Promoting democracy and good governance round the world is a long and winding road. So the blooming of the Arab Spring in 2011 was, at the time, welcome news. Although progress since then has failed to live up to expectations, awarding the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet for supporting democracy was both an acknowledgement and an encouragement to keep up the momentum.
Academic exchange is a confidence-building measure in building political and social change, and was an aspect of the United States-Middle East Partnership Initiative set up in 2002. U.S. students help bolster change through participating in U.S.-North African scholarship programs, as there is a need to build up scholarly interchange from its current very low level.
Data from the International Institute of Education shows that only 1,700 U.S. students study in North Africa — less than 1 percent of the total studying abroad each year — while the annual total for North African students in the U.S. stands at just 6,250 — 0.7 percent of all overseas students in the U.S.
About the author
Daphne Davies
Daphne Davies is a London-based freelance journalist and consultant with more than 30 years' experience in international development. She has worked with the U.N., the European Union, national governments and global civil society organizations, including Amnesty, WWF and LDC Watch. Her expertise is in monitoring government policies in relation to international cooperation. Her interests are in sustainability, social and economic matters, women and least developed countries.
