US ambassador to Belgium defends academic scrutinized over race research

Cofnas's research, which touches on differences in intelligence across races, has become controversial, particularly following the death of a Cambridge professor, Arshad M. Arday. While some defended Arday as a victim of a "witch hunt," Cofnas, who identifies as a "race realist," suggested in a Wall Street Journal essay that Cambridge University had promoted Arday despite lacking qualifications and that media coverage contributed to his own scapegoating.

The U.S. government supports academic exchanges with overseas universities, White stated, but "dishonest, corrupt institutions that engage in, or reward, scapegoating mob behavior are not desirable partners for us." Ghent University currently holds two grants from the Department of Defense totaling $869,000 in collective obligations.