Laura Ling and Euna Lee

In today's Los Angeles Times, Laura Ling and Euna Lee give their personal account of their abduction, imprisonment, and release by the North Korean regime. What they attempted to do by going to China-North Korea border was brave. Along with the two reporters, I also share the importance of shedding the truth about the plight of North Korean refugees. But while I do share in their passion, I also question the implications of the outcome of their plight. I'm not saying that they deserved the ten years of hard labor. But something about their story doesn't sit well with me.

Journalism, like in many professions, is a competitive world where everyone is trying to get an exclusive story to get a comparative advantage. That's the nature of the business. Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee were caught up in this business, knowing the risks of traveling to the border. But in their cost-benefit analysis, they figured doing this story was worth the risk. That's what journalists do to produce quality works of journalism.

But in the process of their reporting, they got caught. Caught for what? To westerners, they were merely doing their journalistic duties of exposing the truth. But to the North Korean regime, they were engaging in "hostile acts." One must understand that for the North Korean regime, its political legitimacy stems from its ultra-nationalistic sentiment against "imperialists" who threaten its very existence. The term "human rights" is nonexistent in the North Korean vocabulary, and the regime views those who illegally cross into China as traitors and subversive elements. So in this context, a reporting of North Korean refugees could be interpreted by North Korea as a hostile act, an act to undermine Kim Jong Il's government (which for us is ridiculous and laughable). In their drive to report on a story they were passionate about, they badly miscalculated the political realities of the region and put themselves in danger. They also admitted entering North Korea illegally. It was their wisdom to ignore the laws and endanger themselves. Whether North Korean guards captured them in China is a secondary issue.

What is more, their arrest and subsequent release has endangered human rights activists in Northeast China, forcing many church leaders involved in the North Korean refugee issue to temporarily cease activities along the border. And I think this is the part about this entire crisis that bothers me. For the past two decades, Christian missionaries, human rights activists, and others have been tirelessly working on behalf of these North Korean refugees. Many have paid dearly with their lives. Many more continue to work unafraid. Then come along two American reporters whose adventure puts all their work in peril. It's unfortunate.

At the end of the day, not many remember what the original intent of these two reporters were. All that people remember is the fact that they got caught and sentenced to ten years of hard labor until former President Bill Clinton negotiated for their release. So what exactly did their trip accomplish except making US-North Korean tensions worse and life harder for aid workers along the China-North Korea border? And I'm supposed to be so sympathetic to these reporters? I'm not so sure I can do that.

I'm thrilled they've returned safely to their families. But something about the LA Times piece appears to be an attempt to exonerate themselves amidst criticisms from many South Korean church leaders and human rights activists whose lives are heavily invested in this kind of work, unlike Ms. Lee or Ms. Ling. Sometimes, passion and idealism can have unintended consequences that could be detrimental.

Two Sides

There are two sides to every story.

Today, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the president of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir. It represents the first arrest warrant for a sitting leader of a country. Many have heralded the move as a great thing because of the crimes against humanity that al-Bashir is accused of in Darfur. It could set a precedent to other dictators and perpetrators of mass injustice against their own citizens.

But I am not necessarily celebrating like many others are. Why? It is not because I believe al-Bashir is innocent. By all means, I think he is a ruthless dictator that embodies evil for the intentional slaughter of his own people in Darfur. So why am I not exuberant? It is because the ICC has no mechanism to forcibly arrest al-Bashir unless he were to step out of the country and be caught by international forces. The arrest warrant is simply a powerless political tool to convey a message without teeth to enforce it. However, it gets worse. The arrest warrant has provoked al-Bashir to action; he has kicked out humanitarian NGOs that provided a bulk of the administration of humanitarian aid to the Sudanese in retaliation against his perceived adversaries. So while the issuance of an arrest warrant is a great symbollic gesture, it has led to a negative side effect of kicking out organizations helping the needy in Sudan, making the humanitarian situation in Sudan even worse than before.

