The Hotchkiss Record
Thursday, April 11, 2019
The Golan Heights: An International Blunder
No Collusion! Walker Perrenound ’22 Contributing Writer
Robert Phillips ’20 Contributing Writer
President Trump recently signed a presidential proclamation that the United States will acknowledge Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights - something past administrations and the international community have avoided. The Golan Heights is a controversial region strategically located along Israel’s northern border with Syria. In 1967, Israel annexed the region from Syria. Trump’s proclamation is a strategic political decision for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but it will have disastrous consequences for the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy. From a strategic per spective, Tr ump’s dec i s ion b en ef it s b o th himself and Netanyahu in upcoming elections. For President Trump, this decision underscores his administration’s support for Israel, which means more votes from pro-Israel Americans, a group he has struggled to impress in the past. Only 24% of Jewish-Americans voted for Trump, and while not all Jewish-American voters are hawkish on Israel, his recent actions could be interpreted as an effort to turn that number in his favor. In Israel, it is now highly probable that Netanyahu will be reelected, which was previously considered unlikely. Netanyahu is under threat of indictment for corruption, has aligned himself with a Jewish-supremacist party, and has repeatedly decried repor ting critical of him as “fake news.” The situation has deteriorated to the point that a new party, Blue and White, headed by a former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and a former Minister of Finance, was formed specifically to challenge Netanyahu. However, Trump’s announcement has given Netanyahu’s plan to annex portions of the West Bank viability and bolstered his image as a legitimate leader who is a strong advocate for Israel’s interests. This boost in
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Photo | Saul Loeb / AFP public persona for Netanyahu may give him the edge he needs in the upcoming tight race. It is undeniable to say that the president’s decision was influenced by political opportunism rather than national interest and international law. Such a dramatic shift in U.S. foreign policy could result in grave consequences. President Trump has essentially endorsed Israel’s action illegal annexation of the land from Syria. The United Nations has formally rejected Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights and the area is still considered Syrian territor y under international law. Thus, the U.S. has endorsed Israel’s violation of international law. Along with the president’s disregard of international opinion and endorsement of illegal seizure of land, his decision further alienates surrounding Middle Eastern states. While Israel views this positively, the rest of the world does not. This poses two potential problems: first, it will undermine President Trump’s peace proposal for Israel and Palestine, and second, it will worsen tensions throughout the Middle East. The president’s endor sement of Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights could also result in Israel’s annexation of the West Bank. Since the president’s statement also con-
Editorial
Your Home Is What You Make It The wait is finally over. Over the past few weeks, Seniors have received their college admission decisions, but not all the tears have been tears of joy. Inevitably, some students were disappointed by the results of this long and draining process. Whether it be from a crush or college, rejection is always difficult. Not getting into the school of your dreams can feel like your entire world has been turned upside down. You might feel tempted to crawl into bed, throw the covers over your head, and never come out. You might think all of your hard work was for nothing and that you’ll never achieve your dreams. Nevertheless, it’s important to stay positive and remember that colleges’ decisions are not a direct measure of our worth. Sometimes, we get so caught up in the frenzy that we lose touch with reality. So much pressure is placed on students to get admitted to a selective school that students become convinced that anything other than an Ivy League degree will ruin their career prospects for the rest of their lives. As evidenced by the recent college admission scandal, college admissions have become so cutthroat and competitive that some parents resort to bribery and fraud in order to gain admittance for their children. On the other hand, brilliant students who have spent their entire lives working to be admitted to an Ivy League school find themselves holding a rejection letter in March. This goes to show that there are many different elements that factor into colleges’ decision-making, some of which seem unfair or are out of your control. Although it’s difficult to imagine attending college anywhere other than your dream school, try to consider if that school would really have been the best fit for you. Students often place too much emphasis on college rankings and ignore the more important cultural aspects of a school. There are hundreds of amazing colleges out there, and chances are high that you will be able to find success elsewhere and end up loving that school. If you’ve been rejected from your top choice, it’s okay to feel upset and angry, but don’t let it discourage you. No matter where you go, you’ll have the opportunity to make life-long friendships, pursue your passions, explore new interests, and receive a great education. Corrections: In our March 7 issue, we mistakenly identified which stage adaptation of 1984 will be performed. The theatre program will be performing the adaptation by Robert Owens, William E. Hall Jr, and William A. Miles. We urge you to submit any corrections to thehr.org/corrections
tradicted the rest of the international community, he has now given Israel stronger support and justification for Israel annexing more land. In fact, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already said he will annex Israeli settlements within the West Bank, if elected. Ultimately, Israel annexing more land with support from the U.S. could further destabilize the Middle East and hinder peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine. The president’s validation of Israel’s sovereignty in the area and flouting of international law could also empower other authoritarian leaders to annex lands against the wishes of the international community. For example, his actions could embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin’s defense of his country’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. On the whole, President Trump is making a disastrous decision by supporting Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. While the move may be politically strategic for Trump at home, it goes against international consensus and law. Most importantly, the decision undermines U.S. foreign policy and brings tension into an already unstable region.
