F.W. de Klerk was somewhat of an outsider at the Bakersfield Business Conference.

It’s not that he wasn’t welcomed at the event. But being more on the outside than many of the attendees gives him a good perspective of what role America plays in the world, he said.

The former prime minister of South Africa and co-recipient, with Nelson Mandela, of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, spoke to the audience about the importance of having a global community and the role the United States plays in it.

“In this globalized world, the leadership starts to help lead the world back to the higher order where we can have hope instead of a dark outlook on life,” he said. “This is a world that has become globalized. … There can be little doubt that the United States is now its mayor and its chief of police.”

He explained to the audience that this was a heavy responsibility for America, one that will inevitably allow the opportunity for other countries to criticize its policies.

“The United States is likely to be criticized no matter what it does,” de Klerk said. “If it acts to enforce … resolutions in Iraq, it is accused of imperialism. If it plans to intervene in other crises such as the Holocaust … it is slated for being insensitive. … Unfortunately, this is the price that must be paid for being the only remaining superpower.”

He said the long-term way to combat terrorism included tackling the roots of poverty and oppression, as well as embracing Teddy Roosevelt’s foreign policy of “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

“After the terrorist outrage of Sept. 11, it was essential for the United States to use its big stick against international terrorism,” he said. “It was equally as important to launch a global campaign to track down terrorists, wherever they may be.”

He said it was essential to act as a global community to solve such conflicts because ultimately the problem of one nation may become a problem for another nation, and soon possibly the entire world.

“Problems of global development, global security and protection of the global environment can be dealt with only in the international community. … The United States can and must play a pivotal leadership role in this process. But they cannot achieve success alone.”