Science and engineering can play a very important role in paving the way toward democratic changes in developing countries by identifying and developing new projects that enable the tools and technologies that enhance human dignity and reduce corruption. This new approach should be implemented in partnership with the ruling governments of the developing countries while also seeking active partnerships with non-government organizations and the private sector. The underlying assumption to this approach is that the ruling government of any developing country is trying to enhance the life of its citizens in order to maintain its leadership in the face of global changes and is trying to maintain a favorable position over opposition parties. This approach will help enhance the image of the U.S. and other western countries as peace-waging nations and will replace an existing understanding of war-waging countries.
Overseas Engineering Extension Offices
The new approach for fostering democratic changes in developing countries calls for establishing Overseas Engineering Extension Offices (OEEOs) in developing countries of special interest to the United States. These OEEOs will be implemented through a teaming effort between U.S. University coalitions and selected US Government entities such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (U.S. AID), the U.S. Department of State (DOS) and/or non-government organizations (NGOs). The OEEO program will be implemented by U.S. scientists and engineers and foreign young and highly motivated scientists and engineers who will have continuous interaction with their U.S. counterparts. A train-the-trainer approach will ensure the transfer of, not only the technical knowledge, but also the democratic culture to the foreign participants. The OEEOs will be in direct contact with an established network of technical centers and scientific institutes at various U.S. universities to support them in implementing their projects. They will target the in-country resources to serve in projects of importance to their citizens by using their own capital; by soliciting government and private support; and by sustaining their operation after funding ceases from the United States. Advantages of this OEEO approach include:
- Increasing the presence of U.S. institutions in countries and regions of interest such as the Middle East. Currently, the European Union invests significant resources in Mediterranean countries and the Middle East through the Country Framework Project that allows a significant number of European universities and NGOs to be present in these regions. This approach has enhanced the image of Europe in the Middle East and has made it an essential partner in these regions.
- Filtering foreign students before entering the U.S. U.S. universities will be able to extend their interactions in these countries and develop remote campuses overseas. A remote campus allows foreign students to obtain their undergraduate and post graduate degrees without being in the U.S. or to spend minimum time in the U.S. to finish their degrees. This approach will allow U.S. universities to handpick foreign students with good potential to finish their studies in the U.S., while avoiding students with extreme ideology.
- Increasing cultural exchange and propagating democratic awareness. Increasing the presence of U.S. students and professors for extended times overseas will allow them the opportunity to mingle with the public and to transfer the democratic culture in a very subtle manner.
- Engaging the science and engineering community to support U.S. foreign policies. U.S. universities are better equipped to support the development of OEEOs overseas because they are more affordable and accessible than private companies or U.S. National Laboratories.
- Providing significant leverage to the U.S. budget for research and development. Working with foreign counterparts will provide access to a pool of well educated scientists and engineers overseas and access to their facilities at considerably reduced cost.
- Minimizing language barriers and cultural ambiguity. Increasing the number of U.S. participants overseas provides the opportunity for more Americans to master foreign languages, which exponentially enhances communication skills, a benefit to U.S. decision making.
Egypt has good potential to test this OEEO approach. Egypt has a good infrastructure of scientists and engineers, and the ruling party is trying to adopt limited steps toward democratic changes. An OEEO in Egypt will interface directly with the different ministries of the local government and jointly define the projects that have quick and direct impact on Egypt’s citizens. The next part of this white paper will provide additional information on the proposed structure of the OEEO and the projects that can be undertaken to promote democratic changes in developing countries.
Overseas Engineering Extension Offices Program
Mission
The proposed OEEOs will develop a skilled and trained workforce that can enhance the public safety, security and economic growth of developing nation through technology enablement, training, technical assistance and emergency response. OEEOs will help transfer appropriate technologies to promote effective use of resources and will provide a safe, productive environment.
Vision
The OEEOs will be recognized as agencies that improve the lives of local people by helping provide safe communities, economic opportunity, and an enriched quality of life.
The OEEOs will use highly specialized engineers and scientists who will identify technologies used to enhance government services and the private sector, which can have a great impact on the lives of the people in foreign countries. Many examples can be found in the energy, health and environment sectors. They will help enable emerging technologies to solve existing problems in the public and private sectors. The OEEOs will also help develop awareness campaigns directed to benefit the public, as well as support government officials associated with providing many services and programs. The awareness campaign will be developed with the local language and will take into consideration the cultural and religious aspects of the society. They will help design retraining programs to adjust the workforce inside the government offices to be more productive and minimize the cost of the public services. For example, New Mexico Tech has already teamed with the DOS and trained many police force representatives from developing countries around the world on how to perform their jobs under democratic rule.
