With the number of overseas students steadily declining in the United States, President George W. Bush recently announced that he intends to do something about it.

I found the section on his reasons for increasing the study of 'foreign' languages especially interesting.

The Guardian reports:

Drawing applause from more than 120 university presidents and representatives from higher education associations and societies, Mr Bush said it was "in our national interest" to create a balance between security concerns and the country's need for more overseas students.

"We want young kids from around the world coming to our universities," he said. "It's in our national interest that we solve visa issues... We have been calibrating the proper balance after September 11, and I fully understand some of your frustrations, particularly when you say the balance wasn't actually calibrated well.

"But we're going to get it right, because the more youngsters who come to America to get educated, the more likely it is people in the world will understand the true nature of America."