Throughout history, the manipulation of information has been a powerful weapon for those seeking to undermine democratic societies. Today, this challenge manifests through sophisticated influence campaigns targeting our educational institutions and impressionable young minds. Foreign actors, including certain state-sponsored programs like the Chinese Confucius Institutes and radical ideological groups across universities worldwide, strategically target impressionable individuals. Their goal is not enlightenment but control – establishing influential networks that ultimately threaten the foundations of free societies.
So, the battle for hearts and minds begins in our classrooms. Qatar, for instance, has channeled billions of dollars into American educational institutions, while simultaneously promoting divisive narratives through its Al Jazeera network. This coordinated approach has concrete consequences: graduates influenced by these narratives enter journalism, education, politics, and other influential fields, carrying perspectives hostile to Western democratic values, American interests, and Jewish communities. Many promote these views without recognizing how they've been shaped by well-funded influence operations designed to fracture social cohesion and stability.
The increasingly volatile demonstrations, erupting under the guise of “pro-Palestinian” activism across American and European campuses, reveal the fruits of these efforts. Behind many of these protests stand both local agitators and foreign operatives, funded by entities actively working to weaken democratic societies. Some analysts describe this phenomenon as the "Red-Green alliance" – an opportunistic convergence of radical leftist ("Red") and extremist Islamist ("Green") ideologies, united primarily by their opposition to Western liberal democracy and its institutions.
President Trump's recent diplomatic achievements in the Middle East highlight an alternative path forward. His success in securing business and political agreements demonstrates that diplomacy is a powerful tool which can help bring stability and security, economic and otherwise, to even the most volatile region. However, lasting reconciliation requires more than diplomatic accords – it demands educational reform.
If you want to understand a nation's true intentions, examine what they teach their children.
Therefore, beyond business deals, we must insist that all participating countries commit to educational systems that actively promote peace and mutual respect among Christians, Jews, Muslims, and all faiths and traditions. School curricula and media content must reflect these values. Without this foundation, more aggressive, better-financed actors supporting extremism – including certain factions within Qatar, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan – will continue to undermine progress toward stability.
A better future requires global decision-makers to prioritize educational initiatives that foster critical thinking, historical accuracy, and mutual understanding. Such education creates not only more tolerant populations but also stronger, more secure countries and communities which value truth, diversity, and cooperation.
The right to accurate information remains our most powerful defense against manipulation. By educating ourselves and our youth to recognize propaganda and seek verified facts, we protect the very freedoms and liberties that define our civilization. This commitment to truth is not merely idealistic – it is essential for our collective security and prosperity.
Dr. Shmuel Katz is a Zionist-American leader, speaker, and philanthropist.
This op-ed is published in partnership with a coalition of organizations that fight antisemitism across the world. Read the previous article by Adam Milstein.