The United States should expand educational exchange opportunities for professors between Iraq and the United States, writes Karim Altaii, a professor of engineering at James Madison University and president of the Iraqi-American Higher Education Foundation, in an op-ed in the New York Times.

The United States is carrying out a number of commendable educational initiatives in Iraq. For example, a youth exchange program enables 50 Iraqi students to come to the United States each year. The new Fulbright Visiting Scholarship Program for Iraq will allow more than two dozen Iraqi professors to spend time at American universities. And the Iraqi Virtual Science Library program provides Iraqi faculty members and professionals access to international journals at reduced cost.

But these American exchange programs have allowed only about 200 Iraqi professors to study abroad over the past seven years…Clearly, the United States must do more.

Altaii also encourages the Department of State to help set up “a network to connect and support interested academics in each country. Before long, we would have academics from both countries writing joint proposals and working together to procure financing for their projects.”