AI transcript
0:00:01 (upbeat music)
0:00:03 Support for Prop G is brought to you by Viori.
0:00:05 Are you sick and tired of traditional old workout gear?
0:00:07 Viori wants to provide you with a new perspective
0:00:08 on performance apparel.
0:00:10 Everything is designed to work out in,
0:00:13 but also look and feel great outside the gym as well.
0:00:15 Viori’s products are incredibly versatile.
0:00:17 You can wear them running, training, stretching,
0:00:18 or just lounging around.
0:00:22 Viori sent me the Elevate Core Shorts and Stratotec Tee.
0:00:24 And I like the way they feel, the form fitting.
0:00:25 I feel strong in them.
0:00:26 I feel sleek in them.
0:00:28 I feel like a jungle cat.
0:00:31 Viori is an investment in your happiness.
0:00:32 For our listeners,
0:00:34 they are offering 20% off your first purchase.
0:00:36 Get yourself some of the most comfortable
0:00:39 and versatile clothing on the planet at Viori.com/PropG.
0:00:43 That’s V-U-O-R-I.com/PropG.
0:00:49 – A special message from your family jewels
0:00:52 brought to you by Old Spice Total Body.
0:00:53 – Hey, it stinks down here.
0:00:55 Why do armpits get all of the attention?
0:00:58 We’re down here all day with no odor protection.
0:00:59 Wait, what’s that?
0:01:03 Mmm, vanilla and shea.
0:01:05 That’s Old Spice Total Body Deodorant.
0:01:08 24/7 freshness from pits to privates with daily use.
0:01:10 It’s so gentle.
0:01:11 We’ve never smelled so good.
0:01:13 Shop Old Spice Total Body Deodorant now.
0:01:22 – I’m Scott Galloway and this is No Mercy, No Malice.
0:01:24 American universities are for sale.
0:01:28 Our adversaries are buying.
0:01:32 Weapons of War, higher ed, as read by George Hahn.
0:01:42 – Growing up, our biggest fear was the bomb.
0:01:45 Dr. Strangelove came out the year I was born.
0:01:49 Not to worry though, see a bright flash just duck in cover.
0:01:52 Yep, your desk will so shield you
0:01:55 from a thermonuclear blast.
0:01:58 This week, I interviewed historian Neil Ferguson.
0:02:03 He believes we’re several years into a second Cold War.
0:02:05 Fellow geopolitical gangster Fareed Zakaria
0:02:08 calls it a cold peace.
0:02:12 Regardless, there’s definitely a cold front moving in.
0:02:17 But you wouldn’t know it looking at America.
0:02:22 Our minds are elsewhere and our guard is down.
0:02:23 Nothing focuses one’s attention
0:02:26 like the threat of imminent death.
0:02:29 The first guy to use a sling to hurl a rock at his enemy
0:02:31 was an innovator.
0:02:34 The people who forged swords and shields
0:02:38 from a copper tin alloy spawned the Bronze Age.
0:02:41 The U.S. Civil War saw the arrival
0:02:44 of hot air balloons for aerial reconnaissance.
0:02:47 The first organized Army Ambulance Corps,
0:02:48 the mass adoption of railroads,
0:02:51 the Telegraph and photojournalism.
0:02:54 The dividends from World War I
0:02:59 included stainless steel, zippers, and daylight savings.
0:03:00 Hard pass.
0:03:03 Just one madman invading Europe
0:03:04 in the middle of the last century
0:03:08 brought us flu vaccines, mass adoption of penicillin,
0:03:12 blood plasma transfusions, radar, computers,
0:03:14 and countless other products.
0:03:17 If it wasn’t for a Cold War era DARPA project
0:03:20 that laid the foundation for the commercial internet,
0:03:24 no mercy, no malice would arrive via post.
0:03:26 The 20th century was defined
0:03:30 by the symbiotic relationship between conflict and progress.
