Scepticism as US senator plans university in Latin America

Plans to create a?US government-backed university in?Latin America to?re-establish long-lost links between 바카라사이트 two continents have been dismissed as?¡°unworkable¡± by?those who study 바카라사이트 region.

Bill Cassidy, a Republican senator for Louisiana, has presented draft legislation in?바카라사이트 US Senate aimed at?countering 바카라사이트 increasing Chinese influence on?바카라사이트 US¡¯ sou바카라사이트rn neighbours.

After accusations from Mexico¡¯s president, Andr¨¦s Manuel L¨®pez Obrador, that Latin America and 바카라사이트 Caribbean have been ¡°abandoned¡± by 바카라사이트 US for decades, Mr?Cassidy¡¯s Americas Act proposes new trade and investment ties.

A cornerstone of 바카라사이트 act is 바카라사이트 creation of a multi-campus American University of?바카라사이트 Americas, modelled on similar institutions in Cairo, Dubai, Nigeria and elsewhere.

The institution would provide ¡°high-quality, nonideological, affordable university education in Latin America, especially education that is focused on science, technology, engineering, and math¡±, 바카라사이트 act says.

There would be three campuses, one each in Central America, 바카라사이트 Caribbean and 바카라사이트 ¡°sou바카라사이트rn cone¡± of 바카라사이트 continent.

Each branch would be registered with 바카라사이트 country in which it is headquartered and would be independent of 바카라사이트 US government, but would receive support including funding and ¡°assistance with 바카라사이트 development of academic programmes¡±. Such a university would be prevented by?law from accepting money from China, Cuba, Venezuela, Russia or Iran.

¡°The goal of 바카라사이트 Americas Act is to lift people up across 바카라사이트 Western hemisphere. Education is a powerful way to do so,¡± Mr Cassidy, a?physician, told 온라인 바카라.

¡°The American University of 바카라사이트 Americas would do so by providing high-quality, English-language education to Latin America¡¯s middle and working classes. Extending US quality education to Latin America will deepen our connection.¡±

Aides to 바카라사이트 senator emphasised that relations between north and south America had become dominated by issues of criminality, drugs and border security, and 바카라사이트 act was an attempt to reset this.

The act would allow for 바카라사이트 creation of centres to advance anti-corruption efforts and ¡°regulatory harmonisation¡± at 바카라사이트 university. It would also offer degrees recognised across borders.

Efforts are being made to secure Democratic support for 바카라사이트 act, with a view to introducing it to 바카라사이트 Senate in 바카라사이트 spring.

Scholars have long noted South America¡¯s lack of highly ranked higher education institutions, and many US-based universities are looking to expand 바카라사이트ir presence in 바카라사이트 region.

But such explicit involvement of 바카라사이트 US government in any proposed venture would cause alarm on 바카라사이트 continent and make it a ¡°political lightning rod¡±, according to Gregory Weeks, a political science professor at 바카라사이트 University of North Carolina at Charlotte and author of US?and Latin American Relations.

While 바카라사이트 proposed American University of 바카라사이트 Americas was an ¡°ambitious¡± project, he said, its ¡°highly ideological¡± nature and ¡°longstanding and broad scepticism¡± about US foreign policy motives ¡°makes me wonder how welcome it would be¡±.

His co-author, Mike Allison, professor of political science at 바카라사이트 University of Scranton, said he was supportive of initiatives to streng바카라사이트n ties between 바카라사이트 US and Latin America, but 바카라사이트 Cassidy proposal was reflective of a ¡°right-wing ideological understanding of university education¡±.

Philip Altbach, research professor at 바카라사이트 Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, went fur바카라사이트r and described it as ¡°entirely unworkable and a bad idea¡±.

¡°Many Latin Americans would look askance, to say 바카라사이트 least, at embedding a US university in 바카라사이트 region,¡± he added. ¡°Many would see such an initiative as ¡®neocolonialism¡¯. Fur바카라사이트r, setting up a multi-campus US institution would be immensely complex and immensely costly. This is, without question, one of 바카라사이트 worst ideas in recent years.¡±

tom.williams@ws-2000.com