What America Must Do: Say You’re Sorry
A little humility will go a long way.
After the September 11 attacks, an amazing outpouring of sympathy, concern, and love for the United States sprang forth from all over the world. It was proof that there is no instinctive or deep-seated hostility to the United States, no automatic anti-Americanism. There is, of course, frequent resentment of particular policies. The Reagan White House, for example, pursued constructive engagement with the apartheid government of South Africa. Many of us in South Africa opposed this course of action vehemently, but it did not make us anti-American.
After the September 11 attacks, an amazing outpouring of sympathy, concern, and love for the United States sprang forth from all over the world. It was proof that there is no instinctive or deep-seated hostility to the United States, no automatic anti-Americanism. There is, of course, frequent resentment of particular policies. The Reagan White House, for example, pursued constructive engagement with the apartheid government of South Africa. Many of us in South Africa opposed this course of action vehemently, but it did not make us anti-American.
Today, the negative feelings about the United States have been provoked by the arrogance of unilateralism. The administration of George W. Bush has routinely thumbed its nose at the rest of the world and told it to go jump in the lake. It did so over the Kyoto Protocol, the International Criminal Court, and the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. But nowhere did it do so more spectacularly than in the invasion of Iraq, heaping contempt upon the United Nations and upending international law. That arrogant action has turned out to be a catastrophic disaster on all scores.
Some of the most difficult words in any language are, "We made a mistake. We are sorry. Forgive us." They are but a few words, yet one cannot overestimate the power they have to change the dynamics of a fraught situation. Would the incoming U.S. president have that greatness of moral stature and magnanimity? Would he or she have the humility to recognize the faults of the recent past, and the determination and sincerity of spirit to right the course?
More than anything else, the United States is looked upon fondly for its remarkable generosity. Europe will never forget the charity of the Marshall Plan after the devastation of World War II. America needs to be reminded that its history and example have provided millions with inspiration for their own struggles for freedom, democracy, and a better life. If the world’s superpower has the grace and modesty to say it is sorry, people would rub their eyes in disbelief, pinch themselves, and then smile because a new day had dawned.
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