Jessica Lee

On the night of Sept. 11, a somber nation and an eager world anticipated President Bush's address on Ellis Island. For most Americans, he gave them what they wanted to hear. For the rest of us, it was just another speech devoid of truth and leadership.

The victims of this horrible terrorist attack need to be honored by remembrance. But U.S. leaders have failed to give the families of the victims, and the rest of the nation, an honest effort at not only explaining the cause of the attacks, but also an attempt at preventing the next one.

Rather, our neighbors to the north have taken the first step. Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, in a recent Canadian Broadcasting Corp. documentary, spoke of the events of Sept. 11 on a deeper, broader note. He described the resentment caused by the widening gap between the poor and rich nations. Chretien stressed that the developed West must not exercise its political influence and monetary power to the point of humiliating other countries.

"That is what the Western world, not only the Americans, has to realize, because they (people in poor countries) are human beings too," Chretien announced in the broadcast. "And there are long-term consequences if you don't look hard at the reality in 10 or 20, or 30 years from now," he stressed.

It is about time a political leader has the courage to vocally challenge plausible reasons behind the terrorist attack a year ago. That's right. There is more to the story than it being "an act of evil."

The forces of first world-backed globalization have taken a toll on the backs of the peoples of the third world for more than a century. The industrial revolution of the late 1800s ÷ the time of the locomotive, steam-powered ships and mass communication ÷ launched the first wave of global trade. It was the European powerhouses who commanded the flux and flow of international exchange, and their colonies worldwide suffered for the indulgences of the rich.

The world wars put a halt to the global interaction, and the rise of the Cold War shoved the globe into isolationism.

When the arms race slowed to a snail's pace and the Soviet Union faced economic disaster, the United States for the first time looked to the boundless future.

Marking the beginning of the second wave of globalization, the United States began dictating global economics, incidentally lending political influences within sectors of the developing world.

Chrestien's comments allude to a new perspective. "I do think that the Western world is going to be too rich in relation to the poor world. And necessarily, we're looked upon as being arrogant, self-satisfying, greedy and with no limits. The 11th of September is an occasion for me to realize it even more."

He is absolutely correct. The fallacious angle is that they hate us because they're against democracy and freedom. Instead, it is universally dire that Americans glance around at the rest of the world. Think about it ÷ where did that outfit you wear come from? What sky was polluted to make it and did the workers who made it receive a fair wage? It is not that the rest of the world wants to be American or European; it is that they simply crave to be treated like human beings with the same inalienable rights that we take for granted.

But instead, most Americans do not see it that way. They see it as an infringement on our lifestyles. As Westerners, we simply do not think twice about the consequences of our actions and material needs.

Last Thursday, conservative Bill O'Reilly, the host of the popular political satire talk show, "The O'Reilly Factor," took advantage of the Prime Minister's global observations to further the ignorance agenda. O'Reilly sarcastically commented, "Jean Chretien wants us to understand why 24 innocent Canadians were killed, along with 3,000 other people, on 9/11. He wants us to understand what drives the terrorists."

Then he added, "I want him to understand this. He has just insulted every family who lost a loved one." Can anyone say, "ludicrous spin factor?"

It was not the victims' fault. Rather, it is generations of global ignorance and misguided foreign policy. People are not born to hate the West. We breed it by living the luxurious lives of King George on the backs of the nameless.