Fear, hate, and conflict too often operate as a closed, self-reinforcing,
repeating cycle. Fear feeds hate; hate feeds conflict; and conflict feeds fear.
Optimally, peacemakers disrupt that destructive cycle before conflict
escalates into war. Fear (perfect love casts out fear), hate (love your
neighbor), and violent conflict (turn the other cheek and the prioritization of
life over property) are all antithetical to Jesus’ teachings.
North Korea and the United States are currently locked in an escalating
cycle of fear, hate, and conflict. Briefly recapitulating North Korean and U.S.
moves underscores the growing danger this cycle poses if it continues
uninterrupted:
· President
Donald Trump and Kim Jong Il have repeatedly responded to one another with
increasingly bellicose rhetoric. Moreover, the U.S. has heightened its defensive
posture, the U.S. Department of Defense is considering ordering family members
of military personnel stationed in South Korea to return to the States, and
Hawai’i (where I live) has resumed testing its Cold War Civil Defense alert
system and promulgated instructions to residents on what to do in case of a
nuclear attack. Consequently, pundits and the public alike now openly talk
about their fear of a potential U.S. – North Korean war.
· Among
actions that promote not only fear but hate, President Trump and Kim Jong Il
consistently engage in xenophobic rhetoric and mutual name calling. Their
xenophobia and name calling depersonalizes the other and the other’s nation. Depersonalization
is a key element of and catalyst for hate. (I quote neither leader because
doing so would indirectly contribute to their hateful efforts.)
· Missile
launches, nuclear weapon tests, expedited improvements to anti-missile systems,
vastly increased military spending, aircraft carrier deployments, and expanded
economic sanctions all indicate heightened levels of conflict. Importantly,
some military ethicists argue that economic sanctions are a form of war waged
by non-lethal means.
The foregoing analysis may appear to attribute disproportionate
responsibility for this escalating cycle to the U.S. However, that imbalance
simply results from fundamental differences between the two societies. U.S.
moves, reported by a free press, are easier to ascertain than are North Korean
moves that occur in the world’s most secretive state. The most reasonable supposition,
supported by all available evidence, is that North Korea bears equal or greater
responsibility for the current state of affairs.
What can Episcopalians, a small group of relatively powerless U.S.
Christians, do to help break this potentially nightmarish cycle of fear, hate,
and conflict?
Firstly, we need
to gain courage by remembering that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:17)
and that Jesus exhorted his disciples to “not fear those who kill the body but
cannot kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28). Thereby empowered, stand boldly and
openly against the contagion of fear.
Whether anyone
likes it or not, North Korea is today a nuclear power. Its nuclear weapons
assuredly provide this isolated state and its dictatorial ruler increased
confidence and self-esteem. Diplomatic pressure and economic sanctions have never
caused any nation, once it has acquired nuclear weapons, to disarm. Expecting
that North Korea to disarm voluntarily is naïve and unrealistic.
Aware of the
potential nuclear threat that North Korea poses, courageous Christians
nonetheless will refuse to panic or allow fear to shape their lives. They draw additional
strength from their recognition that Kim, who is neither insane nor mentally
ill, and the North Korean people do not want to fight a nuclear war they cannot
win.
Secondly, we
should speak and act in ways that incarnate God’s love for all, including both
Donald Trump and Kim Jong Il. God, as Peter learned, accepts everyone as a
beloved child. Mark’s (7:24-30) account of Jesus’ dialogue with a
Syrophoenician woman memorably underscores this point. Indeed, God calls
Christians to speak not with hate but with a love that welcomes and heals.
Choosing whom we
identify as an enemy illustrates language’s power to shape relationships. Although
I abhor most of Kim’s policies and those of his predecessors, I refuse to
consider him, North Korea, or its people my enemies. North Koreans live in an
unenviable police state and most endure abject poverty. They need our compassion,
not our hate. Kim’s murderous bellicosity reveals his unremitting wariness
against internal and external threats, real or imagined, upon which the
continuance of his rule and life depend.
Similarly, I object
to slogans such as America first (or North Korea first). These
slogans are inimical with Christian love because they elevate one group of
people while implicitly demeaning other peoples. More helpfully and hopefully,
remember that North Korea is one of the last five remaining communist nations
and that it, like all tyrannies, will eventually collapse from its own internal
dysfunctionality. Engagement rather than isolation will expedite that collapse.
Groups such as the
Episcopal Peace Fellowship and The Episcopal Church (particularly through its
Washington Office) can constructively urge the U.S. and other states to welcome
North Korea as part of the global community, giving North Korea the respect
that they crave and boosting their confidence that they are secure from
external threats. Steps to build bridges connecting North Korea and its people
with the rest of the world include cultural exchanges, replacing sanctions with
trade that incentivizes economic growth and improves the well-being of North
Koreans, expanding their internet access, etc. These steps not only counter
hate but also erode the ability of hate proponents to regain traction.
Finally, make
peace, not war. Military action aimed at destroying North Korea’s nuclear
weapons will fail and probably lead to a nuclear holocaust. A successful strike
against North Korea’s nuclear capacity requires knowing the location of all of
its nuclear weapons and of its weapon making facilities, then destroying those
targets before North Korea is able to launch any of its weapons. If such a
strike succeeded, North Korea would still possess a formidable non-nuclear
military might with which it might strike at South Korea and U.S. forces on the
Korean peninsula in retaliation for the preemptive strike. Media reports agree
that U.S. military leaders oppose such a preemptive strike because of the
improbability of success and the danger, after a partially successful preemptive
strike, of North Korea launching a nuclear attack against South Korea, Japan,
or the U.S. Christians, in cooperation with others opposed to military action
against North Korea, today make peace and not war by protesting against the
escalating conflict. A preemptive U.S. strike against North Korea serves no
one’s interest.
Concurrently, make
peace not war by advocating smaller defense budgets. Tulsi Gabbard, one of
Hawai'i’s two Congressional representatives, is a combat veteran and Major in
the National Guard. Her vote was one of just 72 against the proposed $700
billion 2018 U.S. defense budget. She opposed the bill because she believes
some U.S. Middle Eastern arms sales harm the U.S. Encourage other members of
Congress to emulate her example and vote against defense spending that harms
the U.S. by destabilizing the Korean peninsula.
Make peace and not
war by supporting with time and money candidates whose actions, and not just
their words, demonstrate their commitment to peacemaking. Alternatively, run
for office or convince a committed peacemaker to run for office. One New
Testament thematic thread maintains that God gives us government for our
benefit. In a democracy such as the United States, government is at least
partially of the people, by the people, and for the people. This means political
campaigning can be an essential facet of doing God’s work.
Admittedly, some
of my recommendations resemble familiar nostrums. That is not a reason to
ignore them. Living courageously in the face of fear, choosing to love instead
of hate, and making peace instead of war are basic components of Christian
discipleship. Now – especially as we near the end of Advent and begin our annual
celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace – is the time for Christian
peacemakers to join the struggle to end the cycle of fear, hate, and escalating
conflict between North Korea and the United States.
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