The resumption of the Fulbright exchange program in Iraq is "an indicator of the overall renewal and recovery" taking place in that country, according to Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage.

In remarks at the State Department October 21 announcing the reintegration of Iraqi students and scholars into the half-century-old exchange program, Armitage pointed to the "healthy signs of regeneration across civil society" in Iraq, from the independent judiciary system now functioning to the volunteerism exemplified by the 5,000 local citizens who took part in a city cleanup campaign in Al-Kut.

The resumption of the Fulbright exchanges -- also announced in Baghdad by L. Paul Bremer, U.S. administrator for Iraq -- will involve, at the outset, scholarships to be awarded to 20 Iraqi students before the end of this year, with the grantees arriving in the United States early in 2004.

The Iraqi scholars will engage in studies in what Armitage termed "priority areas -- anything from law and public administration to business and public health." Later, he said, the program will be extended to Iraqi faculty and advanced professionals, as well as to their American counterparts.

Citing the fundamental place of Iraq in world education through 5,000 years of recorded history, the deputy secretary underscored the fact that only the last generation was denied the freedom to learn.

And yet, he maintained, "what is, indeed, truly remarkable is that the desire to learn and the determination to succeed never dimmed, even in a generation that has known nothing but tyranny."

Armitage expressed the hope that other countries and organizations will become involved in similar programs and called attention to the mutual relationship embedded in scholarly exchanges.

"[E]ducation illuminates the way forward for us all," Armitage said. "[R]esuming the Fulbright program isn't just about helping Iraq and promoting freedom of inquiry and intellectual quality in that country. It is also about the United States and promoting those values here at home," Armitage said.

Fulbright Program Reestablished in Iraq
Richard L. Armitage, Deputy Secretary
Washington, DC
October 21, 2003

Thank you, Tom, for that introduction. Last year, a group of luminaries from across the Middle East produced a new report, an electrifying chronicle of what they called the "crisis in human development in the Arab region." Time Magazine called it the most important publication of 2002. But the Arab Human Development Report did far more than identify gaps and shortcomings, it also offered a strategic vision for comprehensive change.

Just yesterday, in Amman, Jordan, the second report in that series was released, and it is no less remarkable as a call for change from within the Arab world. That document marks out the first key step down the path to a new renaissance and that is to build a knowledge society, one based on a solid education system.

So it is fitting that today in Baghdad, Ambassador Jerry Bremer is announcing the reestablishment of the Fulbright program in Iraq. I am delighted to be here this morning to share this information with you and with the American public. And I want to thank Drew Erdmann, who essentially served as the godfather to the Fulbright program in Iraq, for his service and for being here today. Indeed, thank you all for coming.

You might say that Iraq is the birthplace of education. It is, after all, where both the written word and arithmetic were first discovered. Indeed, in a 5,000-year history of intellectual distinction, it is only the last generation of Iraqis who were denied the full freedom to learn. Students and scholars were not only starved of resources, they learned and taught in a politicized and dangerous environment, generally without the right to travel or study abroad. What is truly remarkable is that the desire to learn and the determination to succeed never dimmed, even in a generation that has known nothing but tyranny. So we saw this past summer, just a few months after hostilities had ceased, students sitting for their final exams and celebrating their graduations in universities that were open all across the country.

And it is that determination to succeed on the part of Iraqi students that we believe will, in turn, fuel the success of the Fulbright program. Indeed, we sincerely hope that the resumption of this program will prompt other countries and organizations to follow suit because I can assure you that the demand is there. After 20 years of forced isolation, the people of Iraq are hungry to reengage with the international community.

As Ambassador Bremer is announcing today, we will award the first of 20 scholarships in late December, with Iraqi students arriving in the United States as soon as January 2004. We are now working with Iraqi education officials to select qualified individuals from all regions and all sectors of Iraqi society. These young people will be studying in a number of priority areas, anything from law and public administration to business and public health. We fully expect these students, many of whom will be women, to apply the benefits of their new knowledge to the task of rebuilding their nation. Once the student program is firmly established, we will also extend support to Iraqi faculty and advanced professionals, as well as to their American counterparts, an essential part of the long process of bringing Iraqi scholars back in step with their peers across the globe.

We have every reason to believe this program will be a success. Not just because of the determination of Iraqi students, but also because we are developing the scholarships in partnership with our Iraqi colleagues in a way that informs the needs of both our nations. Moreover, we have a rich history to draw on. Hundreds of Iraqi and American students have participated in Fulbright exchanges in the past, starting with the inception of the program in 1952.

In fact, I believe this revival of educational opportunity is not only one important step forward, it is an indicator of the overall renewal and recovery we are seeing in Iraq. In the space of a few short months, there are already healthy signs of regeneration across civil society. This is happening at a national level, where an independent judiciary system is already functioning, all the way down to the local level, in places like al-Kut, where some 5,000 citizens just volunteered to take part in a campaign to clean up and repair local streets.

The Arab Human Development Report released yesterday said that: "knowledge lights the lamps that point the way on the Arab journey to the future." The Fulbright program will help point the way for Iraq and in so doing, serve as a symbol of the steadfast American commitment to a better future the Iraqi people. But the value of knowledge is unrestricted in that sense and, indeed, education illuminates the way forward for us all. And so, in the end, resuming the Fulbright program isn't just about helping Iraq and promoting freedom of inquiry and intellectual quality in that country. It is also about the United States and promoting those values here at home.

The Fulbright program was founded more than 50 years ago on the belief that international exchange improves mutual understanding to mutual benefit. Today, that belief is borne out.

Students and scholars who come here from other countries and Americans who travel abroad greatly enrich their fields of study, helping to spark the dynamism that fuels the remarkable growth in the global economy. They also bring to the communities where they study and stay an invaluable knowledge of the world. Our openness to this sort of exchange has long been a great source of strength for this country and so the presence of Iraqi students at our universities will contribute to a better future for our people, too.

I thank you all for taking the time to be here with us this morning to mark this important occasion and for all the support and appreciation so many of you give to these exchanges. Again, I want to thank Dr. Erdmann for his efforts.