International collaboration: Necessary, but challenging

The claim that international collaboration is important is a truism. A myriad of reasons for cooperation is evident if one looks at existing cooperative arrangements. These may be motivated by an economic perspective (an efficient and synergetic use of human and technological resources, think for example, of large telescopes, particle accelerators, labs, but also of large international datasets), by a cultural perspective (learning from each other) or by a political perspective (development and diplomacy).