A CRITIQUE OF INTERVENTION

• Published in: Amnesty International (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2011-12, Vol.38 (4), p.7
• Main Author: Kim, Jungwon
• Format: Magazinearticle
• Language: English
• Subjects: Human rights; International relations; Intervention; Politicians; Stewart, Rory
• ISSN: 1932-5053; 1936-3699

A: What's great about Amnesty International is that you're doing stuff in Western countries as well as in developing countries, so you understand how difficult this stuff is. But it's amazing how quickly people forget how difficult it is to do [this work] in your own country. In fact, it should be much easier to do in your own country: you speak the language fluently, you live in the same culture, you understand all the values, norms and context within which you're operating, you can move entirely freely, there's a vibrant civil society already, there's a free media, there's accountability, there are government structures, there are constitutions . . . there's everything to help you argue against the death penalty in Texas, for example. Move over to Afghanistan where none of that exists, where you don't speak the language, you don't come from the culture, you don't share the same norms or same background, constitutional structures don't exist, government structures don't exist - it's immeasurably more difficult, and yet somehow, for some bizarre reason, we imagine it must be much easier. A: I'm absolutely universalist. I think the Universal Declaration of Human Rights should be applied to everybody everywhere without exception. But if you're serious about change, if you're serious about making a country like Afghanistan more prosperous, more humane and more stable in 30 years' time, you have to do it through an incredibly detailed, patient, serious engagement. I love the way the human rights community challenges policy makers, pushes them to come up with solutions. That should be what the human rights community is doing, not pretending that problems don't exist, but working along with policy makers to create the kind of patience, the context, the energy, the determination to achieve real change. I'M ABSOLUTELY UNIVERSALIST. I THINK THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS SHOULD BE APPLIED TO EVERYBODY EVERYWHERE WITHOUT EXCEPTION. BUT IF YOU'RE SERIOUS ABOUT CHANGE. IF YOU'RE SEROUS ABOUT MAK NG A COUNTRY LIKE AFGHANISTAN MORE PROSPEROUS, MORE HUMANE AND MORE STABLE IN 30 YEARS' TIME, YOU HAVE TO DO IT THROUGH AN INCREDIBLY DETAILED, PATIENT, SERIOUS ENGAGEMENT.