Dear Jeanette - three days after 9/11

3 dage efter den 11. september 2001 kooresponderede jeg pr. mail med min amerikanske søster, som dengang sad på et kontor hos et engrosfirma i Winston Salem, North Carolina. Hun spurgte til min vurdering af terrorangrebet.

Mit svar var ligeligt hensynsfuldt og analyserende ud fra det jeg dengang så som danske synspunkter. Hun var min søster, men vi havde ikke diskuteret politik med hinanden siden vi sidst havde set hinanden live tilbage i 1973. Der var al grund til at udvise medfølelse.

Derfor både trøstende ord, og henvisninger til en dansk politik om at finde løsningerne igennem FN og uden at fremme en civilisationskamp. Desværre måtte jeg senere sande, at Danmark havde fået en regering, der ikke var dansk på den vis, som jeg var vandt til at se danske værdier.

Dear Jeanette

Outside the American embassy in Copenhagen, there is flowers and candles al over.

Our country stands by the US with disgust towards people who believes, that killing innocent people can serve any legitimate goal. The Danes will approve any action taken towards the actual organisations or persons behind the attacks in New York and Washington, and it would even be possibly, that Danish armed forces would participate.

But if the US attacks other innocent people in an action of uncontrolled revenged, it won't be approved. It would be counterproductive to the goal of obtaining peace and security.

A few young and thoughtless Palestinian refuges in Denmark celebrated the event, due to the American support to Israel's oppression of the Palestinians. They where clearly told, both by the Danes and representatives of they own communities, that this behaviour where disgusting.

When we se pictures of the planes crashing into the buildings in New York, people jumping from windows or hear about firemen killed under the collapsing building or passengers offering their lives in struggles with the hijackers over Pennsylvania, we are truly moved by thinking about people dying.

A few Danes see Islam as the enemy; I think it is very important not to do so. There are times where you have to defend yourself against an enemy or attack him to prevent actions towards yourself. But it's stupid to escalate the creation of enemies. Due to this way of thinking, I was very glad to see, that the memorial services at the National Cathedral in Washington included preaches of many faiths also including an Islamic and a Jew. (On our cable-network the service were transmitted by BBC (British) and CNN.)

Even thought we are allies, I think, there are differences in our thoughts of how to obtain peace and stability. Last time Denmark engaged in real war was in 1864 - since the we learned, that we are to small to be a treat to anyone. That's why most Danes thing that anything like that never would happen I Denmark.

But since the collapse of the Berlin wall, Danes have been more active in peacekeeping operations - especial in Bosnia and Kosovo. Our troops aren't known to be aggressive attackers, but they are known to be good and firm peacekeepers.

At the same time there is a growing understanding, that globalisation, where the enemy isn't states but worldwide organisations, calls for new structures, like a permanent court and security services under UN-control to deal with crimes against humanity worldwide.

In old times national boundaries protected the criminal - the national boundaries can and shall not provide that kind of protection anymore. But at the same time, no state should be given the sole role of policeman of the World - it should be a mutual task.

I know, that some Americans dislikes the UN, but I don't think there is any other way, if we want to stop this craziness.

It's also my believe, that we - at the same time, that we have to use force against the criminals - we also have to find solutions to stop the conflicts that nourish and produces this kind of fanatics. That's why conflict as the one between the Palestinians and Israel has to be stopped by all responsible means (not including killing one of the parts), giving bought the Israelis and the Palestinians the opportunity of reasonably living conditions.

Jeanette - this is my way of trying to give a Danish view on the situation. It has been a quarter of a century since we had the chance really to exchange our opinions on politics and stuff like that, - - this is a painful occasion to revive it.