This is one of the fundamental problems of international human rights advocacy. States have limited power to affect another state's human rights record without considering military actions, which most states will never consider for a humanitarian need after the U.S. debacle in Somalia in 1993. I do not mean to rain on the idealists and champions of human rights all over the world. I do wish, alongside them, that human rights will be promoted from the gulags of North Korea to the plains of Darfur. But the more I study, the more I'm beginning to see that change must come from people's convictions and not governments' actions. It is the concept of the power of one person that will tidal wave into a movement to create external (and sometimes internal) change. It is by no means easy, and often does demand blood,sweat, and tears (and very much likely sacrifice of lives in the case of repressive governments like al-Bashir's). But I'm convinced that the will of the people will triumph and grassroots movements is the only viable means to see that systematic genocide will cease to be a state's political goal.

Kristof Essay

Two years ago, Nicholas Kristof opened up a yearly opportunity for a student to go on a reporting trip with him to the developing world. Now that I am a student and therefore eligible, I decided to put my name in the running. I had to write a 700-word essay about why I would like to go on this trip.

I don't expect to win, of course (realistic expectations). But the self-inflicted grueling process of writing a 700-word essay was a good exercise in communicating why I'm here in Washington and doing what I'm doing. I'll be the first to admit that in the company of type A personalities who are driven by worldly ambitions, it's really hard to keep my intentions pure and holy. I catch myself chasing after the dreams of being significant and doing all these glorious things for myself rather than building the kingdom of God. This exercise helped ground me to some degree. I've decided to post it online to share with you. I went through nine drafts before I finally (primarily because I ran out of time) submitted this one to the New York Times. I'm not perfectly pleased with it (since when I am ever?), but it's good enough. Enjoy.

I’m usually not a talkative person, but I love telling stories. Whether in short prose, blogs, or other avenues, I want to tell stories that I find interesting. My creative writing professor taught me a lesson I’ll never forget: “Find your own voice. And find your own story to write.” With the help of The Times, I wish to tell more stories in my own voice—stories of struggle and triumph, stories of injustice and hope, stories to awaken the souls of the world to the cries of the voiceless. And more than my desires to tell a good story, it is my conviction to help others that fuels me to seek this opportunity.

This conviction to help those most in need took root during my last semester in college. Prior to then, I had been your run-of-the-mill, self-absorbed teenager who could care less about human suffering. But it was largely the writings of Nicholas Kristof that brought me out of my bubble and into a world where systematic injustice existed, even though I had lived through my share of economic inequality, racism, and xenophobia. Being immigrants, my parents worked more than twelve-hour shifts in laundromats and grocery stores to barely make ends meet. Growing up unable to speak English, I was spat upon and made fun of countless times in school. My own teachers called me by racial slurs. I thought I knew all there was about injustice—until I realized that I would never be sold into brothels like the women whom Mr. Kristof had interviewed for his articles dealing with sex-trafficking in Cambodia. It was then that the words of Edmund Burke echoed in my head: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

I soon found myself on a plane to Cambodia, partnering with an organization to provide a means of livelihood to people whose own government labeled a lost cause. Many of them were stricken with leprosy and/or other diseases, and they were thrown out of society to fend for themselves. Even worse, their children rummaged through garbage to find food to eat and things to sell. As I watched in horror, I could no longer justify my indifference. I needed to do something.

The organization I worked with had built a school to provide free education for children in the area. I volunteered to teach and give them a childhood that I believed they deserved. Our team introduced them to games that we had grown up with—four corners, tag, jump-rope, and the likes. We wanted to enable their dreams and provide a safe environment, away from traffickers that were always lurching in the villages.

Three weeks later, I came back to America changed. I can’t completely say that I was no longer entirely self-absorbed and indifferent, but I wanted to find meaningful ways to get involved in making this world a better place.

Today, I am a graduate student studying international politics as it relates to injustices faced by children, the most vulnerable elements of society. Children actively fight grown men’s wars, labor in atrocious sweat-shops, and service tourists in brothels. More often than not, their plight has largely gone ignored and their stories have reached deaf ears. They are victims of the truest sense of the word, and I can no longer stand idle as they are taken advantage of.

