Columbia Nobel laureate decries ‘interference in academic freedom’ as pro-Palestine protests rock US

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) – Growing unrest over pro-Palestine protests on US college campuses is a result of unwarranted interference in academic freedoms that is undermining one of the country’s greatest strengths, according to Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize-winning economist and Columbia University professor.

Stiglitz, seen as one of the most important Jewish intellectuals in the world, expressed deep concern over recent events in the US and the underlying factors behind them.

Hundreds of students and other protesters have been arrested across the US as authorities launched often violent crackdowns at various universities to clear out encampments.

The mass movement was sparked after New York police stormed Columbia University, where Stiglitz has been a longtime professor, to clear out students rallying against Israel’s war on Gaza and calling on the administration to divest from Israel-linked companies.

Stiglitz said he was glad to see students “engaged in what was going on in the world.”

“They had empathy for what was going on in the world. How could anybody not react after seeing the pictures, after seeing the numbers of people dying, being injured?” he said in an interview with Anadolu in London.

Stiglitz blames political maneuvering for the spiraling situation.

“The thing that upsets me was that some Republicans took advantage of this to continue their war against universities. It’s been a longstanding war,” he asserted.

For instance, he continued, former President Donald Trump – currently gunning for a return to the White House – tried to slash research budgets for universities by 30%.

“America’s strength is based on innovation, on research coming especially from universities. Why would you want to undermine that? But that reflects a shortsightedness, a provinciality of some of those in the Republican Party,” he said.

The irony, he pointed out, is that these people “like it that we teach our students to dig a little bit more for themselves,” but “when they do that, they typically come out in a different position than some of the conservative politicians would like.”

- ‘What an interference in academic freedom’

Stiglitz cited House Speaker Mike Johnson’s call for the resignation of Columbia University President Minouche Shafik as a blatant example of “interference in academic freedom.”

Johnson, a senior Republican official, has criticized Shafik for failing to handle what he has termed anti-Israel protests, claiming they are backed by Hamas.

“What an interference in academic freedom. This is something that that we haven’t seen since the 1950s,” said Stiglitz.

“This kind of interference emphasizes one of the points I make, which is that for our system to function … we need checks and balances, and academic freedom is one of them.”

This is “something that we ought to be afraid of,” he warned, stressing the importance of maintaining academic freedom as a cornerstone of democracy and emphasizing the vital role of independent universities in scrutinizing governmental actions.

“No politician is above scrutiny. It is part of our democratic process,” he said.

- Conflicts fueling economic uncertainty, defense spending

Stiglitz, who won the Nobel Prize in economics in 2001, also shared his insights on the potential economic implications of global conflicts, particularly Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.

“In the beginning, there was a lot of worry that it would lead to higher oil prices, as happened in the 1970s when there was conflict in the Middle East,” he said.

That has not happened so far because of the “enormous restraint” displayed by key players like Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, he explained.

“This is good news for the global economy, but the longer the conflict lasts … there’s going to be uncertainty,” he said.

Regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, Stiglitz said it has been a pivotal development that altered perceptions on defense spending.

Before it began in February 2022, the economist said he was “skeptical about the value of defense spending.”

“We thought we were in a new world but suddenly Russia changed that, and we realized that the rules of engagement have changed, Russia violated all of the norms, and we will need more defense spending,” said Stiglitz.

“It’s sad. It takes away from money that can be spent in a lot of ways to enhance standards of living, but … our freedom, our democracy is more important than almost anything else."