Former President Jimmy Carter provokes understandable anger from some fellow Americans when he makes his periodic visits to North Korea and other dictatorships. Carter has long chosen to advance his own vision of global engagement, rather than that of the administration in power. His prickliness can offend Democrats and Republicans alike; not for him is the easy post-presidential bonhomie of the Bushes and Clintons.
But his dedication to his ideals is impressive. A month short of his 86th birthday, he journeyed to Pyongyang this week to help free a Boston man living in South Korea who was arrested for straying into the North. But more than just the family and friends of Aijalon Gomes should be appreciative of Carter’s efforts. Even in a state of cold war, there is tremendous value in maintaining channels of communication, some hope for rational human connection. Carter’s small breach in the wall of silence between the United States and North Korea is useful for America, and for the cause of world peace.
