Dick Lugar: “in this era defined by rapid globalization and the fight against terrorism, an increased focus on international studies…”

“in this era defined by rapid globalization and the fight against terrorism, an increased focus on international studies and foreign language instruction in our schools is critical to maintaining our country's global leadership position. In order to foster the continued expansion of economic development and democratic institutions across the globe, we need citizens and workers who are knowledgeable of other cultures and languages. This need has become painfully evident in recent years as our Armed Forces, intelligence agencies, and diplomatic services have struggled to find personnel fluent in languages such as Arabic and Farsi and knowledgeable of the traditions and customs of the Middle East. At the same time, growing economic opportunities in Asia have put a premium on knowledge of languages such as Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, and Korean. Fortunately, we are seeing welcomed movement in confronting this challenge. Recently, President Bush launched the National Security Language Initiative to increase the number of Americans learning critical foreign languages. And today, the Committee for Economic Development, CED, a nonpartisan organization of business leaders and university presidents, has released a new policy statement, Education for Global Leadership: The Importance of International Studies and Foreign Language Education for U.S. Economic and National Security.…”