Science, politics and ideologies

Since his inauguration as President of the USA in January 2017, Donald Trump has ushered in various measures that are widely perceived as anti‐science, such as the infamous travel ban on people arriving from seven Muslim countries. At the same time Brexit, the UK's impending departure from the EU, has begun to worry scientists across the continent and beyond over the potential impact on research. Other events, such as turmoil in the Middle East and the continuing threat of terrorism, have also contributed to a negative mood. There have been some positive developments too, such as the election of Emmanuel Macron as president of France with his pro‐science rhetoric and his promise to act as a counterweight to the USA with the “Make Our Planet Great Again” competition. It could also be argued that one country's loss is another's gain: Canada, for example, has been attracting more graduate‐student applicants at the expense of the USA since Trump's election (https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/03/20/canadianuniversities-post-large-gains-international-applications).