If we’re smart, we can learn something from our “enemies”:
[Former Iranian President Mohammad] Khatami referred to vast, all-encompassing powers that expressed concern for the world, but implemented policies aimed at devouring it.
And he directly criticised US policies, which he said exploited “the grandeur of the nation and country of the United States for the subjugation and domination of the world”.
He added: “As America claims to be fighting terrorism it implements policies which lead to the intensification of terrorism and institutionalised violence.”
This isn’t about accepting every critique he has as valid. But it is about listening to what our adversaries are saying about us and seeing the kernel of truth inside their criticism. Are our current militaristic policies promoting terrorism rather than destroying it? No doubt, as we have seen in Iraq. Does our militarism look to the world as a quest for global domination, especially when we threaten war repeatedly? I suspect that even most Europeans would say the same.
The war on terror will not be won by the power of our weapons, but rather by the strength of our character. Unfortunately, since 9/11, the party in power in the United States has done everything in its power to undermine the character that once made America respected around the world.
