When the late Senator J. William Fulbright sponsored legislation establishing the prestigious Fulbright Programme, which was signed into law by President Truman on 1, August 1946, he saw a world devastated by its newly acquired atomic power.

Remembering his own overseas experience as a Rhodes Scholar, the young senator reasoned that people and nations had to learn to think globally if the world was to avoid annihilation. He believed that if large numbers of people lived and studied in other countries, "they might develop a capacity for empathy, a distaste for killing other men and an inclination for peace."

From the outset, the Fulbright programme has been truly "academic", with respect for freedom and integrity that should characterise scholarly and intellectual discourse within and across national boundaries. It has produced several generations of leaders with broadened vision in the sciences, the arts, education, literature, business, the media and government.

What is most unique about the Fulbright programme is that it has established a global system of bi-national exchanges, each between the U.S and a partner nation. There are 51 bi-national Commissions administering the Fulbright Programme around the world.

Bi-national Commission are based on the concept of partnership between the U.S. and the host country. It is different from other programmes of the U.S. government. It is free of the notion of "tied aid". These Commissions are autonomous entities and members of the Commissions Boards are drawn from both the host country and the U.S. government. Neither the U.S. Government nor the host government has veto power.

The joint contribution to and participation in this unique bi-national Commission demonstrates a mutual intent to expand upon this long tradition of education and cultural exchange.

For links to other bi-national Commissions around the world visit;

http://exchanges.state.gov/education/fulbright/commiss.htm