![Harvard President Claudine Gay speaks as University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill listens during a hearing at the U.S. Congress.](https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/us-soft-power-campus-free-speech-01122024-1.jpg?w=519&h=259&crop=1)
The recent controversy over antisemitism on U.S. campuses highlights the role U.S. universities play in maintaining the country’s global status. More than material resources, like state-of-the-art classrooms, it is the campus culture of open inquiry and expression that enables U.S. universities to serve as sources of soft power.