0:03:32 Conflict and progress
0:03:35 will also likely define the 21st century.
0:03:39 Veterans of Israel’s unit 8200
0:03:41 have founded scores of startups,
0:03:46 including Palo Alto Networks, Waze, and Wiz.
0:03:48 Combat in Iraq and Afghanistan
0:03:52 contributed to significant medical advances,
0:03:55 particularly the use of robotic prosthetics,
0:03:57 and deepened our understanding
0:04:00 of traumatic brain injuries.
0:04:02 Facing a more powerful enemy,
0:04:04 Ukrainians are developing long-range drones
0:04:07 that cost $30,000 a piece,
0:04:10 a fraction of the price tag for a cruise missile,
0:04:13 to strike targets hundreds of miles inside Russia.
0:04:16 On the battlefield,
0:04:19 Russia and Ukraine are locked in an innovation race
0:04:23 to produce tactical drones that start at $500.
0:04:25 Prediction?
0:04:27 By the time that war ends,
0:04:29 delivery drones will be commonplace
0:04:32 and the best will come from Ukraine.
0:04:34 In a global economy,
0:04:38 every point of connection is an axis of attack.
0:04:44 Hybrid warfare is a conflict cocktail
0:04:47 that blends conventional military operations,
0:04:49 cyber, disinformation,
0:04:51 guerrilla tactics,
0:04:53 lawfare, diplomacy,
0:04:54 regime change,
0:04:56 and economic warfare.
0:05:03 Vladimir Putin is a seventh-level hybrid warfare wizard.
0:05:07 He has covertly poured state resources
0:05:09 into high and low-tech means
0:05:13 to pit Americans and Europeans against each other.
0:05:14 Just as Big Tech realized
0:05:17 the greatest ROI was misinformation
0:05:19 from likable executives,
0:05:22 we’re proud of the progress we’ve made.
0:05:25 Propaganda continues to be
0:05:28 how nations punch above their kinetic weight class.
0:05:34 The U.S. practices hybrid warfare too.
0:05:37 Radio Free Europe wrapped propaganda in rock and roll
0:05:40 and pumped it into the Eastern Bloc.
0:05:42 We spend $500 million a year
0:05:47 so the Peace Corps can flex America’s soft power muscles.
0:05:51 U.S. and Israeli computer scientists created Stuxnet,
0:05:54 a virus that sabotaged the centrifuges
0:05:58 at Iran’s nuclear facility without firing a shot.
0:06:03 And despite spending $820 billion a year on kinetic power,
0:06:07 our primary weapon of choice is economic.
0:06:10 We lead the world in sanctions.
0:06:12 It isn’t even close.
0:06:16 TikTok, owned by ByteDance, is a Trojan horse
0:06:18 that enables the Chinese Communist Party
0:06:21 to construct the frame through which American youth
0:06:25 see the world, the U.S., and themselves.
0:06:27 It’s not about whether the CCP strives
0:06:31 to diminish U.S. standing and prosperity, they do,
0:06:34 but if we should make it easy for them.
0:06:37 The U.S. government is slowly waking up
0:06:39 to the TikTok threat.
0:06:41 When it comes to communications platforms
0:06:45 of declining influence, television and radio,
0:06:48 U.S. law restricts foreign ownership.
0:06:51 Note, Rupert Murdoch bypassed this law
0:06:53 by becoming a U.S. citizen.
0:06:57 – Fox News Media brings America together.
0:07:00 America is watching, moves, and fearless debate.
0:07:03 – Investments affecting national security,
0:07:07 energy, and infrastructure also face scrutiny.
0:07:09 It’s a dumb idea to give your adversaries
0:07:12 the ability to control your weapons systems,
0:07:15 turn off the power grid, or close your ports.
0:07:19 And it’s plain stupid to let them implant a neural jack
0:07:21 into the wet matter of our youth.
0:07:23 See above, TikTok.
0:07:29 American universities, however, are undefended.
