More Than Just Obiter Dictum
I grew up in rural Minnesota. My home is a land that stretches for miles and miles, only to be broken up by the lakes that cut the land like pavement cuts a skinned knee. Neighbors were few and far between and backyards were Canada. You could drive for hours between towns and see more deer and bears (and, if you’re really lucky, moose) than people.
My hometown did not have (and probably never will) an underground rail system. It didn’t even have an above-ground rail system. I’m not even sure if they had more than one taxi.
I’ve been in Virginia for 8 years now but I don’t think I will ever adjust to the underground trains. Clamoring into a tin can full of other people and riding it at a breakneck pace beneath the earth is odd, to say the least. Efficient, certainly, but strange. I think what gets me the most is the general quietness. You would think a small space full of people would be loud but being underground cuts us off from our cellular lifelines and it’s . . . quiet. Not silent, but quieter than expected.
Work this week was quite the opposite. This week was full of lectures, discussions, questions and every other kind of talking you could imagine.
On Tuesday, we went to the Wilson Center to hear a discussion on the rule of law and its role in our foreign policy. Learn more about it or watch the webcast here. The rule of law is an integral part of U.S. foreign policy and it has been for decades. Promoting rule of law can be essential to combating corruption, ensuring justice, and promoting economic prosperity in the world, but that’s easier said than done. What is the best way to build rule of law programs in other countries? Understanding this question means starting from the beginning. First, how do we even conceptualize rule of law? (More on this in a little bit). Second, what are problems that exist and how have we failed in the past?
Let’s start with the problems. Ambassador Planty described how rule of law programs in Latin and Central America, despite being generally well received,
To recap, problems include: not comprehensive, not enough results to keep people invested, ineffective against bad governments and a lack of coordination in rule of law programs. Seems like a lot. Despite these problems, all of the panelists agreed that rule of law should remain a priority for the government. Rule of law is linked to security so that when one is compromised, so is the other. Understanding the flaws in the system is the only way to fix the system, right? Even though the problems feel insurmountable, we have an understanding of where we need to go. So, there’s hope?
Later that day, when we were back at the office with Tim, we sat down to have a discussion on how to understand the rule of law. We’re using a book (“Advancing the Rule of Law Abroad” by Rachel Kleinfeld) as a starting point. The book sort of echoed the same sentiments of the earlier panelists: rule of law is incredibly important but can be sort of hard to put your finger on. Additionally, it’s kind of bleak. For example, A General Accounting Office study of U.S. democracy assistance found that “after over a billion dollars [were] spent [in Latin America], the programs had a ‘modest impact’” and only a “limited impact” in the Soviet Union. Can you imagine how much a billion dollars is? A billion dollar modest impact is rough. It’s worse whenn you undercut it with the reality that the well thought out plans often fail later for unforeseen implementation issues. The best-laid plans "gang aft agley", right?
On Thursday, we had a meeting about the Code of Ethics. While it’s not extraordinarily different from a lot of the other codes of ethics in the world, but we did have an interesting conversation about how ethical dilemmas actually play out. NCSC works with programs in a variety of different communities across the globe. In some of those countries, the “bright” lines of ethics get blurred by cultural irregularities. As a person who wants to work in the international field, it’s important to see where the dangers lie.
Lastly, we heard a lecture from Victoria Capriles Moreno on her work with Amnesty International and the state of the judiciary in Venezuela. She gave her lecture primary through the story of two young directors at the Community Ambassadors Foundation (a Venezuelan NGO founded in 2008 that works with at-risk youth in marginalized areas) who remain arbitrarily detained. These directors, Gregory Hinds (only 32 years old) and Geraldine Chacon (24 years old), have been detained despite a lack of arrest warrants and court-issued release warrants that are blatantly ignored. Learn more about what you can do here.
The hometown that I mentioned earlier was quite small. Everyone is on a first-name basis and everyone is connected. This summer (only two weeks in) has already opened the door for me to see the lives of millions of new people, thousands of communities, and hundreds of ways of life. I still think the world is connected and I think that the connections between people are strengthened by the conversations we have.
Maybe we’re not talking to strangers on the train but I’m glad I spent my week talking and learning and building strong connections to the global community.
[Endnote: I think it is important to mention that I did a variety of other assignments, too. I researched Bangladesh and studied the decrees of Morocco and learned a lot about how measurement and evaluation work. Those are all very important projects for my professional growth, but the conversations are what will stick with me as I grow as a person.]