A conversation with two University Presidents

with David Arnold and John Waterbury
in Current Affairs
on Tuesday, May 1, 2007 * * * * *

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A conversation with John Waterbury, President of American University of Beirut and David Arnold, President, American University in Cairo.

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Keywords:
American University
Egypt
education

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    1. Ken Bogert  05/02/2007 12:14 AM Report

      I wanted to thank you for the breadth of your interviews. You interview, respectfully, of George Bush and then you have also interviewed 2 American University Presidents from Egypt and Lebanon on the program. Plus many more great guests. And the message is clear--that the world is a complex place. Your advocacy for any given point of view is expressed, not by you in words, but through the input of your various guests--you have let me decide which point of view I hold most dear by giving me a variety of points of view and by your style, which is unbiased and genuinely interested in listening and understanding the views of your guests--hoorah for that anti-Chris Matthews approach. Thanks for the opportunity to see a variety of guests that really give me a broad picture of the situation and let me decide who I believe is right (and wrong).

      And just to give my 2 cents, I remember when Colin Powell was talking on your program about the student exchange program that his State Department was sponsoring, and now I view these 2 University Presidents who can demonstrate the incredible success of their students in leading productive and significant lives in the tough Middle East states. And then I think of the (at best) mixed results of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars via military action. And I think of how our military is still under budget pressure and accused of not caring for their wounded properly, not equiping their personnel properly, etc.

      And the solution becomes so clear. The soft sell of the American Vision is the only way to go. This is a cost-effective, subtle, yet sustainable way to promote the genuine-ness of the USA and it's democratic message--those 2 Middle East universities have been in place for 100 or more years while the WAR is only 3 years old and struggling to continue. The conclusion is so incredibly trite, but true; war is an expensive and questionable endeavor. By contrast, positive action is unquestionably more effective, more impactful, and sustainable over the long term--I think this answers where our resources should be devoted in the future--less military and more positive action. Thank you for the depth of input that has helped me to state this belief with ever-greater evidence and conviction.

      Ken.