Just after the First World War, the United States started a massive, new operation: academic fellowships for foreign students to come and study in the United States. America had just won the war. It was a proud new superpower, eager to put itself on the global map for the first time. The idea behind the fellowships was to spread that message and inform the world about a country that many, at the time, still knew little about. What better way than to invite the world’s best and brightest to come and study, and give them a world-class education in the best academic tradition while immersing them in the American way of life, ideas, and values?
It’s time for the European Union to follow this example. It should set up an ambitious, generous program for foreign students to study at European universities and use it as a soft power tool. This program should start immediately, and right at Europe’s doorstep, as a direct European response to President Alexander Lukashenko’s hijack of a Ryanair flight in May to abduct opposition leader Roman Protasevich: Europe should invite thousands of Belarusians to come and study and do research at universities all over Europe.
Like America 100 years ago, Europe wants to put itself on the map as a geopolitical actor. In a rapidly changing world, with U.S. priorities shifting from Europe to Asia, Europeans are busy discussing new theoretical concepts such as “strategic autonomy.” They understand they need to learn to stand on their own feet and rely less on U.S. protection. Many of these discussions involve hard power, with a focus on European security and common defense initiatives.
