Session on civilizations dialogue
Regional-International, Politics, 4/26/2002

The Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco held Thursday its spring session on inter-cultures and inter-civilizations dialogue.

Speaking at the session, themed "International Relations in the first Decade of the 21st Century: What Horizon?," Otto Habsbourg, an Austrian thinker and member of the Academy, deplored the circulation of the concept of "Civilization War" by some western media after the terror attacks perpetrated last September 11 against the USA. These media presented the anti-terror campaign as a clash between the Islamic and Western civilizations, he said.

Indian professor Abed Hussein said the 21st century will be marked by multi-polarity, putting into doubt the unilateralist vision of the United States in leading the world.

For Abdelhadi Boutaleb (Morocco), the events of September 11 entailed deep changes in international relations, blaming the USA for preparing "in a rush" what Washington calls "a war against terrorism." This hastiness, he said, made the USA "make mistakes and to be hostage to its own mistakes."

Among these mistakes, Boutaleb cited the US siding with Israel in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which is contrary to Washington status as a sponsor of the Middle East peace process. This mistake, he added, allowed Israel to benefit from the mixture made around terrorism to legitimize its repression and terrorism against Palestine.

A new political map of the world was born after September 11, said Boutaleb, adding that new alliances will surely appear in light of these changes. "The world is slowly but surely entering a new cold war wherein the protagonists are not yet clearly identified, although their profiles already started to loom in the horizons," he said.

The growing tension risks that weigh on international relations impose the need for the return to dialogue among nations, the ban of force as a means to settle conflicts, the adoption of preventive diplomacy and the rehabilitation of the United Nations, which should play a vanguard role in solving problems in the world, he said.

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