0:07:32 They are open for business.
0:07:37 In 2019, fewer than 3% of 3700
0:07:40 higher education institutions complied with a law
0:07:44 requiring them to report foreign gifts or contracts
0:07:47 exceeding $250,000.
0:07:51 The following year, an education department report concluded,
0:07:55 U.S. institutions are technological treasure troves
0:07:58 where leading and internationally competitive fields,
0:08:01 such as nanoscience, are booming.
0:08:04 For too long, these institutions have provided
0:08:08 an unprecedented level of access to foreign governments
0:08:09 and their instrumentalities
0:08:13 in an environment lacking transparency and oversight.
0:08:17 A subsequent crackdown has called into question
0:08:22 foreign money at Harvard, Yale, MIT, and other schools.
0:08:25 But Woodward and Bernstein,
0:08:27 the Deadpool and Wolverine of journalism,
0:08:32 didn’t just follow the money, they identified its source.
0:08:37 High tariffs keep Florida oranges out of the Chinese market.
0:08:41 But contracts worth $1.8 million
0:08:43 give Chinese growers access
0:08:46 to University of Florida citrus research.
0:08:48 One Florida grower called the deal
0:08:52 an intellectual property grab.
0:08:54 The University of Michigan has around $1 million
0:08:57 in contracts from DD Global,
0:09:00 a Chinese ride-sharing company built on government money
0:09:02 that forced Uber out of their market.
0:09:07 When a Chinese equipment maker filed an IPO,
0:09:09 it told investors that its connection
0:09:13 to the University of Minnesota allowed it to, quote,
0:09:15 enjoy the latest achievements
0:09:19 of world-class R&D institutions, unquote.
0:09:22 Why worry about IP theft
0:09:26 when IP can be purchased at a deep discount on campus?
0:09:31 62 US universities receive billions from Saudi Arabia.
0:09:37 In exchange, the Saudis get access to America’s top minds,
0:09:40 but they also get a brand makeover.
0:09:42 The kingdom has made similar investments
0:09:44 in sports and startups,
0:09:48 including in Premier League football, the PGA, and WeWork.
0:09:51 This is, in my view, a market transaction
0:09:53 that’s good for both parties
0:09:56 as American firms get access to cheap capital.
0:10:00 However, there’s something uncomfortable
0:10:04 about a monarchy that doesn’t share our values,
0:10:06 having influence over the universities
0:10:09 that arguably shape the values
0:10:12 of tomorrow’s business and government leaders.
0:10:16 A former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia
0:10:19 likened the kingdom’s higher ed washing campaign
0:10:22 to US soft power.
0:10:25 True, it’s the same tactic,
0:10:28 but there’s no moral equivalency.
0:10:30 When the Saudis buy brand makeovers
0:10:32 from American universities,
0:10:34 there is also a risk that the curriculum
0:10:37 and professorships will question,
0:10:41 in the most civilized manner, our American values.
0:10:48 Since 1998, Qatar has spent billions
0:10:52 funding satellites of US universities in Doha.
0:10:55 Education City is home to campuses
0:10:59 for Georgetown School for Politics and Foreign Relations,
0:11:02 Carnegie Mellon’s Computer Science Department,
0:11:06 Virginia Commonwealth’s Fine Arts Department,
0:11:08 Cornell’s Medical School,
0:11:10 and Northwestern’s Journalism School.
0:11:14 Texas A&M has an engineering school in Qatar,
0:11:17 though it’s set to close in 2028.
0:11:18 Why?
0:11:20 School officials say they’re concerned
0:11:23 about stability in the Middle East.
0:11:25 Meanwhile, a think tank known as the Institute
0:11:29 for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy
0:11:33 alleged that Qatar had substantial ownership
0:11:34 of weapons development rights
0:11:36 and nuclear engineering research
0:11:41 being developed at the Texas A&M campus.
0:11:44 Texas A&M denies the allegation.
