Globalization needed to fight terrorism, Lech Walesa says
Polish leader, Nobel prize winner backs U.S. in Danville speech
By Mike White
STAFF WRITER
Monday, September 27, 2004 - DANVILLE -- The man credited with helping to end
communism in Poland said Sunday the world should unite behind the United States in
fighting terrorism.
In a speech mixed with equal amounts of comedy, politics and economics, Nobel Peace Prize
laureate Lech Walesa said "the United States saved the peace and prosperity of the
world" by acting quickly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
If the U.S. did not act, further attacks would have taken place in such cities as
Moscow, Paris and London, Walesa said.
"The U.S. had no choice. If the U.S. had not acted decisively after 9/11, the whole world
would be at war," he said.
Speaking to about 100 students and interested observers at the Athenian School in Danville,
Walesa described himself as a "revolutionary" and talked about the fight to end
Communist rule in Poland, which was imposed on the Eastern European country by the Soviet Union
following World War II.
"People simply awoke and said, we're no longer scared," Walesa said.
After 20 years laboring on the docks, Walesa became the leader of the country's
largest union and in 1980, he launched a shipyard strike that spread across the
country. His work earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1983. From 1990 to 1995, he served
as president of Poland.
At age 63, Walesa still has his trademark bushy mustache, although it, along with his
hair, has grayed over time. But he still speaks forcefully and with great animation,
using his hands to illustrate points ranging from world peace to globalization. He
spoke in Polish and was assisted by an English translator.
He offered this prescription for a more peaceful world -- the U.N. should be replaced
by a global parliament and the security council should be converted to a global
security force. The world should be split into districts in which generals are charged
with dealing with three issues only -- border conflicts, racism and terrorism. To
defuse the Arab-Israeli conflict, these forces could go door-to-door to find and
destroy weapons, he suggested. Those who refused to disarm would be sent off to the
North Pole.
"The conflict would be over in two months," he said, half-jokingly.
But he said many things about the U.S. and capitalism would need to change before
globalization could take place. Specifically, the number of owners of capital should
increase three-fold, he said.
Walesa's visit is a benefit for a project, developed by a group of Bay Area educators,
to build the first international college prep and boarding school in Eastern Europe.
The Goetz Academy, which will serve about 200 students, is due to open in Brzesko,
Poland, near Krakow in fall 2006.
The school will promote the educational philosophies of Dr. Kurt Hahn, known for his
emphasis on global citizenship and internationalism.
The academy also will cooperate with other Hahn-inspired preparatory consortiums, including the Round Square, to which Athenian School belongs. Athenian School is a private school for grades 6 through 12 near the base of Mt. Diablo. It has about 430 students, some of whom live in dormitories.
