Abstract
Abstract
The objective of this qualitative study was to explore if the cultural immersion process towhich American Universities subject their international students leads to their long-term
adoption of American values and opinions. Grounded upon the concept of smart power,
Nye argued that the attractiveness of shared values can contribute to the management of
global conflict. This policy perspective essentially positions higher education as a
foreign policy tool. The results of this study provide insight into the attitudes, aspirations
and other psychological variables that make up the psychographic profile of twelve
interviewees through an analysis of their descriptions of their lived experience as
international students. A key result is that the participants believed that their behaviors
and attitudes towards the terms America, Americans and U.S. Foreign Policy were
influenced by their U.S. educational experience.
Keywords: Smart power, foreign policy, international students, student visa,global conflict, psychographic data.