0:11:48 Nations form alliances and partnerships
0:11:52 based on shared interests, not altruism or friendship.
0:11:55 This is the reality of geopolitics
0:11:58 and our relationship with Qatar.
0:12:00 It’s got an awful human rights record
0:12:02 and ties to Hamas and Iran,
0:12:05 but it’s also home to the US Fifth Fleet.
0:12:08 It’s complicated.
0:12:11 American foreign policy needs Qatar.
0:12:14 American universities don’t.
0:12:17 Elite schools enjoy endowments worth billions
0:12:19 and charge students roughly the equivalent
0:12:23 of a luxury car for every year of tuition.
0:12:27 They might miss Qatar’s money, but they don’t need it.
0:12:31 Nearly 300 UCLA graduates gave their lives
0:12:33 during World War II.
0:12:36 My alma mater isn’t unique.
0:12:40 US colleges coast to coast mobilized for war.
0:12:44 Every school sent graduates to the front lines.
0:12:47 The University of Maryland graduated students
0:12:50 in three years to boost enlistment.
0:12:52 Columbia University changed its curriculum
0:12:54 to serve the war effort.
0:12:59 By 1942, as many as 3,000 armed forces personnel
0:13:01 were taking classes at Harvard.
0:13:04 And of course, America’s research universities
0:13:06 provided the intellectual firepower,
0:13:09 including the atomic bomb that won the war.
0:13:13 The greatest generation displayed a sense of duty
0:13:18 and patriotism that we applaud today as exemplary.
0:13:21 Their love of America helped them save America.
0:13:27 We’re less patriotic today, especially young Americans.
0:13:30 That should be a clear and present danger
0:13:33 to university administrators and faculty
0:13:36 as autocrats threaten democracy in the US
0:13:38 and around the world.
0:13:43 We armed the greatest generation with patriotism.
0:13:47 We are disarming today’s students with narcissism.
0:13:51 Universities are the tip of the spear for America,
0:13:55 shaping the next generation of leaders and innovators.
0:13:57 Our purpose is to provide an environment
0:14:00 where students can explore their passions,
0:14:01 challenge their beliefs,
0:14:04 and develop critical thinking skills.
0:14:06 Trashing America might earn students
0:14:09 and faculty clout online,
0:14:12 but in the real world, it’s stupid.
0:14:16 UC Berkeley professor Carlo Chipola
0:14:20 identified stupid as people who hurt others
0:14:22 while hurting themselves.
0:14:24 We’re on the road to stupid,
0:14:27 and it’s paved with money from our adversaries.
0:14:32 American superpower is our optimism.
0:14:35 However, the Achilles’ heel of this optimism
0:14:37 is that it’s easier to fool Americans
0:14:40 than convince them they’ve been fooled.
0:14:45 This, coupled with money-obsessed, bloated universities,
0:14:48 have turned American values of intellectual freedom
0:14:51 and free speech on itself.
0:14:55 Cancer is when the host’s own cells turn on it.
0:14:59 And America’s cancer is the coarsening of our discourse
0:15:01 and the emergence of a white, hot fashion
0:15:05 among university youth, hating America.
0:15:11 Is the $14 billion that is poured into American universities
0:15:15 an attempt to build bridges between us and other nations?
0:15:18 Or is it a long game being played by our adversaries
0:15:23 to turn our cells, youth, against us?
0:15:25 The answer is yes.
0:15:29 Is there a point where the risks outweigh the upside?
0:15:33 As someone who’s given money to universities,
0:15:35 I know that no matter how benign,
0:15:38 the donor expects something in return,
0:15:41 like influence over curriculum,
0:15:44 who receives financial aid, faculty hires.
0:15:47 Campus leaders need to ask a simple question.
0:15:52 What do foreign nations want in return for their billions?
0:15:54 And what are they getting?
0:16:05 Life is so rich.
