Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Research in Social Sciences
Year: 2024
DOI:
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How Foreign Policy Reshapes Internationalization of Higher Education?
Sadaf Tahir
ABSTRACT:
Post World War II, modern warfare has been characterized by a sophisticated interplay of the use of proxies in conflict areas, economic coercion, diplomatic isolations, strategic deterrence by multilateral institutions, cyber warfare, etc. These complexities of foreign policy, geopolitical conflicts, international sanctions, immigration policies, and strategic alliances significantly impact the outreach, scope, and structure of higher education internationalization. Nevertheless, the literature on the impact of foreign policy on the internationalization effort of higher education is still unresearched. World War II, the Cold War, and the 9/11 terrorist attack are turning points that have shaped the current higher education landscape. To advance and sustain economic competitiveness, foster cultural diplomacy, and articulate ideological influence, several countries i.e., China, Australia, the US, France, the UK, and Canada have substantially invested and deployed targeted aggressive strategies to attract foreign students to their countries. The paper highlights the notable programs -Fulbright, European Union Programs, Chinese Government Scholarship, DAAD- that have extensively leveraged the soft power of their advanced and robust higher education systems as a diplomatic instrument to advance their foreign policy aspirations across the globe.
keywords: Education Diplomacy, Fulbright, mobility, scholarships, soft power