Opportunity Used to be American
Shutting out foreign students isn't just stupid, it's a form of violence.
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Am super excited and proud to see one of my former interns bylined this week in Foreign Affairs. Ninar Fawal worked with me on the data project, which I’m hoping to resurrect… so many projects, so little time and money…. She’s now a research associate at CSIS. The article on Syria is below.
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This week on the drama called the Trump administration, US embassies and consulates have been instructed to pause scheduling visa interviews for students eager to come to the United States to study—so officials can screen their social media accounts. It follows on from last week’s salvo at Harvard, suspending the school’s visa program. Separately, on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the administration would revoke visas for Chinese students.
The reaction has been overwhelmingly negative—and rightly so. Foreign students are a critical part of what makes US higher education, and by extension the US economy and society, dynamic, innovative, and globally competitive. The foreign students in my classes have been among the best, contributing to and enriching discussions—making learning real, not just theoretical.
Many have pointed out that the value foreign students add is literally through money. More often than not, those coming from abroad pay full tuition—or else are fully funded through their countries or through a foundation. That helps subsidize education costs for domestic students. But that misses the point.
A large number of them stay in the US to start businesses—some which have grown into multibillion dollar businesses. Take Chobani founder Hamdi Ulukaya. He came from Turkey to study English in NY, ended up buying an abandoned Kraft factory in Utica, hiring back those who had worked there and created a multibillion dollar yogurt empire.
And because I’m proud of my fellow Turkish Americans… Eren and Fatih Özmen landed at the University of Nevada in the 1960s where they studied engineering—and met each other. They married and started the Sierra Nevada Corporation—a major player in aerospace technology. It recently won a $13 billion contract to replace Air Force One. (Yes, this was before THE $400 million plane..)
The list also includes the founders of Stripe, Eventbrite, CloudFare, and Space X and Tesla. Yes, Elon Musk, fresh off his DOGE dump, enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania to study physics.
These are not anomalies. They’re evidence of a powerful trend: when you bring driven people from different walks of life and places, you get innovation. Ideas are not born in a single head. They are a result of interaction, conversation, and engagement with others. Silicon Valley is what it is because it is a literal melting pot of people from across the globe. Diversity is the root of progress.
A decade ago, my book on entrepreneurs, From the Other Side of the World: Extraordinary Entrepreneurs, Unlikely Places, landed on bookshelves. The core insight still holds: talent is global, but opportunity isn’t. The US has been one of the few countries where someone from a small town in India or a war-torn region in the Middle East could come, learn, build, and make progress—for themselves and society.
That’s something Pauline Eveillard reminded me this week. She is the founder of Soukra, an Etsy-like platform that showcases Tunisian artisans and entrepreneurs. She recently wrote about the cuts to the Fulbright exchange program, noting that the program connects people “across borders, replacing assumptions with real experiences.”
Assumptions are what Team Trump wants Americans to focus on. They know that the majority of foreign students are not a threat. But attacking them serves a different purpose: it feeds a narrative. It creates a convenient “other” and perpetuates the illusion that the White House is putting “Americans first.” By painting students as outsiders, as threats, the administration fuels fear and rallies its base—not for the good of the country, but for the gain of power. That’s not just dishonest, it is a form of violence.
That violence will not only damage US higher education, it will push away the very people who help build the companies, technologies, and solutions that America—and the world—needs.
So yes, foreign students help pay the bills. But more importantly, they are vital in making progress. That opportunity used to be uniquely American. With this latest move, Trump is making it global. —Elmira
Elsewhere in the World.....
On our radar...
US-Iran deal
Are the US and Iran on the verge of a deal? Trump hinted at that, even though their respective positions are far apart. The US does not want Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran wants to end its economic isolation and have the numerous sanctions on it lifted—but it does not want to end its nuclear enrichment program. Maybe Trump is hinting to an interim agreement? Shabnam von Hein breaks down where things stand, including the role the Gulf countries are playing. It is interesting that Saudi Arabia, who just a decade ago was against the Iran nuclear deal, is now very much in favor of one today. (DW)
Korean elections
South Koreans go to the polls this weekend to elect a new leader. This follows on from the bizarre events at the end of last year, when President Yoon Suk Yeol invoked martial law for a few hours before backing down. South Korean courts upheld his impeachment. The leading candidate is Lee Jae-myung from the Democratic Party, currently in opposition. While he’s favored, he also comes with baggage—claims he made false statements and corruption allegations. I mean in NYC we have Andrew Cuomo running for mayor, so why not?