0:16:15 [BLANK_AUDIO]
0:00:03 Support for Prop G is brought to you by Viori.
0:00:05 Are you sick and tired of traditional old workout gear?
0:00:07 Viori wants to provide you with a new perspective
0:00:08 on performance apparel.
0:00:10 Everything is designed to work out in,
0:00:13 but also look and feel great outside the gym as well.
0:00:15 Viori’s products are incredibly versatile.
0:00:17 You can wear them running, training, stretching,
0:00:18 or just lounging around.
0:00:22 Viori sent me the Elevate Core Shorts and Stratotec Tee.
0:00:24 And I like the way they feel, the form fitting.
0:00:25 I feel strong in them.
0:00:26 I feel sleek in them.
0:00:28 I feel like a jungle cat.
0:00:31 Viori is an investment in your happiness.
0:00:32 For our listeners,
0:00:34 they are offering 20% off your first purchase.
0:00:36 Get yourself some of the most comfortable
0:00:39 and versatile clothing on the planet at Viori.com/PropG.
0:00:43 That’s V-U-O-R-I.com/PropG.
0:00:49 – A special message from your family jewels
0:00:52 brought to you by Old Spice Total Body.
0:00:53 – Hey, it stinks down here.
0:00:55 Why do armpits get all of the attention?
0:00:58 We’re down here all day with no odor protection.
0:00:59 Wait, what’s that?
0:01:03 Mmm, vanilla and shea.
0:01:05 That’s Old Spice Total Body Deodorant.
0:01:08 24/7 freshness from pits to privates with daily use.
0:01:10 It’s so gentle.
0:01:11 We’ve never smelled so good.
0:01:13 Shop Old Spice Total Body Deodorant now.
0:01:22 – I’m Scott Galloway and this is No Mercy, No Malice.
0:01:24 American universities are for sale.
0:01:28 Our adversaries are buying.
0:01:32 Weapons of War, higher ed, as read by George Hahn.
0:01:42 – Growing up, our biggest fear was the bomb.
0:01:45 Dr. Strangelove came out the year I was born.
0:01:49 Not to worry though, see a bright flash just duck in cover.
0:01:52 Yep, your desk will so shield you
0:01:55 from a thermonuclear blast.
0:01:58 This week, I interviewed historian Neil Ferguson.
0:02:03 He believes we’re several years into a second Cold War.
0:02:05 Fellow geopolitical gangster Fareed Zakaria
0:02:08 calls it a cold peace.
0:02:12 Regardless, there’s definitely a cold front moving in.
0:02:17 But you wouldn’t know it looking at America.
0:02:22 Our minds are elsewhere and our guard is down.
0:02:23 Nothing focuses one’s attention
0:02:26 like the threat of imminent death.
0:02:29 The first guy to use a sling to hurl a rock at his enemy
0:02:31 was an innovator.
0:02:34 The people who forged swords and shields
0:02:38 from a copper tin alloy spawned the Bronze Age.
0:02:41 The U.S. Civil War saw the arrival
0:02:44 of hot air balloons for aerial reconnaissance.
0:02:47 The first organized Army Ambulance Corps,
0:02:48 the mass adoption of railroads,
0:02:51 the Telegraph and photojournalism.
0:02:54 The dividends from World War I
0:02:59 included stainless steel, zippers, and daylight savings.
0:03:00 Hard pass.
0:03:03 Just one madman invading Europe
0:03:04 in the middle of the last century
0:03:08 brought us flu vaccines, mass adoption of penicillin,
0:03:12 blood plasma transfusions, radar, computers,
0:03:14 and countless other products.
0:03:17 If it wasn’t for a Cold War era DARPA project
0:03:20 that laid the foundation for the commercial internet,
0:03:24 no mercy, no malice would arrive via post.
0:03:26 The 20th century was defined
0:03:30 by the symbiotic relationship between conflict and progress.
0:03:32 Conflict and progress
0:03:35 will also likely define the 21st century.
