Senator Lugar's Floor Statement

February 1, 2001

Mr. President, I rise to introduce a resolution expressing the need for establishing an international education policy for the United States. I am pleased to join Senator KERRY and other colleagues from both sides of the aisle in this endeavor.

Ask any American Ambassador in any U.S. Embassy what their most valuable programs are and many will respond by citing those programs which promote international cooperation and understanding. Educational and cultural exchanges typically rank high on their list because they are integral to our foreign policy and national security interests and build enormous good will abroad.

Our resolution reflects the same priority to international education. It expresses the need for an international education policy that enhances our national security, advances our foreign policy and strengthens our global competitiveness.

Our resolution states:

1. That all college graduates should have knowledge of a second language and another geographic area of the world;
   
2. That we should enhance and streamline our educational infrastructure to strengthen international expertise-this should include our employment practices, our tax laws, visa and immigration procedures, educational advising and other areas for improving international education programs;
3. That we should increase U.S. student participation in study abroad programs. For now, only about one percent of our college population study abroad;
   
4. That we should increase the diversity of countries, languages, and subjects in our study abroad and exchange programs; and
   
5. We should promote and expand the number, diversity and educational levels of citizen and international professional exchange programs.
   

We are introducing this resolution because we believe that improved international education and global literacy are important elements of a sound foreign policy. They help: build a foundation of trust and knowledge on which the conduct of international affairs must take place; narrow the distance with other cultures and societies with whom we increasingly interact and share burdens; our competitiveness in international commerce and trade in an increasingly global economy-95 percent of the world´s population live outside the United States and are potential customers and knowing the language, the culture, and the customs of other countries helps improve doing business abroad; develop skills to manage our political relations with other countries as we address diverse challenges to stability, national security and economic growth; and in sharing our values (e.g., democracy and freedom) and know-how with others and to acquire values and know-how from others.

We know that international cultural and educational programs played a key role in helping to end the cold war and build the post-Cold War era through interpersonal contacts, grass-roots exchanges and other forms of international engagement.

Success in promoting international education programs today and in the future will help promote democratic values and international cooperation. They can serve to reduce poverty and injustice and promote new leaders and new leadership skills in the U.S. and abroad that are essential to a better world.

Forty-six years ago, I traveled to study at Oxford University, England, where I had the unique opportunity to meet and study with student leaders and scholars from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and other parts of the world. Those two years made a difference in my life and I have been indebted ever since to the experiences and the idealism I learned at the time.

I hope colleagues will share our enthusiasm for international education and will join us in urging the development of a sound, cohesive and constructive international education policy for the United States.