Vladimir Putin, Russian President is ExecutionThe brutal invasion of Ukraine was averted by the international community, which has since largely reacted. UniteIt is possible to discipline him. He was also punished. SanctionsMoscow and The Assistance to the militarySome American politicians have suggested more precise measures, which Kyiv has been informed that the United States has approved.
“Frankly, I think…kicking every Russian student out of the United States,” Rep. Eric Swalwell (D–Calif.) CNN’s last week report said that Eric Swalwell, a Democratic Representative from California, “should be on the table.” Rep. Ruben Gallego (D–Ariz.) backed him up, tweetingAccording to the Russian student, these are the children and grandchildren of the most powerful Russians. Sending them home can send a strong message.
This proposal is misguided and will cause a split between the U.S. government and those who are most in need of American values. Instead of exiling Russian citizens who have not been involved in the crimes committed by their government, it is better to welcome them and encourage them to embrace our values.
Around 5,000 Russian Students were StudyingThe Institute of International Education predicts that there will be over 2,000 American students studying at American universities by 2021. The demand from young Russians to study abroad is increasing steadily in recent decades. Around 75,000 Russians lived in 2019, AttendanceForeign universities at least four-times higher than that of the early 2000s. In 2015, America ranked behind Germany for the highest ranking. top destinationStudents from Russia can complete their studies abroad.
The U.S. understood the value of cultural exposure even during Soviet Union days. America welcomed “some fifty thousand…scholars and students, scientists and engineers, writers and journalists,” and others from the Soviet Union under exchange programs between 1958 and 1988, per former U.S. diplomat Yale Richmond. Cold War–era exchange programs “fostered changes that prepared the way for [Mikhail]Richmond claimed that Gorbachev was responsible for Gorbachev’s perestroika and glasnost. Richmond said that President Dwight D. Eisenhower wanted 10,000 Soviet students in the United States at one time.
True, many Russians come from wealthy and influential families. They want to study in America. But to claim that each of the 5,000 Russian students here is rich—and that sending them all home would hit Putin where it hurts—is simply incorrect. It’s difficult to understand how Russian students can be expelled from Russia if the massively debilitating sanctions that were imposed on Russia to isolate it from the world economy aren’t enough to convince Putin to end his aggression against Ukraine. Stuart Anderson says that the more likely outcome is “the most likely.” Forbes Writes“It would seem that education plans were destroyed and sympathy coverage in Russian state media was given to young people who were unjustly targeted by U.S. government.”
Anderson Points outIt is correct to say that some Russian students fleeing persecution would be affected by a blanket expulsion policy. One stark example is the Russian-born daughter of Alexei Navalny. DissidentWho was poisoned and was dubbed terrorist. In prisonHe was the new face of the opposition. Daria, his daughter is now a StudentsShe would then be held in the trap of the punitive, untargeted policy Swalwell & Gallego proposed. Her expulsion from the regime would in no way harm her father’s rights.
Swalwell’s posture has been softer to some degree. callingMore specifically, for expulsion of students with student visas from “oligarchs” children. However, it is important that the U.S. welcomes Russian students openly and allows them to live on American soil. Russia already finds itself in serious straits. population declineIt has lost over 1 million residents in 2021. Offering refugeRussian citizens who want to escape the oppressive regime are a great way for America to boost its economy and deprive Putin of the intellectual capital that drives Russia’s industry. Some students may not stay; some might be related to Russia’s ruling oligarchs. However, they shouldn’t be excluded from American education and any values that it might instill.
The American history is full of examples that show the negative effects of punishing, exiling or keeping people in detention based solely on their nationalities and governments. Beyond an American education, Swalwell and Gallego’s proposal would deprive Russian students of the opportunity to engage with American ideals and culture—and the opportunity to experience more openness and democracy than they may ever encounter under Putin.