斡旋中东局势布莱尔访美在乔治布什总统图书馆发表演讲(2)

It was September 11 that brought these thoughts into sharper focus. Watching the horror unfold， imagining the almost unimaginable suffering of the thousands of innocent victims of the terror and carnage， the dominant emotion after the obvious feelings of revulsion， sympathy and anger， was determination.
The guts and spirit of the people of New York and America in the aftermath of that terrible day were not just admirable， they were awesome. They were the best riposte to the terrorists that humanity could give and you should be very proud of that. I want you to know too that the British people were with you from the first moment， and we will always be with you at times like those. We are not half hearted friends and we never will be. But the determination must be not just to pursue those responsible and bring them to justice but to learn from September 11.
For years Afghanistan was ruled by the Taliban. For years it nurtured the Al Qaida terrorist network. For years it lived off terror and the drugs trade， a failed state purveying religious and political extremism， with its people ground under the heel of the fanatic. What erupted on the streets of New York on September 11 was not an attack on America alone. It was an attack on us all.
It wasn't just an attack on people and buildings but an attempt to provoke， through terror， such chaos that it engulfed our way of life， the very values we hold dear. But prior to September 11， our people would probably have known Afghanistan chiefly from history books and for many the Taliban might as well have been a rock band. Yet this poor and incapable nation of 27 million， thousands of miles from America gave rise to the worst terrorist act in history in the heart of the world's most powerful nation.
Fortunately， in this case， the world stood firm. America took the lead， but it led a coalition of extraordinarily wide international proportions. Countries queued up to help. We acted with care， under the clear and courageous leadership of President Bush. The Taliban are gone as a government. Al Qaida's network has been destroyed in Afghanistan， though without doubt a residual capability remains and we should still be immensely vigilant. The Afghan people feel liberated not oppressed and have at least a chance of a better future.
But I want to give this warning. There is a real danger we forget the lessons of September 11. Human beings recover from tragedy and the memory becomes less fraught. That is a healthy part of living. But we should learn from our experience.
The most obvious lesson is indeed our interdependence. For a time our world stood still. Quite apart from our security， the shock impacted on economic confidence， on business， on trade and it is only now with the terrorist network on the run， that confidence is really returning. Every nation in the world felt the reverberation of that fateful day. And that has been well illustrated by the role which the United Nations - under Kofi Annan's excellent leadership - has played since September 11. if we didn't know it before， we know now： these events and our response to them shape the fate not of one nation but of one world. There is no escape from facing them and dealing with them. But what are the policy positions that should guide us in doing so？

上一页1 2 3456 下一页查看更多 下一篇