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WASHINGTON. – The Biden administration has a plan to rob Vladimir Putin of some of his best innovators by waiving some visa requirements for highly educated Russians who want to come to the US, according to people familiar with the strategy.
One proposal, which the White House included in its latest supplemental request to Congress, is to drop the rule that Russian professionals applying for an employment-based visa must have a current employer.
It would apply to Russian citizens who have earned master’s or doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics in the US or abroad, the proposal states.
A spokesman for the National Security Council confirmed that the effort is meant to weaken Putin’s high-tech resources in the near term and undercut Russia’s innovation base over the long run – as well as benefit the US.
Specifically, the Biden administration wants to make it easier for top-tier Russians with experience with semiconductors, space technology, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, advanced computing, nuclear engineering, artificial intelligence, missile propulsion technologies and other specialized scientific areas to move to the US.
Biden administration officials have said they had seen significant numbers of high-skilled technology workers flee Russia because of limited financial opportunities from the sanctions the US and allies have imposed after Putin’s invasion on Ukraine. The provision would expire in four years. There would be no changes to the vetting process, fees or other rules in the Immigration and Nationality Act.
An Interfax report, citing an estimate from the Russian Association for Electronic Communications, said that between 70 000 and 100 000 information technology specialists might try to emigrate.
The US and some of its Group of Seven allies have also in recent weeks discussed giving protected status to Russian scientists, including those working at CERN, the European Organizsation for Nuclear Research.
Seemingly, the US has picked up another tool to “weaken” Russia – creating a trend of brain drain in Russia. Without top-tier scientists and engineers as well as a high-tech innovation base, Russia is most likely to lose its key pillar in national economic and military development.
Some American decision-makers may believe after such an unfavourable environment for Russians has taken shape, once they relax certain visa requirements, Russian elites would out-flux to the US for the sake of their personal development. In this way, the US could exhaust Russia’s development potential from the inside, just like the fight over talent between the US and the former Soviet Union during the Cold War, Shen Yi, a professor at Fudan University, told the Global Times.
Washington may have underestimated both Russian people’ patriotism, and possible Russian policy to offset the US law.
More importantly, is the US still the dreamland for people from the rest of the world? Is it still a destination where citizens from other countries want to immigrate? Take a look at its domestic chaos, radical political correctness, income gap and deep social cleavages, what would a Russian achieve in the US? The US is simply playing an old trick in a new situation, to reach a goal which Washington itself feels uncertain, said Shen.
When US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said that Washington wanted to see Russia weakened after his recent trip to Kiev, he was basically articulating that, for the US, the conflict was never about Ukraine’s sovereignty or the Ukrainian people’s livelihood, but make use of the conflict to weaken Moscow, in order to prolong the US’ global dominance and hegemony.
Lately, the Biden administration has been speeding up its weapons delivery to Ukraine. But this is not about arming Ukraine, but making a profit through arms sales.
“What happens to weapons sent to Ukraine? The US doesn’t really know,” CNN reported on April 19. The money the US has pledged to aid Ukraine does not equate with boosting Ukrainian forces, but equate to the capital flows toward US arms dealers.
Some observers pointed out that the end of the conflict will, eventually, come through a negotiation between Ukraine and Russia, sooner or later. But the US government wants to dictate the terms for Ukraine, and Washington’s true intention is to create a minefield for Russia in Ukraine and prolong the war.
When doing so, the US doesn’t even take its European allies’ interests into account, as the war and the sanctions are devastating the European economy now, while ruining the traditional working relationship between EU and Moscow. A weakened Russia may serve Washington’s strategic interests, but it’s never in the interest of Europe.
Still, “peaceful coexistence” does not exist in US’ dictionary. This has made the US the greatest threat to world peace. Washington’s aim is to “weaken” or “emasculate” all its potential challengers. The tactic has applied to and worked for Japan. The US will continue this strategy to other major countries that are not willing to dance to US’ tune.
Be it “weakening” a country by forces, or “robbing” others’ top scientists, the US is provoking more intense confrontation between major powers, as it has indulged in playing zero-sum games. – Reuters/Global Times
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