Toward a Softer Foreign Policy

The promotion of math and science in Muslim countries would serve American interests better than starting wars, says an Obama science advisor and Nobel Laureate Ahmed Zewail. “In adapting to life in the melting pot of America, I discovered that the same soft power of science has a huge influence in building bridges between cultures and religions – and has the potential to do so with the Muslim world. By contrast, hard power is very costly. In the latest Iraq war it caused the death and suffering of millions. There is nothing in the cultural DNA of Islam that makes it resistant to assimilating new ideas. The vast majority of Muslims are moderates who want nothing more than to live a decent life and see their children educated.”