President George W. Bush joined veterans in commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the allied victory over Imperial Japan. In his speech, Mr. Bush said the global campaign against terrorism will be successful. He compared that campaign to the challenge faced by the United States and its allies during the Second World War:
“In the midst of this struggle. . . .we have confidence in our cause because we have seen the power of freedom to overcome the darkness of tyranny and terror.“
The lesson of the past, Mr. Bush said, is that the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of democracy is the spirit of liberty:
“[T]he spirit of liberty is at work today. Across the broader Middle East, we can see freedom’s power to transform nations and deliver hope to people who have not known it. In Afghanistan and Iraq and Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, people have gone to the polls and chosen their leaders in free elections. Their example is inspiring millions across the region to claim their liberty.”
Mr. Bush said that the goal of the U.S. and its allies is clear:
“We will stand with the people of Iraq, and we will prevail. . . . We’ll build a free Iraq that will fight terrorists instead of giving them aid and sanctuary. A free Iraq will offer people throughout the Middle East a hopeful alternative to the hateful ideology being peddled by the terrorists.”
Sixty years ago, American and allied forces helped to liberate two continents, and make the world a more peaceful place. That peace will endure, said President Bush, even as today’s generation confronts the new enemies of freedom.
The preceding was an editorial reflecting the views of the United States Government.
