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Burden of Proof: World Learning Director Discovers Truth, Betrayal in Romanian Secret Police File

Frightening.

That is how Dorin Tudoran, director of World Learning’s Democracy Fellows Program, describes the nearly 10,000-page file that the Romanian Secret Police, known as the Stasi, kept on him from 1976 to1990. Tudoran, a former dissident who is considered to be one of Romania’s best living authors, released a new book in September that reveals 500 pages of his Stasi file, including the names of close associates who betrayed his trust.

In the early 1980s, Tudoran distinguished himself by resigning from the Communist Party and becoming one of the sharpest critics of the country's dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu. In 1985, he went on a hunger strike that lasted 42 days, leading human rights groups to secure his safe passage to the United States. After the 1989 revolution, Tudoran worked for an international democracy development organization in Romania and Moldova and helped found two regional nongovernmental organizations that promote participatory democracy.

At World Learning, Tudoran heads the Democracy Fellows Program which places experienced democracy and governance professionals in positions at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), including those in its field missions and Washington headquarters.

Can you please tell us more about your upcoming book?

The title of the book, “Eu, fiul lor,” roughly translated means “I, their son.” To me, the most terrible aspect of the whole experience is that after reading the 10,000 pages of these secret documents I realized that what the Secret Police has done was to “kidnap” and turn me into a different Dorin Tudoran. Even after 25 to30 years, I still cannot believe that I’ve survived what was put together against me by the Romanian Stasi.

The book has an introduction written by Dr. Radu Ioanid, director of the International Archival Program at the US Holocaust Museum in Washington, and an afterword written by Dr. Nicolae Manolescu, the most important Romanian literary critic and current Romanian ambassador to UNESCO.

Can you tell our readers, in your own words, how you became associated with the democracy movement in Romania?

"Democracy movement in Romania" is a too generous statement. Unfortunately, and in contrast with countries like Poland, Czechoslovakia or Hungary, Romania did not have a strong, organized pro-democracy movement. All we had were islands of individual, dissident acts or activities and some feeble efforts to organize our hate for the communist dictatorship. In an essay I published in the French magazine "L'Alternative" in 1984, I draw a parallel between the situation in Poland and Romania and mentioned that while they had Solidarnosc (Solidarity) we had "Solitarily."

Today, there is a generation of young people who do not remember the Cold War and Iron Curtain, but they have experienced recent wars closely associated with the word democracy. What would you tell these young people about democracy as it exists today and why you have committed your work to spreading democracy worldwide?

Democracy is not a given, it is a process; a work in progress. You cannot import or export democracy. You should build and fortify it. To participate in a democracy, you don’t need to be "somebody." As Louis D. Brandeis put it, "the most important political office is that of the private citizen." However, not taking such an office seriously can lead to disaster and, perhaps—most unconscionable—moral demise. It is no wonder that, thinking about the weaknesses of today’s citizens, a social conscience like Václav Havel wrote, "The tragedy of modern man is not that he knows less and less about the meaning of his own life, but that it bothers him less and less."

One bumper sticker reads: "Do you find education expensive? Try ignorance." Strikingly true. So many tragic experiences of humanity should finally teach us that the price of dormant citizenry has become too high and the costs of civic illiteracy are already unbearable. To see this planet a safer, happier and more peaceful place, the paradigm of the 21st century must be The Citizen.

Since democracy is not a given, the road to it—democratization—is what makes the difference. By "measuring democracy" we probably mean auditing both the product and the process, for it’s hard to believe that the wrong road might lead you to the right product. To quote Juan Linz and Alfred Stepan, "Democratic survival and breakdown [are] a question of political crafting."

The main reason why I have committed my work in the last 25 years to spreading democracy is the belief that if we cannot make the world that we inherited a better one; at least we should try not to make it even worse.

What is the Democracy Fellows Program and how does it fit within World Learning’s mission?

The Democracy Fellows Program brings on board brilliant individuals who are capable to assess the needs of countries in transition, evaluate the efficiency of programs funded by USAID, recommend means and ways through which these programs can be re-calibrated as to become more effective, and interact substantially with the implementers of such programs. I find that the Democracy Fellows Program is a perfect fit for World Learning since our organization’s mission is to enhance the capacity and commitment of individuals, institutions and communities to create a more peaceful and just world.

What trends and issues do Democracy Fellows address given the current state of democracy in the world?

The Democracy Fellows are involved in activities that fall—to use umbrella terms—under rule of law, elections, strengthening of political parties, good governance, judicial independence, anticorruption, law enforcement and independent media. In other words, their work touches most of the fundamentals of democracy.
 
Why is the Democracy Fellows Program valuable, both to the individual and USAID’s programs?

The program is a great solution to bridge the gap between thinkers and implementers. The fellows have the chance to deal with the day-by-day reality of building and consolidating democratic structures. This gives them the opportunity to check theory against reality and develop better solutions for transitional times.

By using the knowledge, expertise and dedication of the fellows, USAID extends and refines its cadre of experts. It is a win-win scenario for both – individuals and institution.

Eu, fiul lor is available in Romanian from Polirom Publishing.