Archbishop’s Views on American ‘Imperialism’ & Old British Imperialism
November 25th, 2007
By SWARAAJ CHAUHAN, International Columnist
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When the Archbishop of Canterbury says that “the United States wields its power in a way that is worse than Britain during its imperial heyday”, let us pause and see who is this man and why is he saying that. There is no point in getting into a hysterical “for” or “against” mode about what Dr Rowan Williams stated in a magazine interview recently.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, as well as the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Williams is the 104th in the list of Archbishops of Canterbury, in a line that goes back more than 1400 years to the first, Saint Augustine of Canterbury, who founded the see, the oldest in England, in the year 597.
“As Primate of All England, he is the chief religious figure in the Church of England (the British sovereign is the “Supreme governor” of the church) and its primary leader. The Archbishop of Canterbury plays a central part in (the British) national ceremonies such as coronations; thanks to his high public profile, his opinions are often in demand by the news media.
The Archbishop has an important ecumenical and interfaith role, speaking on behalf of Anglicans in England and worldwide. In addition to his office, the Archbishop also holds a number of other positions; for example, he is Joint President of the Council of Christians and Jews in the UK. Some positions he formally holds ex officio and others virtually so (the incumbent of the day, although appointed personally, is appointed because of his office).
Now let’s come to what Dr Williams said…and said it very emphatically. The Times reports: “Rowan Williams claimed that America’s attempt to intervene overseas by ‘clearing the decks’ with a ‘quick burst of violent action’ had led to ‘the worst of all worlds’.
“Williams went beyond his previous critique of the conduct of the war on terror, saying the United States had lost the moral high ground since September 11. He urged it to launch a ‘generous and intelligent programme of aid directed to the societies that have been ravaged; a check on the economic exploitation of defeated territories; a demilitarisation of their presence’.
“Williams suggested American leadership had broken down: ‘We have only one global hegemonic power. It is not accumulating territory: it is trying to accumulate influence and control. That’s not working’.
“He contrasted it unfavourably with how the British Empire governed India. ‘It is one thing to take over a territory and then pour energy and resources into administering it and normalising it. Rightly or wrongly, that’s what the British Empire did — in India, for example.
” ‘It is another thing to go in on the assumption that a quick burst of violent action will somehow clear the decks and that you can move on and other people will put it back together — Iraq, for example’.
“In the interview in Emel, a Muslim lifestyle magazine, Williams makes only mild criticisms of the Islamic world. He said the Muslim world must acknowledge that its ‘political solutions were not the most impressive’.”
This interview may kick up a controversy, especially because a growing number of people see the world only through the prism of their religions and culture. The Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed a point of view that needs to be first understood with a cool state of mind. And only then we need to react if we wish to have a sensible and purposeful debate.
I have wonderful memories of my visit in 1975 to Canterbury city and the church, located in eastern Kent in the South East region of England. Much of the city walls and one of the city gates remain. “The city is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury… Thomas Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral; King Henry IV was buried along with the Edward the Black Prince. Geoffery Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales about a group of people travelling from London to Canterbury. This literary heritage was continued with Christopher Marlowe who was born here.”
This entry was posted on Sunday, November 25th, 2007 at 3:24 am and is filed under Britain, Christians, Bush Administration, Foreign Policy, Muslims, Foreign Politics, George W. Bush, Islam, United Kingdom, Foreign Affairs. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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