‘I saw the writing on the wall’: Austria offers safe haven for US academics as Trump wages war on universities
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
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Wali Malik, a US academic, has found a safe haven in Austria, escaping the threat of government retaliation for his research and speech, as reported by The Guardian US, citing the Trump administration's "war on academia and research".
The Trump administration's policies have sparked a brain drain, with countries like Austria offering attractive alternatives to US-based researchers, with The Guardian US noting that "other countries benefit from the Trump brain drain".
According to The Guardian US, academics like Malik are leaving the US due to concerns over the erosion of academic freedom, with Malik stating that he no longer has to fear "a rightwing bureaucrat – or influencer" deciding his research is "woke" or facing deportation.
