COOPERATIVE OCEAN TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH WITH THE FORMER SOVIET-UNION

It has been dose to four years since the collapse of communism in the Former Soviet Union (FSU), also commonly referred to as the Newly Inde pendent States (NIS) or simply by reference to specific republic names . In the area of marine science, the FSU was recognized as a world lea der in resources, technical talent, and at-sea research activity. Whil e the end of the Cold War has helped shift attention and the applicati on of some military technologies toward critical environmental issues, including those in the world's oceans, the economic, political, and s ocial chaos underway in Russia, Ukraine, and the other FSU republics h as resulted in. the boss of many of the tools that could prove benefic ial in solving the mysteries of the oceans. Despite the losses, much r emains to be saved which can be effectively integrated into the world scientific community and play a valuable role in the coming years. Man y argue that this immediate post-Soviet period provides an opportunity to dramatically accelerate cooperation and/or make up for lost time. Indeed, the collapse of the Soviet Union is having a dramatic impact o n the entire world order, east and west, and the changes are far from over. In light of this present turbulent situation, the most critical attributes required to engage and maintain cooperative relationships b etween our scientific communities include the absolute requirement for persistence and patience. This article examines some of the underlyin g reasons for the slower-than-anticipated pace of expanding cooperativ e activities (or the perception of a slow pace), offers some suggestio ns for those contemplating cooperative efforts based on other successf ul programs underway, and identifies some of the projects and organiza tions which may help shape future bi-lateral activities.