Zach Bornheimer's History Portfolio

The use of force may be an effective way to help finalize a dispute, but it does not ultimately determine the outcome of a dispute.  When diplomacy and appeals to norms and values fails to achieve results, force becomes a plausible option that can get the job done (in an unknown amount of time).  The old adage, you may have won the battle, but I won the war, further substantiates my point.  Force may not always be the determining factor in deputes.  The use of diplomatic sanctions, such as the refusal to conduct business with a nation, person, or peoples, can be effective as well.  In modern times, North Korea would give up their nuclear program if all nations refused to trade with it and sell it oil for the winter.  To sum up my point, the use of force, more than diplomacy or appeals to norms and values, DOES NOT ultimately determine the outcome of a dispute.

The UNSCOP (United Nations Special Committee On Palestine) had the final say in history on the partitioning of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states.  When looking back on what could have happened, no one nation was to ‘blame’ exactly, but it is could have been partitioned differently.  If the British did not change allies and sides so frequently, the Arabs, would have British support and get the majority of land and there would probably one Arab state with limited Jewish immigration.  Also if Ernest Bevin did not give up on Palestine, it may not have been divided and may have stayed an Arab state.  If President Roosevelt and President Truman let more refugees into the United States, there would not have been so much pressure for a Jewish Homeland in Palestine.  In the end, President Truman pushed for the partitioning of Palestine.  So, there wasn’t really one single nation to, blame for the results, but the United States and Britain greatly increased the viability that partitioning was the ideal option.

The International Community had the responsibility of providing care, the refugee status, home, and security.  The victims of the Holocaust were denied entry to most countries because of quotas, but they needed refugee status.  The international community was responsible for helping those who were refugees and IDPs because they were not helped before (to escape the razing).  Also, the international community needed to help reconnect people with their families, which may have helped with the immigration.  The International Community had these responsibilities , along with reassuring that this will never happen again, to the survivors / living victims of the Holocaust.