“In the early 19th Century one of my predecessors, Thomas Jefferson, ill-advisedly meddled in the affairs of the duly designated government of the sovereign nation of Morocco, specifically its city of Tripoli, by threatening to remove its leadership if he, the pasha of Tripoli, did not comply with demands issued by the U.S. Navy. I sincerely regret this event, particularly in light of it coming in the wake of the West’s unjustified and hegemonistic intrusion into the Middle East in the form of the Christian Crusades from 1095-1291. It should never too late for a great power to say ‘I’m sorry.’ So today, on behalf of the American people, I, Barack Hussein Obama, President of the United States of America, say to all the descendents of the pasha of Tripoli and to the descendents of the Barbary Pirates, ‘I apologize for our meddling in Morocco’s affairs and our intrusion onto the shores of Tripoli.’” |
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