Citizens of the World:
I am sorry.
The atrocities committed by U.S. soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq have revealed to me the mistakes I have made in my leadership of United States policy in the wake of the attacks of September 11th. Although I truly have meant well by my actions, it is clear to me now that I have been blinded by the anger I have felt toward those who attacked our country. I have personalized the conflict. I have allowed the idea of “evil-doers” to spread in the minds of the American people, from those who attacked us directly to the whole of the Islamic world. This has led to an atmosphere in which it has become acceptable in the minds of many to humiliate those in the Islamic world. I wish I could say that I myself would never commit such acts. But in all honesty, I am not sure. I suspect that the actions carried out in the prison were enactments of the thoughts of many Americans; indeed, they were an enactment of my own thoughts and fantasies. It has taken my seeing these images enacted to comprehend how powerful the words I use are. I see now that the very images I carry in my mind have power. I am sorry that I have not understood this until now and I resolve to clear my mind of thoughts, images and fantasies that may harm others. In humiliating others – even if only in our thoughts – we render ourselves less human.
There are those who will try to distance themselves from these horrific acts. They will attempt to portray them as the acts of individuals, not as a reflection of the United States as a nation. Although I am naturally tempted to protect myself in this same manner, in all honesty I cannot. These acts were committed by the military which serves under the government I lead. They could not take place without an underlying atmosphere of hatred. And as your leader, I cannot separate myself from the atmosphere that has been created in the country under my rule. Although I did not commit these acts, I have been largely responsible for creating the atmosphere which made them possible. For this I am very sorry.
While I must of course offer this apology to the Islamic people, I must also apology to our allies and especially to the citizens of my own country. I am sorry that I have brought upon you more of the rage that I said I was trying to stem. I am sorry that through my words and actions I have placed you at even greater risk. I am sorry that I have used my role as leader to act out my personal struggles.
To the Islamic people, I understand that under these circumstances it will not be easy for any of you to forgive me or the nation I lead. I understand that my actions and those of my countrymen are likely to remain with you for years, even generations, and that the anger created by our actions are likely to lead further attacks against us. I would like to stop, rather than amplify this cycle of violence. And so I resolve in the future to try to see any such attacks in the light of my own actions, to understand them as something that we are all capable of (as indeed my own private fantasies have revealed to me). I resolve to try to find forgiveness for those who hurt us and always to hold in mind our common humanity.
Sincerely,
George W. Bush
President, United States of America
