Students at New York University Abu Dhabi, NYUAD, were told yesterday by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair that future leaders need to have an open-minded approach about how the world has become increasingly inter-connected.

He was addressing more than 200 students taking a special class with Frank Luntz, an American political consultant and pollster, on ‘The Language of Business.’ The course focuses on how to identify and apply the most effective business language and communication techniques in real-world settings.

"We desperately need the next generation of leaders to understand how interconnected the world is set to become," Blair said. "They have to hold the ability to sit together, to work together, to understand one another and come to common solutions. This political distinction between an open-minded approach and a close-minded approach is the single most significant factor set to define geopolitics in the 21st century. It is open-mindedness that will turn threats into opportunities, and crises into a future that works for people. Here at NYU Abu Dhabi, you have a remarkable opportunity to be part of that future."

Saying that "There is no educational institution as international as NYU Abu Dhabi," Luntz told the students: "Your commitment to the Middle East is unprecedented. You give me hope that there are solutions, that there are people who will make a difference and who have the courage to stand up for their convictions even when it seems impossible. This commitment has created an environment like no other place."

Luntz’s course materials focused on fundamentals of public communication in the real world by analysing videos, articles in current newspapers, magazines and online sources.

NYUAD Vice Chancellor Al Bloom said, "It was an immense privilege for our students, faculty, and institution to hear from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. His own commitment to look beyond our own shores, seek to understand others, and to interact with them with sensitivity and complexity so deeply reinforces our own."