International students weigh in on election

With Election Day less than two weeks away, most Princeton students — including international students — have already decided how they intend to vote.

Despite having no actual say in the matter, most foreign citizens on campus hold strong opinions on the upcoming presidential election — and Sen. John Kerry has emerged as their overwhelming favorite.

U.S. foreign policy seems to be the biggest factor in these students' decisions.

"Kerry is someone who I'd be comfortable with on the world stage," said Ian Monk '05, an exchange student from Oxford University.

Divya Vaze '06, an Indian citizen from Hong Kong, agreed. "[Kerry's] foreign policies appear to be a lot less isolationistic than Bush's," she said.

The students interviewed gave various reasons for their interest in American politics, ranging from the personal to the general.

"Everyone cares about what happens in America," Vaze said.

Monk concurred. "The results of these elections will have global implications," he said.

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But both students have personal reasons for their views as well. Monk said he supports Kerry's stance on stem cell research and Vaze said she was "against the war in Iraq from the start."

Many of the students also professed a desire to know more about the political mechanisms of the country in which they are living — especially because the American campaigns are so different from those in other parts of the world.

"It's like a celebrity event instead of being purely political," Vaze said.

Monk took a more somber view of the affair. "It's too dependent on negativity and fear," he said. "Don't tell people why they shouldn't vote for your opponent, tell them why they should vote for you."

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As recent polls have indicated, the result of this election is too uncertain to be predicted.

David Atkin, an economics graduate student from England, said he thinks the statistics favor a Republican victory, but he is still hoping otherwise.

Itamar Bar-Zakay '08 of Israel, also a Kerry supporter, said, "Too close to tell."

The interest shown by international students is accompanied by a sense of frustration at their inability to vote.

"It's a bit presumptuous to tell the Americans how you think they should run their country," Monk said. "But still, I've joined the College Democrats and am an active observer."

Canadian Willem Boning '08 said, "I may not be able to do anything legally, but my voice can have as much influence as my vote."

Stephanie Crnkovic '08, a Zimbabwe native, took a more lighthearted view of the role she can play.

"Well, all the international students could always lock up one Bush supporter each on the day of the actual elections," she said. "Of course, we'd be deported for it, but still."