until you inform us otherwise.

We ask, however, that you consider the following in hopes that in the not
too distant future you will decide to review for us again. We regard
science as an international enterprise and we do our best to put aside
political disagreements in the interest of furthering the pursuit of
scientific matters.

We have never used other than scientific criteria in judging the
acceptability of a paper for publication, without regard to the country of
origin of the author. We have done this even in cases where some of us have
disagreed strongly with the policies of that country, and we will continue
this practice. We believe it is essential that all parties involved make
every effort to separate social and political differences from their
participation in scientific research and publication. The pursuit of
scientific knowledge needs to transcend such issues.

Sincerely,
Martin Blume
Editor-in-Chief
——————————————————————————————
Dear Dr Blume, Editor in Chief
American Physical Society
09.04.2003

Thank you for you letter of April 8. I would have liked to be able to share
the honorable sentiments you express in your letter as well as your
optimism in the future role of science and the scientific community. To be
frank, and with much sadness and pain, after 40 years of activity and
collaboration, I find very little reason for such optimism. What we are
watching today, I believe, is a culmination of 10­15 years of mounting
barbarism of the American culture the world over, crowned by the
achievements of science and technology as a major weapon of mass destruction.

We are witnessing man hunt and wanton killing of the type and scale not
seen since the raids on American Indian populations, by a superior
technological power of inferior culture and values. We see no corrective
force to restore the insanity, the self-righteousness and the lack of
respect for human life (civilian and military) of another race.

Science cannot stay neutral, especially after it has been so cynically used
in the hands of the inspectors to disarm a country and prepare it for
decimation by laser guided cluster bombs. No, science of the American
variety has no recourse. I, personally, cannot see myself anymore sharing a
common human community with American science. Unfortunately, I also belong
to a culture of a similar spiritual deviation (Israel), and which seems to
be equally incorrigible.

In desperation I cannot but turn my attention to other tragic periods in
which major societies, some with claims to fundamental contributions to
culture and science, have deviated so far as to be relegated to ostracism
and quarantine. At this point I think American society should be considered
in this category. I have no illusions of power, as to the scope and
prospect of my attitude. But, the minor role of my act and statement is a
simple way of affirming that in the face of a growing enormity which I
consider intolerable, I will exercise my own tiny act of disobedience to be
able to look straight into the eyes of my grandchildren and my students and
say that I did know.

With regard
Daniel Amit

PS I intend to distribute our exchange as much as possible. I authorize and
pray that you do the same.