Two days after the results of an election that many felt was an attack on minorities and a threat to their human rights, the Sumud Coalition put forward a referendum stating that Yale should divest from military weapons manufacturers — and thus from democracy. They ask for divestment from American companies that create weapons and defense systems to allow America and its allies to defend themselves against Putin’s regime in Russia and the Axis of Resistance — the anti-Western military coalition in the Middle East, consisting of Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis and the Islamic Republic in Iran [1]. This contradictory stance — simultaneously fearing for democracy’s survival while weakening its defense — undermines the very values it claims to uphold. Divesting from the only military forces that oppose these extremist regimes doesn’t end war and violence. And chanting “books, not bombs” doesn’t magically turn bombs into books. It only redirects more bombs onto our friends and families in the Middle East.
In a protest last year, the News quoted a protester saying, “To this I say, yes, divest! Divest from the defense of Israel, Ukraine, America, and more.” This is a call for divestment from the main military opposition to extremist forces that despise democracy, freedom and especially education. Forces like Putin’s regime in Russia, responsible for bombing Ukrainian and Syrian universities and schools; regimes like the Islamic Republic in Iran, known for decades of deadly crackdowns on university students, the deliberate poisoning of young schoolgirls to suppress dissent, a direct missile attack on a Ukrainian passenger plane largely carrying college students, mass expulsions and killing of students, excessive indoctrination and propaganda in education, enforced quotas against women in college, bans on minorities in education and holding the highest execution rate per capita in the world; and U.S.-designated terrorist groups like Hamas, which is responsible for radicalizing and torturing thousands in Gaza.
Protests strengthen democracy. Divestment from our military weakens the standing of global democracy because it gives free reign to those who detest it.
Last April, after the Islamic Republic’s first assault on Israel, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said: “The sound of [Iranian] ‘Shahed’ drones, a tool of terror, is the same in the skies over the Middle East and Europe. This sound must serve as a wake-up call to the free world, demonstrating that only our unity and resoluteness can save lives and prevent the spread of terror worldwide.” Indeed, this should serve as a wake-up call to Yalies as well. Advocating for divestment from the defense companies that manufacture the Iron Dome, Patriot Defense System and Arrow interceptor missiles effectively endorses a world where Kyiv, Tel Aviv, commercial vessels and American political and military personnel abroad remain vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
Our stance does not require supporting all of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Our position is based on the realization that the liberal democracies of the world — the United States, Ukraine and Israel among them — face recurrent and serious military threats from anti-democratic neighbors and therefore require the means to defend themselves, and democracy itself, militarily. As adversaries grow stronger, we must remain invested.
In the same post, President Zelensky added, “Words do not stop drones and do not intercept missiles. Only tangible assistance does.” Many who chant, “Books, not bombs” live in a bubble of privilege that allows them to promote idealistic slogans without regard for their implications in the real world.
A few days ago, on Nov. 11, we celebrated Veterans Day, giving thanks to the soldiers who risked everything to allow us to study, vote and protest. Signing a petition that asks Yale to divest from the very companies that provide these tools and protections could risk undermining their efforts to successfully fight for us.
Yalies have historically stood up for democracy and freedom: 9,500 Yalies fought in World War I, and 227 died for our country. In World War II, 18,678 Yalies enlisted, and 514 tragically died protecting freedom and democracy. Now is the time to stand up for democracy again.
Yale, stand for democracy. Support those who protect it.
Sign our letter, open to students, alumni, faculty, donors and parents, to call on Yale to not divest from democracy.
[1] The term “Islamic Republic in Iran” is used in this piece, instead of the conventional term “Islamic Republic of Iran” to separate the ideological authoritarian regime from the country of Iran and reflect the efforts of Iranians and journalists trying to convey this distinction.
HADI MAHDEYAN is a sophomore studying Electrical Engineering in Pauli Murray College. He can be reached at hadi.mahdeyan@yale.edu.
EYTAN ISRAEL is a junior studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in Saybrook College. He can be reached at eytan.israel@yale.edu.