Lech Walesa: "US no longer a moral authority."

The United States still leads the world economically and militarily, but it no longer does so morally. This is partly due to the fact that it has occasionally resorted to immoral methods to fight terrorism. It says, “We have the money, we have the means; we fill fix the problem ourselves.” But how much will this cost in moral terms? You have to prove your moral high standing by deeds, not by words. This also applies to detention. I say this with all respect for the reasonable concerns of Americans frightened at the prospect of terrorism.

Terrorism, as we are witnessing today, is a leftover from the two-bloc confrontation of the Cold War. Both superpowers equipped various groups, organizations, and even whole nations to fight the enemy. When the Soviet Union collapsed, these groups and nations suddenly found themselves in a vacuum. Now, they are fighting their own private wars. Since no considerable concern has been shown to these people — we have not assisted in their development, we have not supported their education, nor have we financed their transition — many of them now resort to violence.

In many ways, we demand they open their closed societies, their economies, and adopt our values, but at the same time we close our borders to them and close our economies to their products. We have to find new ways to deal with this unsatisfactory situation. I see a great responsibility for Europe and its governments to cooperate with America on this task and acceotable on both sides of the Atlantic and worldwide.

Politicians have a clear and moral obligation to give clear and unambiguous messages and instructions to uphold minimum humanitarian standards even in the worst situations. It is their moral obligation. I am afraid the present world situation is not helping us, but I believe everybody is becoming increasingly aware of their responsibilities and we are heading in a better direction.