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.

[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...