0:03:39 Veterans of Israel’s unit 8200
0:03:41 have founded scores of startups,
0:03:46 including Palo Alto Networks, Waze, and Wiz.
0:03:48 Combat in Iraq and Afghanistan
0:03:52 contributed to significant medical advances,
0:03:55 particularly the use of robotic prosthetics,
0:03:57 and deepened our understanding
0:04:00 of traumatic brain injuries.
0:04:02 Facing a more powerful enemy,
0:04:04 Ukrainians are developing long-range drones
0:04:07 that cost $30,000 a piece,
0:04:10 a fraction of the price tag for a cruise missile,
0:04:13 to strike targets hundreds of miles inside Russia.
0:04:16 On the battlefield,
0:04:19 Russia and Ukraine are locked in an innovation race
0:04:23 to produce tactical drones that start at $500.
0:04:25 Prediction?
0:04:27 By the time that war ends,
0:04:29 delivery drones will be commonplace
0:04:32 and the best will come from Ukraine.
0:04:34 In a global economy,
0:04:38 every point of connection is an axis of attack.
0:04:44 Hybrid warfare is a conflict cocktail
0:04:47 that blends conventional military operations,
0:04:49 cyber, disinformation,
0:04:51 guerrilla tactics,
0:04:53 lawfare, diplomacy,
0:04:54 regime change,
0:04:56 and economic warfare.
0:05:03 Vladimir Putin is a seventh-level hybrid warfare wizard.
0:05:07 He has covertly poured state resources
0:05:09 into high and low-tech means
0:05:13 to pit Americans and Europeans against each other.
0:05:14 Just as Big Tech realized
0:05:17 the greatest ROI was misinformation
0:05:19 from likable executives,
0:05:22 we’re proud of the progress we’ve made.
0:05:25 Propaganda continues to be
0:05:28 how nations punch above their kinetic weight class.
0:05:34 The U.S. practices hybrid warfare too.
0:05:37 Radio Free Europe wrapped propaganda in rock and roll
0:05:40 and pumped it into the Eastern Bloc.
0:05:42 We spend $500 million a year
0:05:47 so the Peace Corps can flex America’s soft power muscles.
0:05:51 U.S. and Israeli computer scientists created Stuxnet,
0:05:54 a virus that sabotaged the centrifuges
0:05:58 at Iran’s nuclear facility without firing a shot.
0:06:03 And despite spending $820 billion a year on kinetic power,
0:06:07 our primary weapon of choice is economic.
0:06:10 We lead the world in sanctions.
0:06:12 It isn’t even close.
0:06:16 TikTok, owned by ByteDance, is a Trojan horse
0:06:18 that enables the Chinese Communist Party
0:06:21 to construct the frame through which American youth
0:06:25 see the world, the U.S., and themselves.
0:06:27 It’s not about whether the CCP strives
0:06:31 to diminish U.S. standing and prosperity, they do,
0:06:34 but if we should make it easy for them.
0:06:37 The U.S. government is slowly waking up
0:06:39 to the TikTok threat.
0:06:41 When it comes to communications platforms
0:06:45 of declining influence, television and radio,
0:06:48 U.S. law restricts foreign ownership.
0:06:51 Note, Rupert Murdoch bypassed this law
0:06:53 by becoming a U.S. citizen.
0:06:57 – Fox News Media brings America together.
0:07:00 America is watching, moves, and fearless debate.
0:07:03 – Investments affecting national security,
0:07:07 energy, and infrastructure also face scrutiny.
0:07:09 It’s a dumb idea to give your adversaries
0:07:12 the ability to control your weapons systems,
0:07:15 turn off the power grid, or close your ports.
0:07:19 And it’s plain stupid to let them implant a neural jack
0:07:21 into the wet matter of our youth.
0:07:23 See above, TikTok.
0:07:29 American universities, however, are undefended.
0:07:32 They are open for business.
