Trump and the expulsion of foreign students: The decline of American cultural hegemony

US President Donald Trump recently targeted Harvard University with a controversial proposal: expelling foreign students, who he claims make up 31% of the university's students, and revoking Harvard's permission to admit citizens of countries that, he says, do not pay for their students' education and some do not even have friendly relations with the United States.

The proposal, which has been accompanied by accusations such as Harvard's collaboration with the Chinese Communist Party or support for anti-Semitic groups, has raised questions about the role of American universities in global politics and culture. Why are American universities, which have hosted international students for decades, now being targeted by such a policy?

To answer this question, we must first look at the role of these universities in attracting foreign students and their impact on America’s global standing, and then examine why this new policy conflicts with America’s long-standing strategy.

American universities, especially institutions like Harvard, have always been more than centers of learning, as explicitly acknowledged in the U.S. State Department’s “Cultural Exchange Program.” By attracting international students, who are often the future elites of their countries, the U.S. government seeks to create a platform for the transmission of American culture and values ​​(or cultural invasion).

Historical sources show that since the Cold War, the United States has used student exchange programs, such as the “Fulbright Program” (established in 1946), to promote its values. According to John F. Kennedy in 1962, the goal of attracting foreign students was to familiarize them with “the good and the bad” of America so that they would have a positive view of the country upon returning to their countries.

The idea continues to be advanced in some analyses that foreign students who have experienced American culture, including democracy, individualism, and pop culture, act as unofficial ambassadors for these values.

When a student from the Middle East, Asia, or Africa comes to an American university, such as Harvard, he or she is confronted with an onslaught of American ideas and lifestyles, from Hollywood films promoted at student events to expert discussions of capitalism and free-market economics.

This experience, even if unconscious, changes his or her view of America. Many of these students return to their home countries as political or economic leaders, reflecting the values ​​they learned in America.

For example, King Abdullah II of Jordan, who studied at Georgetown University and maintained close ties with the United States throughout his reign, and whose regional policies often aligned with Washington’s interests; or Boris Jordan, a Russian financier who studied at New York University and, after returning to Russia, played a key role in Russia’s economic transition to capitalism, which aligned with the American free-market model.

These examples show how American universities have created a network of leaders aligned with the country’s interests by educating global elites.

This impact then extends beyond individuals to global networking. International students at American universities meet peers from around the world and distinguished professors, forming connections that later lead to political, economic, or scientific collaborations that also serve American interests.

For example, Saudi Prince Khalid bin Faisal, who studied at Harvard, has since returned to Saudi Arabia to pursue joint economic projects with American companies. Even international branches of American universities, such as the Cornell campus in Qatar, are fostering a similar process. By educating local students in American frameworks, these branches promote American values ​​and the market economy in regions that may not be politically aligned with the United States.

For years, this soft influence mechanism has helped the United States to shape the understanding and perceptions of future generations around the world in the interests of the Western world, without the need for military intervention or political pressure.

But this soft influence machine is now facing an unexpected challenge. American universities, once a platform for promoting American policies, have in recent years become centers of protest against one of America’s closest allies, especially after Israel’s escalation of military operations in Gaza.

Student protests, sometimes organized by international students, have challenged Israel’s policies and the unwavering support of the United States for it. These protests, which have intensified at universities such as Harvard and Columbia, have been interpreted by conservative circles as a sign of these institutions’ “deviation” from their original mission.

For example, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently stated that entry into the United States for students is “a privilege, not a right,” and that this “privilege” only applies to those who respect the laws and values ​​of this country.

In such circumstances, Trump’s insistence on expelling foreign students from Harvard University can be seen as a response to these developments. Recently, he indirectly objected to the fact that new students no longer act as US ambassadors by referring to the fact that foreign university students are recruited from “countries that are not friends of the United States.”

However, this US policy may also come at a heavy cost for the country and, among other factors, accelerate America's decline on the world stage. Restricting international students' access to American universities is not only detrimental to the country's economy but could also slow down the effects of America's cultural onslaught.