Veterans From Iraq & Afghanistan May Improve MidEast Studies

John Miller’s discussion of academic Middle East Studies, in Philanthropy Magazine, “Clash of Cultures,” focuses on “how donors can increase understanding of the Middle East.” Miller draws upon his experience authoring a study of the Olin Foundation’s effectiveness.

It is important reading for that. Quickly summing, Miller cites Daniel Pipes, a leading critic of academic Middle East Studies departments:

"The key is to keep the money out of the hands of the university, so that donor intent can be preserved," says Pipes. Contributions to colleges and universities require careful oversight.

Miller ends by considering the role that returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan may come to play:

If one of the problems associated with the study of the Middle East is that not enough serious people have engaged the subject, then that may change before long: Thousands of American soldiers are now spending months and years over there. Upon their return to the United States, most will want to return to their ordinary pursuits, as veterans always have done. Some members of this group, however, may want to devote themselves to understanding the region, possibly even making careers of it -- a direction they would not have chosen but for their experience. "I think we're going to see a big influx," says Bromund of Yale. Their views are likely to be quite different from those of students who have never put on a military uniform.

If they are to be welcomed and have influence in the field (say, compared to the exclusionary experiences of returning Vietnam veterans and of some Vietnam scholars even today), then Miller’s final question will have to be answered by philanthropists:

Will they receive the training they seek? Philanthropists may want to make sure the answer is yes.