While all education aims to socialize its students according to the norms of the society within which they are supposed to take part, the ones in authoritarian regimes emphasize more learning and maintaining the status quo, and the Eastern ones where the society is more based on community that individuality emphasize greater harmony with the collectivity inside the classroom or out. For example, Chinese students are not taught to debate or discuss or disagree with one another, and certainly not with what they think the teacher wants to hear. This is a challenge for all Western profs and particularly American ones. It was more marked under Mao when “debate” consisted of agreement and one upping each other with little Red book quotations, or Lin Biao bashing. It is still prevalent in universities in Hong Kong, leaving out the massive amounts of memorization and regurgitation in earlier years.

From what I have heard and read the schools in Arabic countries including Saudi emphasize rote learning and aren’t big on debate and dissent, and certainly not from the authority figures inside or outside the classroom.

While I also had a high school education that emphasized critical thinking, it is often said that university is a time of unlearning everything you thought you knew.

If there were no critical thinkers in authoritarian regimes where would the revolutionaries come from?

I think “Arabs” need what everyone else needs from an education which is a knowledge base, analytical skills, and the tools for ongoing learning and questioning.

In my experience of doing therapy with people from a variety of backgrounds the similarities are greater than the differences but one does need to be aware of linguistic and cultural nuance.

The level of frustration among such people must be incredible. Very easy, I suppose, to re-direct such ill-adjusted youth towards committing violence against non-Muslims.

Yet my understanding is that Abdullah has had a hand in directing Saudi education for over forty years. So why should we think this isn’t this the result he wants?

I think the Saudi education system as a whole has been a major failure and many Saudis agree. Some have managed to make good use of it, with a lot of help from their parents. Others, many others, have been reduced to not having good thinking skills and are unable to analyze complex situations. This leaves them open to being exploited, by con men and by extremists. Again, I’m not unique in making this assessment. It’s one that King Abdullah has spoken about.

There are many positive things about Saudis: they are generous of spirit, have a great sense of humor, have intense feelings about things they believe in. I’ve had very wonderful times in the desert with Bedouins as well as with princes. I’ve also met a few Saudis who could use some urgent classes in manners and good behavior, who could take themselves a little less seriously, and who could be a bit more honest.

All of these things, though, are the pluses and negatives of all mankind. I see Saudis as fully human, prone to greatness and to meanness in equal measure, like all other humans.