Contact Robert Phillips at rphillips20@hotchkiss.org
On Monday, March 24, Attorney General William Barr submitted a summar y of the report conducted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. In it, Barr reports that the investigation did not find that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government to influence the presidential election. This revelation refutes the president’s critics, who have alleged that he partook in an effort to undermine American democracy in the presidential race by colluding with Russian officials. Yet President Trump’s critics continue to attack the President and his staff, even implying that, regardless of Barr’s summary, the president did in fact collude. However, Mueller’s nearly two-year investigation, partially funded with taxpayer money, proves that it is unlikely that this conspiracy theory played out as they allege. It remains unclear whether Democrats are genuinely relieved that a foreign power did not collaborate with the president to tamper with the fabric of our democracy. Countless Democrats (and even a few Republicans) have made it clear that a national crisis is welcome if it ends the Trump presidency, so much so that they have encouraged a paranoia-driven investigation into baseless charges.
It remains unclear whether Democrats are genuinely relieved that a foreign power did not collaborate with the President to tamper with the fabric of our democracy. Unfortunately, this conduct has widely been tolerated in major media outlets, signaling a great divide between those who do and those who do not support the judicial standard of “innocent until proven guilty.” The real cause for alarm, however, should no longer be whether the president colluded with Russia, but
instead that Barr indicated that the Internet Research Agency, a Russian company, did attempt, “to conduct disinformation and social media operations in the United States designed to sow social discord, eventually with the aim of interfering with the election.” He went on to clarif y that the Trump campaign did not participate in those operations. W hile some may argue that because members of the Trump administration lied about communications between themselves and Russian officials, the president should assume responsibility for their crimes; however, that is not the case. Because the president was exonerated by Mueller and his team and was not aware of these conversations, and thus cannot be held accountable for them. Naturally, Congress has called for the Special Counsel’s full report to be released by mid-April at the very latest. As tensions in Washington escalate, however, a subpoena to release the report may not settle the disagreement permanently, as the motivations in calling for the report are not legally justified, but politically charged. Before the exoneration of President Trump, the majority of the Democratic party decided to publicly label the conspiracy theories as definite collusion. Because there is no proof that President Tr ump committed treason, the results of the Mueller Report, intended to give Democrats a springboard for impeaching him, may instead provide a rallying cr y for the Trump administration in the 2020 elections. The public is exhausted with the supposed conspiracy; according to polls, a little over 50% of voters now believe that the Mueller Probe was a “witch hunt.” Currently, there are still Democratic officials dwelling on their loss and the reality that the president is innocent, which is foolish, because this only tarnishes their party more. Inevitably, President Trump’s approval ratings will go up, and trust in Democrats will decrease, thus proving that the president was right all along. Contact Walker Perrenoud at wperrenoud22@hotchkiss.org
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