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Change world by education, not war

By George Eisen, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

(December 29, 2006) — The Iraq Study Group report issued more than 70 recommendations to improve the situation in Iraq. The report clearly shows the futility of using military means for spreading democracy and recommends the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops by 2008.

As we enter a new year, let's entertain an imaginative alternative to this war: Changing the world peacefully with education.

The price tag for the Iraqi war is $8 billion a month. How much could this money, or even a fraction of it, promote peace and stability around the world?

One of the rare success stories of the Cold War was the impact of the Fulbright program in bridging different cultures and political ideologies. To date, more than 255,000 participants, including 33 Nazareth College students and eight faculty members, have had the opportunity to observe other political, economic and cultural institutions. The free movement of democratic ideas and ideals has changed the world.

In addition to the Fulbright program, Nazareth partners with two nonprofits based in Washington, D.C., to deliver academic programs similar to the Fulbright:

International Exchange Board brings students and civic/educational leaders to America for a year from the countries of the former Soviet Union.
Partnerships for Learning Undergraduate Studies Program, administered by the Academy of Educational Development, prepares future leaders in Islamic countries in a two-year diploma-granting program.

Both these programs are threatened by federal funding cuts. That's despite their obvious benefits. Not only do the international students in these programs contribute to our campus, they also are agents of democratic transformation in their home countries. For example, upon returning to their country, our Ukrainian students and scholars from the IREX program actively participated in the Orange Revolution in 2004-05, which resulted in the nullification of a corrupt presidential runoff vote and a proper new runoff being held.

The most tangible role of Nazareth in bridging the rapidly growing global, cultural, and religious divide with the Muslim world is its participation in the PLUS program.

Our 11 PLUS students represent Morocco, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, India, Nepal and the Palestinian territory. Besides being active in student affairs, giving lectures in area high schools and participating in community outreach, they have established the Muslim Student Association, providing a sorely needed religious-cultural dimension to Nazareth.

We are fortunate to be entrusted with the important mission of educating these students, because they will be the future leaders of the Muslim world, bringing an understanding of democratic values and ideas to their respective countries.

Yet, recently the U.S. Congress debated curtailing, if not eliminating, the PLUS program, as it has already done to some of the IREX programs.

As the Iraq war reminds us, we cannot afford to be shortsighted in investing in this human capital. Instead of reducing its scope, we need more than ever this "educational Marshall Plan."

After all, an educated mind in the right place is a wiser investment than any weapon.

Eisen is associate vice president for academic affairs and executive director of the Center for International Education at Nazareth College.

This article was originally published by Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.