A growing number of mathematicians worldwide are threatening to boycott the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) this summer if it proceeds as planned in the United States. The ICM, held every four years, is the field’s premier global gathering, where breakthroughs are unveiled and the prestigious Fields Medal is awarded. However, a petition signed by over 1,500 mathematicians—including many prominent figures—demands the event be relocated due to concerns over recent U.S. military actions and immigration policies.
The Roots of the Dispute
The core of the controversy lies in what boycotters perceive as hypocrisy. The ICM’s organizing body, the International Mathematical Union (IMU), swiftly moved the 2022 congress from Saint Petersburg, Russia, following the invasion of Ukraine. Mathematicians argue that the U.S.—having engaged in military interventions in Venezuela and Iran, alongside restrictive visa policies and aggressive immigration enforcement—should face similar scrutiny.
As Columbia University mathematician Michael Harris explains, “Holding the ICM in the United States, after it started two illegal wars, represents a double standard.” This sentiment highlights a growing unease within the mathematical community about the intersection of international scientific collaboration and geopolitical realities.
Escalating Pressure and International Division
The boycott movement gained momentum after the French Mathematical Society (SMF) announced it would skip the Philadelphia event, citing concerns about violence and difficulties faced by mathematicians from the Global South in obtaining visas. Despite this, some societies—including the American Mathematical Society (AMS)—have reaffirmed their commitment to attending, emphasizing the importance of “international openness and collaboration.”
This division underscores a deeper tension: the ICM has never been fully divorced from the political conflicts of the nations hosting it. Historian Michael J. Barany notes that similar boycott calls emerged during the 1950 congress in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when mathematicians with perceived communist affiliations faced visa issues.
What’s at Stake
The petition’s signatories are not merely protesting policy; they are challenging the very foundations of international scientific exchange. Ila Varma, a co-author of the petition, believes mathematicians have a moral obligation to leverage their collective influence. “We have these amazing global connections, and we also have influence on governments,” she says.
The ICM organizers—including the IMU and the Simons Foundation—have yet to respond publicly, leaving the future of the event uncertain. Whether mathematicians can effectively wield their collective voice remains to be seen, but the boycott movement has already exposed a critical fault line within the scientific community: how to balance the pursuit of knowledge with ethical and political responsibility.
The outcome of this dispute will likely shape not only this summer’s congress but also future debates about the role of science in a divided world.
