Image: Yale Daily News
The end of the academic year brought protests to college campuses across the country - including here in Connecticut - over the war between Israel and Hamas.
The protests highlight a sharp generational divide between how younger people see the war, their parents may see the war, and the way the U.S. government sees the war. As students call on their schools to divest from the region and from U.S. weapons manufacturers, their larger aim is simply an end to the violence. Something everyone wants.
College administrators are caught in the middle between protecting free speech and protecting their communities from hate speech or violence. Many of the decisions need to be based on local experiences and context. In a world where public conversation often turns away from reason and compromise and toward division, there are no easy answers.
Student protests have led to the resignation of two college presidents, calls for others to step down, and scrutiny from members of Congress who see the protests as an opportunity to campaign against politcal correctness and to stand up for Israel.
As we enter May and most students head off campus for the summer we can’t predict how this issue will manifest itself between now and the fall. A lot depends on the state of the war itself. Also unclear to us at this writing is how activism around the war will impact the fall presidential elections. Is the issue big enough to drive young people to the polls as one issue voters? Will candidates for president and Congress change their positions as a result of the campus unrest?
Bottom Line: The Israel/Hamas war has enflamed passions among younger voters. The demonstrations signal a coming generational shift in U.S. foreign policy and may make an already tight presidential election campaign even closer.