The “We and the West: A Conference on the Views and Thoughts of Ayatollah Khamenei” conference was held on November 10 by the Office of the Preservation and Publication of the Works of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in the Conference Hall of the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation (IRIB). The reasons for holding the conference, the goals and the programs can be considered in the following areas.
1. Although the title “We and the West” at first glance evokes the historical challenges of Iran and the West, in a comprehensive view, it encompasses all countries that have been exposed to the harm and harassment of Western domination. The goal of the conference is to emphasize the necessity of strengthening multilateralism and the unity of independent countries to confront domination and unilateralism, by recalling the irreparable harm of Western colonialism in the cultural, social, security, economic and social spheres to the colonial countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia, and to identify appropriate solutions to achieve this goal.
2. After the victory, the Islamic Revolution of Iran, with an independent approach, did not accept the continuation of the domination of the superpowers of the West and the East, and with the guidance of the leaders of the Revolution, it began the most important anti-colonial and anti-domination movement as a phenomenon in the international system. In the meantime, Ayatollah Khamenei repeatedly analyzed and explained the nature of Western civilization and culture and the hegemonic approaches of America and Europe, and presented a way to confront the colonial and hegemonic methods of the West. For this reason, his opinions and thoughts were chosen as the main source of studies for the “We and the West” conference and were the title of this gathering.
From the statements and messages of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, especially in the statement of the second step of the Islamic Revolution, it can be seen that Western civilization is facing serious theoretical and behavioral challenges in areas such as human rights, freedom, the view of man, statecraft, etc., and is facing a crisis of legitimacy. The “We and the West” conference, inspired by the thoughts of the Leader, can be effective in creating a broad intellectual front against liberal democracy and pave the way for the realization of a new Islamic civilization.
3. The timing of this conference, which coincides with the presence of a warmongering and power-seeking individual in the White House, has also been very appropriate. At this juncture, due to America’s unilateralist approaches and Trump’s actions to threaten neighbors and impose a kind of tyranny on countries around the world, as well as defending the Zionist regime’s genocide in Gaza, the need for solidarity among independent countries against America is felt. This shared global feeling can expand the scope of the field of resistance against arrogance from West Asia to all parts of the world and, by strengthening the multilateralism front, be effective in the gradual decline of American power. Of course, the continuation of holding this conference in other parts of the world, which is actually a field for intellectual exchanges among scholars to defend the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of independent countries, will be of great importance.
4. The unparalleled reception of this conference by scientific and academic centers of various countries and the presentation of more than 450 scientific articles and 65 brainstorming sessions around the world indicate the pioneering efforts of the world’s intellectual elements to create a global scientific movement to combat Western domination.
It is as if by holding this conference, the hatred of the world’s intellectuals for five hundred years of crimes, massacres, slavery, and plunder of the European and American domination against the oppressed people of the world was broken, and these intellectual elements came to the stage with their pens and expressions to disgrace the West. While wishing God strength to the organizers of the conference, we should appreciate this public welcome and plan more determinedly than in the past for the dynamism of this intellectual movement that will be effective in the emergence of the future world order.