0:07:37 In 2019, fewer than 3% of 3700
0:07:40 higher education institutions complied with a law
0:07:44 requiring them to report foreign gifts or contracts
0:07:47 exceeding $250,000.
0:07:51 The following year, an education department report concluded,
0:07:55 U.S. institutions are technological treasure troves
0:07:58 where leading and internationally competitive fields,
0:08:01 such as nanoscience, are booming.
0:08:04 For too long, these institutions have provided
0:08:08 an unprecedented level of access to foreign governments
0:08:09 and their instrumentalities
0:08:13 in an environment lacking transparency and oversight.
0:08:17 A subsequent crackdown has called into question
0:08:22 foreign money at Harvard, Yale, MIT, and other schools.
0:08:25 But Woodward and Bernstein,
0:08:27 the Deadpool and Wolverine of journalism,
0:08:32 didn’t just follow the money, they identified its source.
0:08:37 High tariffs keep Florida oranges out of the Chinese market.
0:08:41 But contracts worth $1.8 million
0:08:43 give Chinese growers access
0:08:46 to University of Florida citrus research.
0:08:48 One Florida grower called the deal
0:08:52 an intellectual property grab.
0:08:54 The University of Michigan has around $1 million
0:08:57 in contracts from DD Global,
0:09:00 a Chinese ride-sharing company built on government money
0:09:02 that forced Uber out of their market.
0:09:07 When a Chinese equipment maker filed an IPO,
0:09:09 it told investors that its connection
0:09:13 to the University of Minnesota allowed it to, quote,
0:09:15 enjoy the latest achievements
0:09:19 of world-class R&D institutions, unquote.
0:09:22 Why worry about IP theft
0:09:26 when IP can be purchased at a deep discount on campus?
0:09:31 62 US universities receive billions from Saudi Arabia.
0:09:37 In exchange, the Saudis get access to America’s top minds,
0:09:40 but they also get a brand makeover.
0:09:42 The kingdom has made similar investments
0:09:44 in sports and startups,
0:09:48 including in Premier League football, the PGA, and WeWork.
0:09:51 This is, in my view, a market transaction
0:09:53 that’s good for both parties
0:09:56 as American firms get access to cheap capital.
0:10:00 However, there’s something uncomfortable
0:10:04 about a monarchy that doesn’t share our values,
0:10:06 having influence over the universities
0:10:09 that arguably shape the values
0:10:12 of tomorrow’s business and government leaders.
0:10:16 A former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia
0:10:19 likened the kingdom’s higher ed washing campaign
0:10:22 to US soft power.
0:10:25 True, it’s the same tactic,
0:10:28 but there’s no moral equivalency.
0:10:30 When the Saudis buy brand makeovers
0:10:32 from American universities,
0:10:34 there is also a risk that the curriculum
0:10:37 and professorships will question,
0:10:41 in the most civilized manner, our American values.
0:10:48 Since 1998, Qatar has spent billions
0:10:52 funding satellites of US universities in Doha.
0:10:55 Education City is home to campuses
0:10:59 for Georgetown School for Politics and Foreign Relations,
0:11:02 Carnegie Mellon’s Computer Science Department,
0:11:06 Virginia Commonwealth’s Fine Arts Department,
0:11:08 Cornell’s Medical School,
0:11:10 and Northwestern’s Journalism School.
0:11:14 Texas A&M has an engineering school in Qatar,
0:11:17 though it’s set to close in 2028.
0:11:18 Why?
0:11:20 School officials say they’re concerned
0:11:23 about stability in the Middle East.
0:11:25 Meanwhile, a think tank known as the Institute
0:11:29 for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy
0:11:33 alleged that Qatar had substantial ownership
0:11:34 of weapons development rights
0:11:36 and nuclear engineering research
0:11:41 being developed at the Texas A&M campus.
0:11:44 Texas A&M denies the allegation.
0:11:48 Nations form alliances and partnerships
0:11:52 based on shared interests, not altruism or friendship.
