Dr Sudhir Hazareesingh asked to give a 60 second pitch for a better world on the BBC World Service

Sudhir Hazareesingh appeared on BBC World Service's 'The Forum' programme (11 July) in which he was asked about the nature of state power, particularly the power of France, and whether it was in decline.  Sudhir was also asked to give a 60 second pitch for an idea of his that might make the world a better place.

He suggested that it should be mandatory for children to learn a foreign language, as growing up in a multilingual culture affords so may benefits, such as allowing us to sample literary works in the original version, allowing languages to shape our mindsets in different ways, and making us sensitive to living in a multicultural country.

The full programme can be heard here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02w8y8f