Dubai: A senior US official revealed on Tuesday that the US will keep pushing for the transformation towards democracy in the Arab world through different means including enhanced cooperation in the field of education.
Margaret Spellings, US Secretary of Education, said the US welcomed students from the Arab world to come and study in the US and encouraged students from the States to come and study in the UAE.
In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Spellings emphasised the link between knowledge and the growth of practicing democracy in the region and applauded the UAE for including subjects about democracy in its curriculum.
"Just as democracy depends on education, education depends on democracy and no nation should fear freedom," she said.
She told Gulf News it took the US time to build its democracy and it was still working on enhancing democratic practices even further.
Student exchange
"Education, in my opinion, is the key to democracy. It paves the way for a better understanding of the preset of principles acquainted with the democratic procedure. This, in turn, allows people to appreciate the benefits that come with democracy for both citizens and leaders of countries anywhere around the world," Spellings said.
She said the US President, George W. Bush and Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice and herself shared the view that democracy means freedom, liberty, civic engagement, knowledge and empowerment, which are the concepts that every human being aspires to enjoy.
She said she believes student exchange between the US and the Arab world will help both sides better understand each other, their heritage and culture.
"My mission here at this time is to enhance student and faculty exchange and start discussing the core idea of what is democracy. We must allow knowledge to expand and to enhance understanding," she said.
Answering a question about the definition of terrorism as an American - and what in her opinion are the roots of the phenomenon, Spellings said many scholars around the world had discussed and debated the issue.
"I think it stems from a lack of hope and understanding that there will be a better tomorrow. It is hard to give a correct definition of terrorism but these are the core human struggles that have raged for centuries and will continue to do so, she said.
Spellings agreed that the scenes coming from Iraq, Gaza and the West Bank did not help the younger generation appreciate the value of understanding and that was the role of wisdom, experience and education.
"The understanding of the complexity of these issues will lead us to understand the stand of others and that begins with education. I am not trying to be simplistic, but I think our responsibility as an educator is to make sure that our children understand the context of regional disputes and how they have grown over the decades and centuries and why."
Challenge
She admitted that politicians did sometimes make the task more difficult for educators through their behaviour and that was a great challenge that every educator must stand up to and they must continue preaching the values of understanding as it was the only choice to ensure a better future.
She said she understood that Muslims met with some difficulties when it came to an understanding and appreciation of their culture and values from the West.
"Likewise, there is misunderstanding about America, about democracy and about what we stand for, so I think these myths on both sides are broken down through cultural exchange, student exchange and enhanced education. These myths are misleading us and we need people who have first-hand experience to come up with something different," she added.
By Duraid Al Baik, Foreign Editor