On the first day of the author's American-government course he often plays a little trick on the students. He throws one of them out of class. The plan is to stop the student at the door, ask what is politics, ask why he (or she) is obeying, and encourage a more energetic discussion of authority and politics at a university. Two years ago, in the author's second semester of teaching at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in Qatar, he attempted to stage this performance in a class of mostly Arab students. But that day, in the wealthy Persian Gulf emirate, he saw looks of pain and horror on the faces in class. By ordering a student out of class he had stepped over a strict line of courtesy and pride. Their discomfort at his disapproval was a reminder that he was in a different culture with a tradition of esteem for teachers. The author discusses his observations about his Qatari students. He measures the divide between the cultures of his Qatari students and his American students and finds it bridgeable.