BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2005

From exile, a beacon of hope for Belarus

By Jonathan F. Fanton International Herald Tribune

CHICAGO Is it possible at the dawn of the 21st century that an entire university could be driven into exile in Europe?

Seventy-two years after scholars fled Hitler's Germany to establish the Graduate Faculty at the New School for Social Research in New York, it has happened. Last year, the European Humanities University in Belarus was forced to close by the country's authoritarian regime. This month, European Humanities University-International dedicated its new campus in Vilnius, where it now resides in exile.

As the former president of the New School, the re-establishment of EHU-International has special meaning for me. Once again, courageous faculty and students are defying a dictator and standing as a symbol of academic freedom for scholars in peril around the world.

European Humanities University was established in Minsk in 1992. Known for its exceptional graduate programs in philosophy, law, politics, languages and European studies, it enrolled almost 1,000 students. In a closed society, EHU was an island of free inquiry, opening students to diverse ideas and vigorous debate, allowing them to see their country's history with a clear eye in the context of the democratic tide sweeping away authoritarian regimes across the world.

EHU was an independent university that stood out for its strong leadership, intellectual autonomy, dedication to liberal arts education and international scholarly ties. But its very existence posed a threat to Europe's last dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, who rules Belarus through fear and coercion in erratic and paranoid style.

After unsuccessfully trying to remove the university's rector, Lukashenko forced EHU to shut down in July 2004. The action was part of a broader campaign to stifle intellectual and academic freedom in Belarus, undertaken in the mistaken belief that national greatness can come about by shutting out the world. But great nations do not fear knowledge, they embrace it. Strong societies do not stifle criticism, they encourage it. Good leaders do not smother intellectual inquiry, they promote it.

In the end, Lukashenko's attempts to stifle academic freedom will be no more successful than his efforts to deny his people democracy and a free-market economy.

This autumn, European Humanities University-International will serve 750 students in Belarus - three-quarters of its original student body - through distance-learning courses offered over the Internet from Lithuania. Another 250 students will take classes in Vilnius. International academic exchanges and scholarly links with universities in 18 countries will remain active.

The dedication ceremony this month in Vilnius was a moving event, which began with a video of students defending their university when authorities seized the building last summer. Their brave and resolute rector, Anatoly Mikhailov, a distinguished scholar of German philosophy and culture, articulated a powerful vision of intellectual resistance and renewal. President Valdas Adamkus of Lithuania welcomed European Humanities University-International to Vilnius, offering the full support of his government and affirming his country's commitment to the cause of freedom in Europe.

Recalling the tradition of the New School, I closed my remarks with these words: "Let us today dedicate EHU International, this new university in exile, ... as a symbol of hope that freedom, opportunity and democratic prosperity will flourish in Belarus when this university returns to its rightful home in Minsk."

European Humanities University-International does not have a political agenda, but it has nonetheless been transformed into a political symbol. Its existence in exile forces us to ask: How can Europe allow a single man to hold 10 million hostage? One need only to stroll the streets of a vibrant Vilnius to appreciate what freedom brings - a stark contrast to my last visit in January 1991, when Lithuania was still fighting for its independence from the Soviet Union.

Minsk could one day feel like Vilnius, but for that to happen, the international community must apply persistent pressure. A university in exile cannot bring democracy by itself.

(Jonathan F. Fanton is the president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Chicago.)

CHICAGO Is it possible at the dawn of the 21st century that an entire university could be driven into exile in Europe?

Seventy-two years after scholars fled Hitler's Germany to establish the Graduate Faculty at the New School for Social Research in New York, it has happened. Last year, the European Humanities University in Belarus was forced to close by the country's authoritarian regime. This month, European Humanities University-International dedicated its new campus in Vilnius, where it now resides in exile.

As the former president of the New School, the re-establishment of EHU-International has special meaning for me. Once again, courageous faculty and students are defying a dictator and standing as a symbol of academic freedom for scholars in peril around the world.

European Humanities University was established in Minsk in 1992. Known for its exceptional graduate programs in philosophy, law, politics, languages and European studies, it enrolled almost 1,000 students. In a closed society, EHU was an island of free inquiry, opening students to diverse ideas and vigorous debate, allowing them to see their country's history with a clear eye in the context of the democratic tide sweeping away authoritarian regimes across the world.

EHU was an independent university that stood out for its strong leadership, intellectual autonomy, dedication to liberal arts education and international scholarly ties. But its very existence posed a threat to Europe's last dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, who rules Belarus through fear and coercion in erratic and paranoid style.

After unsuccessfully trying to remove the university's rector, Lukashenko forced EHU to shut down in July 2004. The action was part of a broader campaign to stifle intellectual and academic freedom in Belarus, undertaken in the mistaken belief that national greatness can come about by shutting out the world. But great nations do not fear knowledge, they embrace it. Strong societies do not stifle criticism, they encourage it. Good leaders do not smother intellectual inquiry, they promote it.

In the end, Lukashenko's attempts to stifle academic freedom will be no more successful than his efforts to deny his people democracy and a free-market economy.

This autumn, European Humanities University-International will serve 750 students in Belarus - three-quarters of its original student body - through distance-learning courses offered over the Internet from Lithuania. Another 250 students will take classes in Vilnius. International academic exchanges and scholarly links with universities in 18 countries will remain active.

The dedication ceremony this month in Vilnius was a moving event, which began with a video of students defending their university when authorities seized the building last summer. Their brave and resolute rector, Anatoly Mikhailov, a distinguished scholar of German philosophy and culture, articulated a powerful vision of intellectual resistance and renewal. President Valdas Adamkus of Lithuania welcomed European Humanities University-International to Vilnius, offering the full support of his government and affirming his country's commitment to the cause of freedom in Europe.

Recalling the tradition of the New School, I closed my remarks with these words: "Let us today dedicate EHU International, this new university in exile, ... as a symbol of hope that freedom, opportunity and democratic prosperity will flourish in Belarus when this university returns to its rightful home in Minsk."

European Humanities University-International does not have a political agenda, but it has nonetheless been transformed into a political symbol. Its existence in exile forces us to ask: How can Europe allow a single man to hold 10 million hostage? One need only to stroll the streets of a vibrant Vilnius to appreciate what freedom brings - a stark contrast to my last visit in January 1991, when Lithuania was still fighting for its independence from the Soviet Union.

Minsk could one day feel like Vilnius, but for that to happen, the international community must apply persistent pressure. A university in exile cannot bring democracy by itself.

(Jonathan F. Fanton is the president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Chicago.)

Source:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/27/opinion/edfanton.php


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