Embassy of the United States

Speech

Remarks by Ambassador Joseph A. Mussomeli, Fulbright Pre-Departure Briefing

U.S. Embassy, Phnom Penh
June 28, 2006

Fulbright Fellows,
Members of the Press,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to be here with you this morning to congratulate the nine Cambodian Fulbright Scholars selected for the upcoming academic year.

This is an exciting time for each of you.  However, your selection is only the first step.  The real challenge lies ahead.

You may not realize it yet, but you are about to embark on an adventure that will change your lives.  Not only will you pursue an academic program that will strengthen your personal skills and development, you will also serve as cultural ambassadors to the United States during your time there.  Upon successful completion of your respective courses of study, you will then return to Cambodia to share your experiences with others.  Through this experience, you will touch many lives; many will benefit from this opportunity of yours.

For more than 60 years, the Fulbright Program has supported educational exchanges that strengthen understanding and communication between the United States and over 140 countries.  It is an effective and prestigious form of public diplomacy.  The Program has enriched the lives of over 225,000 men and women and has brought some of the world’s finest minds to U.S. campuses.  It offers insight into U.S. society and values to future leaders from around the world.

More than 1,300 new Foreign Fulbright Scholars enter U.S. academic programs each year.  You will join students from around the world, learning from them as they will learn from you.  Your role as cultural ambassadors is an important one.

Many Fulbright Scholars are young professionals who will return to responsible positions in their home countries.  They often are involved in building institutions and government service when they return home.

This is a particularly important distinction for you as Cambodians.  After decades of war and genocide, Cambodia is beginning to develop one of its most important assets, its people.  Education, including higher education in the United States, will play a critical role in that development.

Since 1994, the U.S. Embassy has contributed to this development through the Fulbright program.  More than twenty Senior U.S. Fulbright Scholars and Specialists have conducted programs at local institutions, and more than 75 Cambodian students have been sent to pursue graduate studies in the U.S.  You are now charged with carrying on this fine tradition.

Currently more than 30 Fulbright returnees are working in key positions in government, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and business institutions.  I look forward to observing your future growth and development not only through your academic program in the United States, but as you too return to play a meaningful role in Cambodia’s future development.

It was your role as future leaders that drove Senator J. William Fulbright to establish the Fulbright Program more than 60 years ago.  For, as Senator Fulbright stated:

“Creative leadership and liberal education . . . are the first requirements for a hopeful future for humankind.  Fostering these – leadership, learning and empathy between cultures – was and remains the purpose of the international scholarship program".

I don’t think there is a better description of the importance of America’s “soft power.”  Senator Fulbright’s vision of America using its “soft power” to improve the world is still very much alive, it endures and is frankly of greater value and influence than any other form of power.

So, again, I would like to congratulate you all and wish you luck as you get ready for this new adventure.