02.01.07
Rebounding from History
The politics of reconciliation are interesting. Throughout the course of human history there have been points when societies have been forced to reconcile from the damages done by history. One example is that of the regime in East Germany. After the collapse of communism, it was important to hold those to account who had been guilty of the greatest crime against their communities. To this day, evidence is still being pored over from sources within the police, military, and even the clergy to see where the greatest culprits were.
This is also the case in South Korea – a country who lived under the grip of an iron fisted dictatorship for much of its short history. After the establishment of the current democratic regime, work has been steadily under way to locate those elements within the government that had participated in the most dire offenses against the South Korean people. So pressing are these concerns that they constitute the front page of almost every Korean newspaper right alongside the disarmament of North Korea’s nuclear program. Almost ten years later.
Why is reconciliation so important? The answer is faith. People must be able to trust – to have faith – in the organs that govern them. This is how governments make peace with history and one of the failures of America’s Iraq policy. When the US took control of the remaining government institutions in Iraq, the assumption was that every man or woman hinged into that system was a corrupt and eager servant of Mr. Hussein’s regime. As such the entire government, civil, and military apparatus was detached and scattered to the four winds. Because of this, the reconstituted parts are still suspect, but the trust and desire to make good on the lessons of history are further damaged. In other words, not only was the public trust shattered, so was the trust of the individual agents of state.
In order to successfully rebuild a government after a traumatic and sudden change in institutions, the investigations must be conducted carefully and tactfully. Yes the guilty must be found and punished, but in the end everyone is culpable. A society knows this, and must be healed. There is a difference between vengeance and justice. Most often we confuse the two.
Americans especially have a way of externalizing guilt. In no way does the public feel responsible for the suffering caused by the failed military adventure in Iraq. We take comfort in the blame of our leaders. Nevertheless, we are all to blame in some way. Nevertheless, the American people are not suffering the brunt of the horrors there. National reconciliation is most important when one people visits suffering upon itself.
With this in mind, I hope the Koreans find what they are looking for. I hope that they can overcome the national pain and embarrassment of the Park regime. I home they can fully embrace the democratic spirit which is so easily taken for granted in America, I hope that they remember to stop before innocents get caught up in the flames of retribution. I also hope that they learn some important lessons. After all, some day North Korea will fall, and on that day, I do not envy the task force sent there to sort the guilty from the innocent.