In today's world, America's soft power is commonly thought to reside in the global popularity of Hollywood movies, Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Starbucks. But the facts tell a different story.

In a recent poll involving 43 countries, 79 per cent of those surveyed said that what they most admire about the United States is its leadership in science and technology. The artefacts of the American entertainment industry came in a distant second. What I, as a young foreign student in the 1970s, found most dynamic, exciting, and impressive about the US is what much of the world continues to value most about America today: its open intellectual culture, its great universities, its capacity for discovery and innovation.

By harnessing the soft power of science in the service of diplomacy, America can demonstrate its desire to bring the best of its culture and heritage to bear on building better and broader relations with the Muslim world and beyond.

I felt the full force of this soft power when I came to the US in 1969 to begin graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania. I discovered how science is truly a universal language, one that forges new connections among individuals and opens the mind to ideas that go far beyond the classroom. My education in America instilled in me greater appreciation for the value of scholarly discourse and the use of the scientific method in dealing with complex issues. It sowed, then nurtured, new seeds of political and cultural tolerance.

In January, appointed by President Barack Obama as America's first science envoy to the Middle East, I embarked on a diplomatic tour that took me to Egypt, Turkey and Qatar. I met with officials from all levels of government and the educational system in these countries, as well as with economists, industrialists, writers, publishers and media representatives. What I learned during these visits was cause for some alarm, but also for considerable optimism.

The alarming aspect comes from the fact that education in many Muslim-majority countries now seriously lags behind international standards. Deficiencies in education, together with widespread economic hardship and the lack of job opportunities for young people, are sources of frustration and despair in many Muslim societies. They are rooted largely in poor governance and growing corruption, compounded by overpopulation and by movement away from the enlightened education I was fortunate enough to enjoy in Egypt in the 1960s.

Yet there are many positive signs as well. Muslim-majority countries such as Malaysia, Turkey and Qatar are making significant strides in education and in technical and economic development. Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Morocco and Indonesia are examples of countries still rich with youthful talent. Nor is this transfer of wealth and learning flowing exclusively from the West to the East. Today there are many Muslims in the West who have excelled in all fields of endeavour, from science, technology and business to arts and the media. These accomplishments and the values they represent can help the Muslim world recover its venerable heritage as a leader in science by complementing local efforts and aspirations.

Win-win scenario

It is certainly in the best interests of the US to foster relations with moderate majorities.

Three points will enhance US prospects for success.

First, the US needs to define a coherent and comprehensive policy for pursuing science diplomacy with Muslim-majority countries.

Second, the focus of a better-integrated effort should be on improving education and fostering the scientific and technological infrastructure that will bring about genuine economic gains and social and political progress. One way to build human capital in science, for example, would be for the US to encourage and support the creation of relatively simple earth science labs in elementary schools, along with the teacher training necessary to stimulate curiosity about workings of nature. For older students, I propose a new programme, Reformation of Education and Development, whose acronym, Read, would have special significance for Muslims, as it is the first word of the Quran. Through the Read programme, the US would support the establishment of centres of excellence in science and technology that can serve as educational hubs for talented high school and university students throughout the region.

Third, these efforts must complement, not replace, US efforts to promote human rights and democratic governance in the Muslim world. The US must also continue to pursue a just and secure two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and work towards freeing the Middle East from nuclear proliferation.

All these efforts would go far towards creating goodwill, catalysing progress, and redirecting the region's energies into new, constructive and mutually beneficial channels.

The soft power of science has the potential to reshape global diplomacy.

Ahmed Zewail is an Egyptian-American scientist and the winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in femtochemistry. He is Obama's science envoy to the Middle East.