Director: Daniel C. Levy

Planning an American University in Iraq

(Entry by Daniel C. Levy)

PROPHE Summary
Plans are underway to establish an American University in Iraq. For reasons of security and stability, the site would be in Kurdistan, away from the country's principal sites of violence. The university is to follow form and practice of American Universities elsewhere in the Middle East, including Beirut and Cairo. This means emulation of U.S. universities, a board of trustees, a business plan, donations, high tuition, and teaching in English. At least initially, fields of study will emphasize practical needs, e.g. petroleum engineering, business, and computer sciences. A hope is to provide an alternative to the Iraqi brain drain. Many of the promoters were supporters of the U.S. military invasion.

For the full story, see The New York Times, January 3, 2007, "An American University For Iraq but Not in Baghdad." By Edward Wong.

PROPHE Observation
An American University in Iraq is a bold idea and could provide a radical alternative in higher education. Yet the location in Kurdish Iraq is meant to escape obstacles of sectarian violence and anti-Americanism. In this sense, the emulation of American Universities elsewhere in the Middle East gains plausibility. The characteristics of American Universities are those of private universities. Moreover, the aim is to establish an elite private entity, still a rarity outside the US. Presently, Iraq has some 18 private universities and the American University may strengthen the trend of private higher education development in the Middle East.