International students are one of America’s most effective tools of diplomacy, contributing billions to the economy and building lifelong goodwill. When we limit their opportunities, we weaken U.S. soft power and global influence, making it harder to lead on the world stage.
America leads in many ways. Sometimes with force. Sometimes with faith. The world has seen both.
The world has witnessed the reach of American power. Measured and decisive strikes reminded allies and adversaries alike of our capacity to act. Such military demonstrations command attention, but history teaches us that sustained global leadership also hinges on something equally profound: trust.
This is not a partisan argument. It's a principle of American leadership. Across generations and administrations, both Republican and Democratic leaders have recognized that America’s strength wasn’t just in our arsenal. It was in our example. That is soft power; influence by attraction. And no group has embodied that more powerfully than international students.
General Colin Powell once called international students one of our country’s most valuable assets. The General was right. International students often become cultural ambassadors, economic contributors and perhaps most importantly, long-term stewards of American ideals around the world. Recent NAFSA data shows that international students contribute nearly $50 Billion to the U.S. economy each year and support more than 378,000 jobs.
But here is the catch, when we stop welcoming the world’s talent, we don't become safer, we become smaller. That is what we are witnessing right now. As a nation, we’ve tightened access to visas, we’re threatening travel bans. And we’ve seen prestigious programs like the Fulbright scholarship program decline, most recently with the resignation of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. As a result, we are eroding our soft-power supply and sending mixed signals to those who see a U.S. education or job as a pathway to global contribution.
This erosion comes at a cost. According to the 2025 Democratic Perception Index, unfavorable views of our nation, among countries abroad, are on the rise. Pew Research reports there is waning confidence in our global leadership among close allies. Though the U.S. remains at the top of the 2025 Soft Power Rankings, our moral authority (the kind that isn’t measured by firepower) has worn thin.
In many ways, the loss of soft power will play out as a silent crisis. While we see the changes happening in the headlines every day, we will feel it most in missed opportunities and relationships that never form. Without the currency of inspiration, leading requires incentives; where trust once opened doors, it now demands concessions; and partnerships that once flourished through shared purpose now require significant investment.
And here is the harshest of realities, the most profound cost of soft power loss will be generational, where fewer global leaders carry an intuitive understanding of American values, where breakthrough innovations happen in labs we’re no longer connected to and where the informal networks that once provided insights and early warnings grow weaker each year. When we stop welcoming the world’s talent, we don't gain security, we lose connection.
America remains powerful, but power without attraction is a heavier and more expensive burden to bear. When the world stops wanting to follow, even the strongest nation must work harder to lead.
The world is watching not just what we carry out, but what we carry forward.
That means keeping pathways open and restoring the invitations to international students that once defined us. The United States once stood apart – people wanted to do more than study and work here. They believed in what we stood for. They wanted to emulate us. We must reclaim that magnetic appeal.
At the end of the day, hard power may win the hour, but soft power sustains security wins the era.