‘There is no great leader if he is not able to provide good education to his community. There is no great 21st century leader if he is not able to provide good international education to his community.’

In past two or three decades, international education has almost entirely collapsed in the USA. Not that it was previously a very strong component of US education, but at least it did exist and was providing US citizens and elites with the basic intellectual tools to understand the outside world and to efficiently interact with it. The ‘success story’ of US worldwide influence from the 40s till the 80s was also fuelled by the impact of such international education. From teaching of geography and history at primary school level, to the classical ‘tour of Europe’ for young American students, through the experience of ‘abroad’ shared every year (till the 90s) by hundreds of thousands of US soldiers from all social origins in particular with the huge US military bases in Europe, past decades used to provide a kind of international education to young Americans which has now almost entirely disappeared. This evolution was strongly underscored during the recent seminar on Transatlantic International Education hold on April 28th during the Transatlantic Miami Week 2004.

The contrast with Europe is striking because there the trends have been going the other way round. Europeans used to be ‘stuck’ within their small nation borders, cut off from each other because of language differences, lacking (especially till the 60s) the means (money and transportation) to go across their continent and for many (especially the so-called ‘big countries’ still convinced that they were a world of their own, with only some exoticism left from colonial time). By now, European students are crossing borders by flocks, travel by high speed train or low-cost airlines throughout Europe, get involved in transcontinental projects and speak for many 2 languages at least. Meanwhile history and geography have kept a central place in education, while history of Europe, including visions from the ‘other side of the borders’ is included in many history courses. Only UK stays outside of this evolution which may hint to a general problem within Anglo-Saxon current vision of education.

Nevertheless, the point is that today’s young Americans on average are less and less able to understand the rest of the world as they lack the basic knowledge and skills to do so. This situation is generating a growing concern in Europe when we try to foresee future Transatlantic relations. To put it bluntly, to be able to discuss, to be partner on international issues, it is compulsory that the level of understanding and information is at least similar. Otherwise the process is doomed to fail.

At a time when jobs ‘outsourcing’ is making the news almost everyday in the USA, it is indeed pretty odd to see that US leaders do not seem to care at all of the simple fact that the US education system does not deliver anymore skills and knowledge fitting with 21st century globalized world. Speaking foreign languages, knowing where other countries are, understanding how other countries took part in the shaping up of one’s nation, being aware of and experiencing different cultures are key component of a 21st century successful professional career and citizen’s life …. including in the USA.

Of course some may say that sending 135.000 young US soldiers to Iraq is part of such an educational experience; but one can wonder if wars are the best educational tools ever invented by human beings. In any case it is very expensive for a very low educational output.

This comparison is relevant because one of the reason why international education is disappearing in US education is also a question of funds. Education budgets are squeezed while military budgets are expanding. One cannot have everything at the same time indeed.

Some would argue that the reputation of US higher education is so strong worldwide that it ‘proves’ that US educational system delivers the best education in the world. Well, it used to do. Not anymore. Let’s look at a few elements:

And when we listen that European students are only dreaming of going to study in the US, this is just false: when I was students in mid 80s, almost 100% of students willing to study abroad was going to the US; now 90% of European students studying abroad do it within Europe. Only 10% still cross the Atlantic. So much for the ‘brain drain’!

To conclude, it is important for the EU to put this question, international education, at the top of EU/US relations priorities. When the US says that Europeans should do more for their own defence, they are right and they do not hesitate to say it loudly; when we say that the US should do more about international education, we are right and we should say it loudly too. This is made in both sides interest and within the US a large number of citizens, educators, foundations, ngos, communities, leaders do think the same but are not strong enough to move it higher on the political agenda. The European Union should help them to do so by encouraging European organizations in this field to team up with US counterparts, by putting the topic for discussion at each EU/US summit and by offering a 20 millions Euro programme to US educational players for boosting Transatlantic International Education (a kind of mini-Education Euro-Marshall plan for US education).

Within the US, at some point, a key question will have to be discussed: whether the way education is managed, inherited from the ‘Founding Fathers’’ vision of a society which has nothing to do anymore with current US society is still valid? The fact that not a single key political decision-maker is in charge of education (neither the US president, neither the Governor, neither the Mayor) is by itself preventing education to be a top political priority. Here something needs to be changed too.