"The United States is likely to be criticized whatever it does. If it acts to enforce UN resolutions in Iraq, it is accused of imperialism. If it fails to intervene in other crises, such as the current conflict in Darfur, it is slighted for being insensitive to the plight of Africans. Unfortunately, this is the price that must be paid for being the only remaining super power," de Klerk said.

De Klerk said he looked to Teddy Roosevelt for advice on how a superpower like the United States might tackle the responsibility of being a world leader. De Klerk applauded Roosevelt's famed mantra, "Speak softly and carry a big stick," lauding the country's use of the "big stick" in its reaction to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the war on terror that ensued.

De Klerk praised the removal of Saddam Hussein: "There can be no doubt about one thing - Iraq, the Middle East, and the world are better places after the destruction of his brutal regime," he said. However, he reminded U.S. leaders not to forget the equally important second bit of advice: to speak softly.

As a world leader, he advised the United States to examine the root causes of conflicts, which he said he believes emerge from poverty, repression, ignorance, and fanaticism. In our attempt to ameliorate the deteriorating circumstances in other parts of the planet, de Klerk said that world leaders must make the reduction of poverty, promotion of human rights, and peaceful resolution of conflicts their main priority.

He pointed to the increasing economic disparity between the GDP of the richest and poorest countries as evidence that immediate action needs to be taken to promote the growth of underdeveloped economies. "We need to recognize the symbiosis between stability, prosperity, democracy, and freedom. Economic prosperity creates the environment in which democracy and free institutions can grow," he said.

One of the key obstacles impeding the economic growth of Third World nations, he said, is that their governments cannot afford to provide farmers with the agricultural subsidies that first world countries can. Therefore, they have no way of competing with the low prices that farmers in the United States are able to offer. Rather than driving out the competition from other countries, de Klerk said, the United States should embrace their contributions by investing in Third World countries and including them in the global economy.

Continued...

< prev Page 2 of 3 next >

Article Tools