International students express what they would like in the next U.S. president

The United States has an enormous impact on other nations, and as Election Day approaches, international students won’t be able to vote.

Despite the fact that the United States is not their home country, many international students feel that U.S. policies and politics have crossed beyond borders in the last several years and see the upcoming election as a decision with international implications.

Several international students have expressed a desire for the United States to change its ways, and the turmoil of the Bush years has generated many strong opinions.

“The last eight years were horrible,” said Andy Kuharszky, a senior from Hungary, who does not want the United States to have another Republican president.

Several students used the Iraq War as a basis for the elections. Some expressed concerns about the war and its role in their own countries.

After the Iraq War and the outbreak of the financial crisis, the United States lost the trust of the rest of the world, said Hiromi Ii, an English Language Program (ELP) and pharmacology doctorate student from Japan.

“The USA needs to come home from Iraq,” Ii said. “It’s necessary for getting the support of the world.”

Malene Larsen, a graduate student from Denmark, would like to see the United States cooperate more with the United Nations.

The Iraq war is an example of the United States’ lack of attentiveness to views held by the rest of the world, she said.

Jina Kwon, an ELP student from South Korea, indicated that the Iraq War holds special importance for her country.

“The Bush government forced the Korean military to go to Iraq,” Kwon said. “Many Koreans are against the war.”

However, pulling out of Iraq is easier said than done. Andrea Visioni, a junior from Italy, expects that no matter who is elected president, the United States will remain in Iraq for several years. But he did not approve of the Bush administration’s decision to go into Iraq and would like the United States to adopt a more diplomatic foreign policy.

A major problem of American foreign policy is that it does a poor job of handling all the details of any given situation, said Dhia Rabiai, a graduate student from Tunisia. Neglecting seemingly small details can provoke an unexpected reaction overseas, he added.

Several international students expressed an aversion to U.S. military intervention in foreign countries.

“We have a term in Europe that the U.S. acts like a ‘world police’,” said Arthur Bytof, an ELP student from Germany. “I think they’re sticking their nose in too many things.”

Luis Santana, a graduate student at the UW, is also wary of U.S. intervention in the politics of other countries. However, he would like to see U.S. politicians discuss a regular policy for promoting development, specifically in Latin America.

“Neither [McCain nor Obama] is saying anything about Latin America,” Santana said.

International students also hope for change in the way the United States deals with economic matters. Larsen wants American policymakers to handle the economy in a way that benefits lower and middle classes so as to decrease social inequalities.

Several students also expressed concern about the United States’ environmental policies.

“The politicians should make people more aware of the impacts different lifestyles have on the environment and climate in particular,” Larsen said.

Given the multitude of issues at stake, many international students see the election as a potential turning point for the United States and for the world.

“I think Bush did a pretty bad job, but American people realized how important it is to pick the right president,” said Yu Kamikawa, a sophomore from Japan.

Rabiai hopes that the next U.S. president will lessen the unease that characterizes the world today and show other countries the more peaceful side of the United States.

“Now, with the wars, the climate is not relaxed in the world,” Rabiai said. “We need America to become once again a country that provides security. We want the relaxed atmosphere to return.”

Reach contributing writer Robin Kallsen at development@dailyuw.com.