On Nov. 6, the Sumud Coalition, a coalition of pro-Palestinian student groups on campus, proposed a new referendum to divest from military weapons manufacturers. In doing so, they advance an anti-Western agenda that attempts to weaken the defense capacities of those fighting for freedom. 

The coalition of Yale organizations advocating the Palestinian cause announced the new referendum on Nov. 6 at a sizable pro-Palestine protest on Beinecke Plaza. The misleadingly named “Books, Not Bombs” referendum calls on Yale trustees to divest from military weapons manufacturers in response to the usage of their weapons in Israel’s war against the terrorist group Hamas.

Don’t let the name trick you — this referendum does not facilitate peace. Instead, it creates conditions for the success of authoritarian regimes seeking the violation of human rights and destruction of freedom. 

Today, the values that define Western success are under siege. In East Asia, China prepares to invade Taiwan to eliminate democracy and expand its oppressive surveillance state. In Ukraine, soldiers battle daily with the Russian forces attempting to expand Russian territory. They hide in bunkers to avoid artillery supplied by North Korea and only hope Russia does not fire more powerful ballistic missiles supplied by Iran. In Israel, soldiers monitor screens to operate missile defense systems that attempt to shoot down the thousands of rockets from Hamas and Hezbollah and the hundreds of ballistic missiles from Iran. Today, there exists an axis of authoritarianism rising up to challenge the West. These tyrannical regimes seek to limit freedom of speech, suppress women’s rights and persecute minority groups. Some are religious extremists, others are totalitarian regimes, but all are at odds with liberal values. 

The armies of Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel are the greatest bulwark against aggression from these authoritarian regimes. These nations are on the front lines in the fight for Western civilization, while the United States supports them from behind with military technologies and funding. Undeniably, they rely on the research and development efforts of the very defense manufacturers that the Sumud Coalition calls on Yale to divest from.  

American F-16s protect the skies over Ukraine from Russian fighter jets, preventing Moscow from achieving air superiority, which would quickly end the Ukrainian resistance. American high-altitude missile defense systems in Israel are prepared to fend off another attack from Iran or its proxies. American guided-missile launchers line the beaches of Taiwan, ready to strike incoming Chinese ships. Without American weapons, our allies may lose to the axis of authoritarianism at humanity’s expense.

One does not have to agree with every action of America’s allies to recognize their importance to our interests. You do not have to love Benjamin Netanyahu’s government — I don’t; you can be concerned about corruption in Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government — I am. Yet, despite their many imperfections, America and its allies are united by a fight against a greater, common evil. We must materially support our allies as they fight a greater axis of authoritarianism, even as we advocate for them to improve their ways through discourse — and, if necessary, criticism. 

Of course, in the ideal world, books, education and dialogue alone could resolve conflicts. But books could not stop Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine; education could not shield Israeli civilians from terrorist bullets on Oct. 7; and tempered words will not appease the expansionist ambitions of the Chinese Communist Party. American weapons are necessary to defend democracy. Divestment from military manufacturers decapitates our allies’ defense capabilities. While hopeful, the “Books, Not Bombs” sentiment oversimplifies these complex global realities.

I have difficulty believing that Yale divesting would make a difference. America and its allies will continue the fight against authoritarianism with or without the student body’s approval. Yet, I still reject this referendum because of the powerful stain it will have on our community. It will prove to the world that Yale does not stand by those who fight evil and prove to our community that we can’t stand up against forces so clearly antithetical to the values of a liberal research institution. It sends a message I simply reject — that Yalies do not support those who fight for the West.  

So, as you consider the Sumud Coalition’s new divestment referendum I ask you, dear reader: are you with those fighting authoritarianism, or against them? 

JOSHUA DANZIGER is a first year in Trumbull College. He can be reached at joshua.danziger@yale.edu.