I am no journalist. I am a student with a drive to keep learning. I am a political scientist who loves to capture stories. I am a human being who wants to make a difference. And I am not perfect. I am sure there are many others who are more qualified than I am. But what I lack in experience and ability, I bring relentless passion, deep-rooted conviction, and steadfast devotion. My out-of-the-box thinking, communication skills, and technical experiences, including photography and videography, will be an asset to your team. But most importantly, this trip will give me a unique experience of translating my interests in politics, writing, and humanitarian work into a lifelong commitment to combating injustice in the developing world as well as a medium to mobilize others to do the same.

To Be Brave or Be Safe?

In fact, for parents, Jesus asks us, I think, to make yet another choice. Are we raising our children to be brave or to be safe? Are we raising our children to be loving or to be smart? Raising them to be successful or significant? How does God raise his children? This marvelous quote from C.S. Lewis I’d like to have you look at for just a moment: “Love is something more stern and splendid than mere kindness…Kindness merely as such cares not whether its object becomes good or bad, provided only that it escapes suffering.” My vulnerabilities as a parent are such that sometimes I just want my kids to escape suffering. But then they just can’t be good or brave.

IJM’s almost 10-years-old now, and one of the privileges I’ve had is ten years of interns at IJM. There are hundreds of them now who have served with us. And one other thing I’ve had a chance to connect to is hundreds of intern parents. We take these very young, earnest, incredibly sharp, brilliant Christian young people and send them off to these very tough places to go serve some very needy and hurting people. And this is a tough step of faith for the young people, but this is a leap of faith for the parents. It’s incredible to watch because all their life these parents have been plowing faith into their children, and the love of Jesus, and it turns out their children actually believe it! And they go do it! And the parents are out of their minds! Sometimes I wonder, because I think there comes a time when the child asks his mom and dad, "Mom and dad, why are you giving me all this stuff? Because you've given me food and shelter and clothing and great education and discipline and faith and structure and all these things, but mom, dad, why are you giving me all this stuff? And the honest answer for me is that I'm giving you all this stuff so you'll be safe. And I think my kid looks up to me and says, "Really? That's it? That's your grand ambition for me? That nothing bad happens?" And I think something inside of them dies. - Gary Haugen, Director and CEO of International Justice Mission (IJM)

I was reading through IJM's website to look for possible internships, and I came across this sermon that Gary Haugen gave at a church. And as I was reading this sermon, I was reminded of the initial small steps I've taken towards my destiny in these past eight years in Ann Arbor.

For the longest time, I had convinced myself that I was not called to missions work. I loved my ESPN, my burgers, my bed, my car, and all the comforts afforded to me by my privileged life in America. I could not imagine living in a foreign land, eating exotic foods I couldn't even pronounce, and around people who couldn't speak the same language. I knew in my head that there were lost people who needed to hear the Gospel, but I didn't want to be the person who God could use to share the good news.

During my senior year of college, Nicholas Kristof, the New York Times writer, began a series of articles centered around the sex trafficking problem in Cambodia. Girls, as young as six, were being sold into brothels to be used as a sex slave for western tourists. That absolutely disgusted me, and a part of me wanted to do something to stop this injustice from continuing. Sovereignly, that summer, HMCC would send a missions team to Cambodia and Thailand, and I was given the opportunity to apply to be part of that team. But I struggled. On one hand I wanted to be brave and be available to minister to the people in Southeast Asia, whatever their needs were. On the other, I loved my comforts of home too much to give up for some people I didn't even know. But thank God for some key older brothers and pastors in my life who spoke loving truth to make me evaluate my heart. In the end I decided to take that leap of faith and go to Cambodia and Thailand for that summer, and that decision has made all the difference.

I love my parents, who are God-fearing Christians. My mom tells me she prays every morning for my brother and me. She tells me she's proud of us that we still follow Jesus and serve our churches that we do. But she has her limitations. Last year, I was convicted to go on one more summer missions trip to confirm different things that God was putting on my heart. I told my mom that I wanted to go to a communist country to be available to do anything and everything. My mom hesitated before telling me to reconsider. She said that it'd be too dangerous and that if I wanted to, I could go to China later on in life. She told me that people here in America need Jesus also, and she asked me why I would want to risk" my life by going to a closed country. I decided to obey God and not my mom.

