Foreign Studies Poisoned by Politics

WASHINGTON — For two years, Congress has rightly insisted that the United States needs better foreign intelligence. One way to obtain it is to train more experts in foreign languages. But in September, some conservative House members launched an assault on the very programs that produce these professionals. If they win, the capacity of the U.S. to be a responsible world actor would be seriously diminished.

Federal money helps fund international studies at America's college campuses. This year, the Department of Education will disburse nearly $90 million to support graduate study, language instruction, curriculum development and other programs. Much of that goes to 120 foreign-language and area-studies centers that focus on Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Students learn about not only the politics and sociology of foreign countries but also their literature and languages. Although these centers have endured funding cuts, they still manage to train future diplomats, development experts and scholars who make it possible for American students to learn about the world.

The conservatives have targeted this year's legislation authorizing funding for international education programs, including study in foreign languages and cultures. In introducing the bill, Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) noted, "America's interests and national security are becoming more and more tied to our knowledge and understanding of the rest of the world." But five conservatives on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce successfully added an amendment that would establish a politically appointed advisory board to oversee the channeling of funds to foreign area-studies programs. The seven-member board would be picked by the secretary of Education, the House speaker and the Senate president pro tem. The legislation passed the House by voice vote, and if the Senate goes along, education for many students could easily become hostage to political ideology.

The root of the problem is not education but U.S. policy toward the Middle East. Various conservative lobbyists and political leaders are trying to ensure that conservative opinion dominates the teaching of international politics, particularly regarding the Middle East. They believe that students should be taught to support U.S. foreign policy and, by extension, that government, as a major funder of these programs, should be able to determine what it is that students are taught.