The return of non-native talent to homeshores could pose a problem, according to this coverage by Cheryl Hall, which ran originally in the Dallas Morning News, but most recently in the Akron Beacon Journal.
She quotes David Heenan, who recently wrote Flight Capital: The Alarming Exodus of America’s Best and Brightest. Heenan estimates that up to a thousand people return to places like India, China, Singapore and Ireland to take up the reins of leadership in science, engineering, medicine and technology. And that’s bound to dull the effectiveness of the United States as a cutting edge country.
While the US’ post-9-11 activities have yanked the “welcome mat” out from under people who might consider moving here legally to advance themselves, other countries are “rolling out the red carpet,” writes Hall.
She quotes David Daniel, president of the University of Texas at Dallas, who says, “Ireland, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai and Bangalore are white hot and the five most interesting places on the planet… Of those, Singapore is the most dynamic. It’s clearly on a path to create a science, technology and university magnet that will make them the high ground of Asia.”