I had grown up to be cautious and careful, to be risk-averse and conservative. And I think a part of me did die in the process. The excitement that comes from being part of an adventure was all but gone in my life. But slowly God has been renewing me as I learn more of His calling for me. When He calls me to have faith, He brings me to a place where faith is possible--in the uncertainties, unknowns, difficulties, etc. Obedience to God is often hard and scary; but it is richly rewarding. And though I know the decisions I will make in the future will only get harder and scarier, I pray that I would muster the courage to choose to be brave and follow conviction over safety and comfort.

Utter Depravity

We are taught that humanity is intrinsically good, that the evil deeds people are prone to commit is a direct result of external circumstances. I'm sure external circumstances contribute to some of the worst atrocities the world will ever see. But I cannot agree that people are inherently good. All evidence points to the contrary, and we look towards blaming other things to remove the guilt from our conscience.

For instance, take a look at this article from the New York Times. There is an epidemic that is hitting the population of Congo. The rate of incidents of women being raped is escalating at an extraordinary pace. A group called the Rastas are "notorious for burning babies, kidnapping women and literally chopping up anybody who gets in their way." I wonder how many sociologists, anthropologists, and others would say that this is a product of culture, war, poverty, etc. I venture to guess that the majority of them would. And that is the sad thing. We have become too intellectually "superior" to admit our own depravity and justify the horrific, inhumane activities of mankind.

What good is a government that cannot protect its own citizens? The Congolese armed forces deserve to be put on trial for crimes against humanity and its participation in systematically terrorizing and raping women. No citizens should fear for their own safety by those that have been called to protect and serve the country. It is a sad story that these kinds of widespread stories are not received by outrage by the international community. Somewhere between the news of Brittany Spears losing custody of her children and Pamela Anderson's wedding in Las Vegas, real newsworthy stories are lost. How sad humanity is.

Myanmar

It's pretty crazy what is happening in Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma. There is a growing, defiant yet peaceful revolution under way in the streets of Yangon and Mandalay, the two largest cities. It is the first of its kind since the democracy-activists demonstrated against the military regime in 1988. That democratic revolt was quickly crushed by military force with hundreds of students and activists brutally massacred. Yet in 1990, the military government allowed for elections, in which the National League of Democracy won 60% of the popular votes and elected Aung San Suu Kyi as Prime Minister. The military refused to acknowledge the result of the elections and refused to handover power to the NLD. Instead, they put Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest and imprisoned many of the NDL's leaders.

For nearly two decades, the people of Myanmar have suffered under brutality of General Than Shwe. Economic conditions have worsened over time, leaving the majority of the people in abject poverty. Fears of political repercussions have squelched any political dissidents from opposing the military junta, and international condemnation and outcry have produced little movement for democratic liberalization. Aung San Suu Kyi has been the rallying point of human rights activists in Southeast Asia, the heroine of democracy in Myanmar.

In August of 2007, the start of the revolution took place with the junta's policy decision to increase the price of gasoline. Citizens, already burdened with the inability to afford much, were outraged at the price hike, and took to the streets to demonstrate against the policy. The military swiftly cracked down on the thousands, unleashing government-backed mobs to disperse the crowds and imprison leaders. However, Gen. Than Shwe underestimated the latest demonstrations. Soon thereafter, Burmese monks took up the cause and marched throughout major cities. Buddhist monks are well-respected, even with the military junta, and command a great deal of respect from all citizens. To violently crackdown on the monks would permanently cause catastrophic damage to the junta's PR. And so, cities like Mandalay have seen tens of thousands of monks march against the ruling government, and the government's hands are tied.

What happens next is up in the air. But for the first time in nearly two decades, the prospects of a liberal democracy in power in Myanmar look hopeful. Perhaps this ought to be an insight for future U.S. foreign policy-making decisions. Rather than forcefully imposing liberal democracy via a unilateral coup d'etat, perhaps rallying and supporting vocal leaders in those sovereign nations to overthrow radical theocracies and undemocratic elements would be the way to best win the hearts of the Middle East. Just a thought.