Much has been said about China’s influence on Western universities, yet Qatar’s footprint in the American higher-education system[0] should not be ignored. It is one of the five largest donors to American colleges and universities, surpassing deep-pocketed contributors such as China and Saudi Arabia[1]. Even the president of the Brookings Institution resigned amid an FBI probe into Qatar-linked lobbying[2].
Consequently, when someone attempts to publish material about Qatar, particularly regarding its role in financing Hamas, they often hit a wall. As one case illustrates, “the editorial team has an issue with the fact that they have an upcoming partnership in December with Qatar. One of the directors flagged it as problematic and felt it might put them in a delicate position, so they prefer to run another piece with a lighter touch on the subject. Sorry.”[3]
Coming from a developing country where Islamists and anti-Western propaganda are pervasive, it is surreal to witness Western institutions falling, one by one, under the influence of autocratic and religiously extremist governments. This is where Western civilization appears to be declining: not because of “America First” politics, but because of low birth rates and an education system increasingly shaped by cash-rich foreign actors whose values diverge sharply from Western liberal principles.
What exactly is this Qatari influence on american society supposed to imply? There is certainly no party movement that is accepting of islam, let alone willing to take the (very popular) footing against Israel. If they refuse to comment on funding Hamas, surely this would still be more popular than explicitly funding the IDF, no?
He’s right, at least for the US: since the economic crisis of 2007–2009, Americans had fewer children, and that “demographic cliff” is starting to hit colleges, as the total (not just the sufficiently educated) pool of eighteen year olds available for recruitment is shrinking and will shrink 15% over the next 15 years.
Consequently, when someone attempts to publish material about Qatar, particularly regarding its role in financing Hamas, they often hit a wall. As one case illustrates, “the editorial team has an issue with the fact that they have an upcoming partnership in December with Qatar. One of the directors flagged it as problematic and felt it might put them in a delicate position, so they prefer to run another piece with a lighter touch on the subject. Sorry.”[3]
Coming from a developing country where Islamists and anti-Western propaganda are pervasive, it is surreal to witness Western institutions falling, one by one, under the influence of autocratic and religiously extremist governments. This is where Western civilization appears to be declining: not because of “America First” politics, but because of low birth rates and an education system increasingly shaped by cash-rich foreign actors whose values diverge sharply from Western liberal principles.
[0]: https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/04/02/qatars-footprint-in-...
[1]: https://quincyinst.org/research/soft-power-hard-influence-ho...
[2]: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/brookings-president-res...
[3]: https://quillette.com/2025/10/31/the-qatar-problem-hamas-isr...