America's doors to global leaders

In an era defined by complex global challenges — climate change, migration, democratic backsliding, and technological upheaval — the world needs visionary leadership more than ever.

- BENEL D. LAGUA

Yet at the very moment when international cooperation and skilled public leadership are most needed, America is turning its back on one of its greatest soft power assets: higher education. Nowhere is this more evident — or more troubling — than in the Trump-era immigration restrictions targeting international students.

For decades, the United States has cultivated global leadership through elite programs such as the Edward S. Mason Fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). Designed for mid-career public servants from the Global South, the Mason Program is a crown jewel in America's public diplomacy. It has quietly trained presidents, ministers, diplomats, and change-makers from over 130 countries — leaders who return home not only better equipped to serve, but with a deep understanding and appreciation of American values.

As a disclosure, this writer had the privilege of joining this program in the late 1990s and modesty aside, the learnings from the program mattered a lot in my public service career in small business assistance and development banking. I had the opportunity to take courses at both the Harvard Business School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But my case is a minor one compared to other illustrious graduates.