Time to Take Stock

But what will happen in the countries where leaders take our requests seriously? Will they be able, given their own domestic politics, to stand with the United States on this issue? It's possible that political regimes will crumble because of this request. In the past, we said, "We know you can't say this publicly, but we'd like you to act this way." Global politics were more subtle and nuanced. Today, we are asking nations to take very public stands. That openness will have ramifications within the domestic populations of some countries.

What insights do you have about the motives that prompted these terrorists to attack innocent Americans?

First, we have to be very careful in pointing out that this attack is not Islam against the Judeo-Christian tradition. These terrorists belonged to a fringe, extremist segment of Islamic people that is condemned by the majority of religious Muslims. Suicide bombings is not what Islam is about.

In Arabic cultures, being humiliated is not acceptable. Arabs are very careful in their own language and interactions to show absolute respect and never to humiliate any other Arab publicly. There is a perception by these fringe groups that the United States has been humiliating them ever since we started fighting from Saudi Arabian soil during the Gulf War. The fact that we've left some troops in the Gulf is perceived as humiliation by these extremists.

This sense of humiliation is bumping up against a fantasy of historical periods when Arabism was all-powerful. This fringe group is overwhelmed by a sense of "What we have been, what we should be, and what we rightfully ought to be." That sentiment contradicts the reality that Arab countries are powerless in today's global economy. That impotence is a constant source of humiliation.

These terrorists have mirrored the humiliation they've felt from us. They took our planes, they trained at the most sophisticated flight-training centers in our country, and they slammed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon -- two symbols of our national power. We are angry, shocked, and frightened, but I don't know anyone who feels humiliated right now. If humiliation was their intent, they failed.

What does this mean for the United States' foreign policy?

Let me be absolutely clear in saying that no matter how humiliated anyone feels, they don't have the right to take life. At the same time, we need to think about ensuring that we don't humiliate other nations. The United States needs to be more mature about the power it carries. We are the most powerful nation in the world. We don't have to rub people's face in that. We need to be subtle in the use of our power but clear that we have power. We don't need to be arrogant or cowboyish. We need to make it absolutely clear that we have the capability to act swiftly and strongly, and that we won't accept certain things from other peoples. The world has gotten very small. We need to consider ourselves part of the world, albeit one of the most important players.

What final thought would you like Fast Company readers to consider in the coming days and months?

If it's correct that United Airlines Flight 93 was headed for the White House, the passengers who overtook their hijackers saved an enormous number of lives. They are heroes. I'm incredibly moved that they voted, from the back of the plane, on whether to try and overpower the hijackers. I'm moved that, in this moment of virtual death, they leaned on a democratic principle. That is America. No terrorist act can kill that.

We need to maintain those democratic principles in our military response. As a nation, we must all agree on what the right response should be. And embedded in that response are our values. If we do that, we are fighting back on another level. We're not only fighting back militarily, but we're also fighting back with our values.

Anni Layne Rodgers (arodgers@fastcompany.com) is the Fast Company senior Web editor.