Our "bearers of democracy" have adopted a new strategy to expand American influence: American universities are conquering the minds of the young Middle Eastern elite as they venture abroad.
An enclave of American universities called "Education City" has become a new gathering spot for Middle Eastern upper-class youths in search of higher education. This Ivy League mimic is located in Qatar and includes the American-based Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Texas A&M University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Cornell University's Weill Medical College. In addition, Northwestern University will offer undergraduate programs in communication and journalism starting in fall 2008.
The Middle Eastern location of Education City -- which is the largest composition of American universities abroad -- is hardly coincidental. The United States has vast interests in the area both in terms of politics and economics -- not to mention security -- and providing education may provide key access to coveted resources. By encouraging pro-American attitudes among younger generations, these universities have the potential to improve U.S.-Arab relations and maximize trading options.
Teaching democracy may prove more efficient than previous attempts to spread American ideals; education, contrary to weapons, forms people's thought. Although an American education might decrease extremism and hatred by brainwashing students with American virtues, the question remains: do we really have the right to implant our own ideas into the minds of young men and women abroad?
Don't get me wrong; I fully support the idea of opening up universities where women and minority groups are given an equal chance to excel in the classroom and where religion is discussed from a neutral standpoint. However, there are better ways to promote liberty for all people and freedom of speech than implementing our own system into other societies. If the goal is to train bright students abroad -- regardless of sex or religion -- to become part of a strong labor market, wouldn't it be better to support already existing institutions in the region? Or why not make use of neutral actors such as the United Nations? Either alternative is able to provide students with a brilliant education not driven by hegemonic interests. Mixing political goals with education is simply wrong, and we should not commend such depraved initiatives.
Students at Education City hail from a variety of nations around the Gulf and South Asian region, reflecting the attractiveness of an American education and degree. Middle Eastern students are well aware of the competitiveness of a global market as well as the value of American credentials in a world where the United States set the rules. By enforcing this idea, the American universities constantly remind their students of their affiliation with the United States. A New York Times online slideshow shows how the American-based school, George Mason's Ras al Khaimah, has portraits on the walls of the Virginia campus as a reminder of the U.S. heritage, even though none of the faculty or administrators originated there.
Although there may be consensus that exploiting students' aspirations as a way of gaining influence in the Middle East is shameful, we must not underplay the role of globalization in creating flows of ideas across borders. It could be argued that Education City is a token of a globalized world with students coming from afar to share ideas through education. Nevertheless, I find the uncontested assumption that American education would be the system best suited for a globalized world rather alarming.
I don't buy that spreading Americanization is synonymous to spreading democracy, or that Americanization of education would be the panacea for anti-Americanism. Neither do I believe that the United States is promoting understanding and open-mindedness by continuously ensuring their own hegemony in the world.
I think our bearers of democracy should stop carrying out modern-day imperialism through the exploitation of education, and instead, focus on practicing what they preach.