0:11:55 This is the reality of geopolitics
0:11:58 and our relationship with Qatar.
0:12:00 It’s got an awful human rights record
0:12:02 and ties to Hamas and Iran,
0:12:05 but it’s also home to the US Fifth Fleet.
0:12:08 It’s complicated.
0:12:11 American foreign policy needs Qatar.
0:12:14 American universities don’t.
0:12:17 Elite schools enjoy endowments worth billions
0:12:19 and charge students roughly the equivalent
0:12:23 of a luxury car for every year of tuition.
0:12:27 They might miss Qatar’s money, but they don’t need it.
0:12:31 Nearly 300 UCLA graduates gave their lives
0:12:33 during World War II.
0:12:36 My alma mater isn’t unique.
0:12:40 US colleges coast to coast mobilized for war.
0:12:44 Every school sent graduates to the front lines.
0:12:47 The University of Maryland graduated students
0:12:50 in three years to boost enlistment.
0:12:52 Columbia University changed its curriculum
0:12:54 to serve the war effort.
0:12:59 By 1942, as many as 3,000 armed forces personnel
0:13:01 were taking classes at Harvard.
0:13:04 And of course, America’s research universities
0:13:06 provided the intellectual firepower,
0:13:09 including the atomic bomb that won the war.
0:13:13 The greatest generation displayed a sense of duty
0:13:18 and patriotism that we applaud today as exemplary.
0:13:21 Their love of America helped them save America.
0:13:27 We’re less patriotic today, especially young Americans.
0:13:30 That should be a clear and present danger
0:13:33 to university administrators and faculty
0:13:36 as autocrats threaten democracy in the US
0:13:38 and around the world.
0:13:43 We armed the greatest generation with patriotism.
0:13:47 We are disarming today’s students with narcissism.
0:13:51 Universities are the tip of the spear for America,
0:13:55 shaping the next generation of leaders and innovators.
0:13:57 Our purpose is to provide an environment
0:14:00 where students can explore their passions,
0:14:01 challenge their beliefs,
0:14:04 and develop critical thinking skills.
0:14:06 Trashing America might earn students
0:14:09 and faculty clout online,
0:14:12 but in the real world, it’s stupid.
0:14:16 UC Berkeley professor Carlo Chipola
0:14:20 identified stupid as people who hurt others
0:14:22 while hurting themselves.
0:14:24 We’re on the road to stupid,
0:14:27 and it’s paved with money from our adversaries.
0:14:32 American superpower is our optimism.
0:14:35 However, the Achilles’ heel of this optimism
0:14:37 is that it’s easier to fool Americans
0:14:40 than convince them they’ve been fooled.
0:14:45 This, coupled with money-obsessed, bloated universities,
0:14:48 have turned American values of intellectual freedom
0:14:51 and free speech on itself.
0:14:55 Cancer is when the host’s own cells turn on it.
0:14:59 And America’s cancer is the coarsening of our discourse
0:15:01 and the emergence of a white, hot fashion
0:15:05 among university youth, hating America.
0:15:11 Is the $14 billion that is poured into American universities
0:15:15 an attempt to build bridges between us and other nations?
0:15:18 Or is it a long game being played by our adversaries
0:15:23 to turn our cells, youth, against us?
0:15:25 The answer is yes.
0:15:29 Is there a point where the risks outweigh the upside?
0:15:33 As someone who’s given money to universities,
0:15:35 I know that no matter how benign,
0:15:38 the donor expects something in return,
0:15:41 like influence over curriculum,
0:15:44 who receives financial aid, faculty hires.
0:15:47 Campus leaders need to ask a simple question.
0:15:52 What do foreign nations want in return for their billions?
0:15:54 And what are they getting?
0:16:05 Life is so rich.
0:16:15 [BLANK_AUDIO]
As read by George Hahn.
Weapons of War: Higher Ed
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