Darcie Draudt-Véjares lays out what’s at stake in South Korea’s vote Sunday, namely a tough economic environment. She lays out how Trump’s tariffs factor in and what’s ahead for the country’s new leader. (CFR)
Polish runoff
Poles also go to the polls this weekend… and I didn’t even mean to do that… To vote in a runoff for president. While power rests with the prime minister, the president does have say over legislation. It is an election that all of Europe is watching as a pro-EU candidate goes against a far-right nationalist. Anna Grzymala-Busse outlines what’s at stake and the impact of the results. (Brookings)
Gaza aid
Following a two-month Israeli blockade of humanitarian assistance, famine has gripped Gaza. It is no wonder then that when Israel allowed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to distribute food in Rafah, one of the few places Gazans could access aid, Gazans overran the site, causing massive injuries. Amra Lee explains why this new configuration is so problematic. (The Conversation)
GHF would require Gazans to collect food from one of four “secure distribution sites,” rather than throughout the strip of land. It’s the weaponization of aid, write Amira Nimerawi, Sara el-Solh, James Smith, and Mads Gilbert. (Middle East Eye)
Ladies of the Caribbean
Suriname, a small country on the northern coast of South America that was a former Dutch colony. Until recently, hardly anyone paid attention to it. About a decade ago, it became important after oil was discovered, first in neighboring Guyana and then in Suriname. On May 25, the country held elections. This week, the various parties agreed to form a coalition government, in which Jennifer Geerlings-Simons will be the country’s next president—the first female, joining Sandra Mason of Barbados and Christine Kangaloo of Trinidad and Tobago as female presidents. Both Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago also have female prime ministers.
US
Just before Memorial Day, Donald Trump announced that the US would be building the Golden Dome—a defense system that Trump says will cost $175 billion and that the Congressional Budget Office pegs at $550 billion. It would detect and destroy missiles ahead of launch and intercept missiles early in flight. But instead of protecting it’s likely to undermine global security, writes Julia Cournoyer. (Chatham House)
Africa
There have been a number of political detentions in Africa. While it’s easy to throw them in as examples of how democracy is on the decline, Nanjala Nyabola points out how they are part of a larger, more systematic problem of how we conflate elections with democracy and ignore the role of kingpins and political gatekeepers. (Al Jazeera)
Asia
Sri Lanka’s civil war, which started in 1983 and lasted through 2009, more than a quarter century, left an estimated 89,000 women widowed. A few hundred of these women have joined demining efforts, which still plague the country. Jessie Williams on the role that women play in moving on from the war. (New Lines)
The Americas
In Canada, King Charles called on Ottawa this week and declared the “true north strong and free.” Nothing says “defend sovereignty” than a speech from a monarch. Amanda Coletta has more. (Washington Post)
What happens when you abolish a gender ministry and up the anti-woman rhetoric? You see an increase in gender based violence. That’s what Manoela Miklos and Samira Bueno write about the rise of violence against women in Brazil. (America’s Quarterly)
Middle East
On his trip to the Middle East, Trump met with Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who just a year ago was considered an outlaw since his al-Qaeda affiliated group appeared on a global terrorist list. Trump said the US would lift sanctions on Syria, in place since 1979. That is a positive step towards rebuilding the country after years of Assad’s rule and civil war. But it’s not enough, write Natasha Hall and Ninar Fawal. The US and Syria’s other partners “now need to clear the remaining obstacles to stability and economic recovery, and do so quickly—rather than let internal pressures and regional rivalries cause the country to unravel. (Foreign Affairs)
Europe
Of the many developments in the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukraine’s drone innovation is the one that has caught my eye. Nataliya Gumenyuk embedded with a number of battalions and brings this first hand look at how Ukrainians are staying in the fight and changing the nature of warfare. (The Atlantic)
Russian President Vladimir Putin isn’t rushing to end his war on Ukraine. And, yet, as Kseniya Kirillova points out, he can’t afford an endless war. Oil prices are falling and Russian companies are struggling. So, Ukraine and its allies should negotiate accordingly. (CEPA)
If you want to retire in Demark, you now have to wait until you’re 70… Amarachi Orie has the story. (CNN)
Opportunities
Interruptrr is hiring! I’m looking for journalism or international relations majors to help me put together special sections for the newsletter. More info here.
Leadership Now has an exciting opportunity as an Editorial Manager or Director.
CFR is hiring a Research Associate for its Russia Program.
In NYC, the Sesame Workshop is hiring for a Director, Global Corporate Partnerships.
Remote, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre is hiring for an Executive Director.
Editorial Team
Elmira Bayrasli - Editor-in-Chief
My father is an immigrant from Jordan (whole other story about how the family ended up in Jordan, but I digress). He pumped gas at a full-service station in Boston to pay his way through Boston University. He would travel down to NYC on weekends where he would work afood cart. Eventually he opened a restaurant. And that, that was his American dream. The oldest in his family, he brought my uncle over and paid his way through medical school. Not a scholarship, not a subsidy. Just grit, community, and the belief that this country made room for you if you worked hard enough.
Thank you for the mention of Soukra in this post! I'm grateful to be a part of this conversation on the importance of international exchange and how it brings different perspectives that contribute to growth and progress.