The primary reason the United States continues to spend billions of dollars on the arms race is that fears the Soviet Union. This fear is based on lack of understanding that is reinforced by lack of educational exchange programs and language programs. This lack of international insight also dramatically affects the U.S. ability to compete economically with the Pacific Basin countries, cope with Cuban backed insurgency in Central America, and function effectively at the diplomatic level world wide. China has 19,903 students in the United States, while the United States has only 69 students in China. Of the 52 hostages taken in Tehran, Iran, only 2 spoke the Farsi language fluently. There are only two U.S. embassies where the entire staff speaks the language of the host country. In Central America, the United States offers 391 scholarships for study in the United States, while Cuba, the Soviet Union, and the Warsaw Pact countries offer 7,500 scholarships for study in those countries. These trends must be reversed if the United States is to make any gains in international understanding. The Educational Writers Association can play a pivotal role in this matter by keeping these concerns in the public spotlight and supporting measures that foster international understanding. (PPB)