A smug, know-it-all right-wing politician turned gentleman and national sage? Not to mention a fierce critic of unbridled capitalism, Israel's occupation of Palestine, and the 'Global War on Terror'? Unlikely as it sounds, that is the story of Kaare Willoch (1928 -), the former Norwegian Conservative Prime Minister.

Trained as an economist, Willoch was an MP for 32 years, leader of the Conservatives, and minister in two governments. From 1981 to -86 he served as Norway's Prime Minister before rounding off as a county governor from 1989 to his retirement in 1998. During most of this long career he was respected for his intelligence, but not, it's fair to say, for his wisdom. Nor was he well liked. In the usually collegial atmosphere of Norwegian politics he came across as cocky, arrogant and overbearing, with a juvenile need to put down his opponents and have the last word. "I have learned many things from Willoch, among them how not to treat others," wrote his old nemesis, the former Labor Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland - whom he had a special flair for infuriating - in her 1997 memoirs. As to the substance of his policies, this was widely perceived as attacking the social-democratic welfare state on behalf of commercial interests.

So Willoch's public persona has undergone quite a transformation when he now polls as the most admired man in the country (Brundtland, incidentally, being the most admired woman). Part of the reason is clearly that his style has mellowed to that of a charming, even lovable, elderly gentleman - no longer a model of misbehavior. But that does not fully explain the new sagely status he enjoys across much of the political spectrum, let alone his lionization by a new generation of young leftists. Another side of the story is that he seems to have broadened and deepened his outlook to the point where 'wisdom' does indeed come to mind - or at any rate, to a progressive such.

For example, Willoch has become an outspoken advocate of environmentalism: "We are speeding towards the abyss. And we delight in the fact that the journey - for the rich societies' part - proceeds at increasing comfort." Furthermore, the former champion of free enterprise now cautions against 'predatory capitalism,' accusing today's Conservatives of forgetting that wealth carries responsibility: "The West is developing an overclass where many approach the lords of the feudal era in their greed for an ever growing share of society's wealth."

The area where his realignment is most evident, however, is the Israel/Palestine question. Willoch started his political career in the 1950s with a staunchly pro-Israel stance, but a Parliamentary visit to the Middle East in 1977 triggered a gradual rethinking. Two decades later he was an impassioned spokesman for the Palestinian cause. Thus began the living hell of Norway's small but vocal and fundie-heavy pro-Israel lobby, accustomed to facing anti-establishment radicals on the talkshow circuit. Now they were up against a distinguished senior statesman rebutting their talking points with mild-mannered calm and unmatched rhetorical prowess. Unsurprisingly, Willoch was soon branded as an 'anti-semite'; to the Israeli MP and former Oslo Rabbi Michael Melchior, his attitude is "worse than that of Hamas and Islamic Jihad." But his argument is simply that Israel must withdraw to its 1967 borders and allow Palestinian statehood before an end to terrorism can be expected, since no people under foreign occupation has ever instilled its armed struggle before receiving guarantees of effective self-determination.

In May last year he made another visit to Israel and the occupied territories. "In your situation I'd be even angrier than you are," he assured a displaced family living in a tent in Gaza town after Israel had demolished their home.

Willoch does not hold back when it comes to the 'Global War on Terror' either. "It's a misfortune for the world that the USA - as the leading Western power - does not show more respect for the feelings and rights of non-white peoples and non-Christian religions. The fight against terrorism can only be won through a policy which eliminates oppression, for instance in Palestine," he declares, sounding more like an MP for the Socialist Left Party than as a man who in 1988 was close to becoming the Secretary-General of NATO.

Willoch denies having altered his outlook, insisting that it is the world, not he, that has changed. (The exception is the Israel/Palestine question, but even there he considers his views firmly rooted in the traditional conservative defense of national self-determination.) Many disagree, but I for one am prepared to laud Willoch as a conservative in the truest sense: one who seeks change in order to conserve. For example, as a supporter of the monarchy, he in 1987 proposed constitutional reform enabling females to inherit the throne, as Princess Ingrid Alexandra is now in line to do. And in hindsight, his economic reforms during the 1980s appear a lot more innocuous and sound. He professes to still unhesitatingly vote Conservative.

Below is an excerpt of one of Willoch's legio newspaper op-eds. Called 'The Misguided War on Terrorism,' it was written in 2003 but might as well, with minor changes, have been published today.

The Misguided War on Terrorism

By

Kaare Willoch

Former leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of Norway

November 19, 2003

In recent days newspapers in several countries have been carrying large ads directed against suicide bombers. This is unlikely to be of much help. In their summit talks in London this week, on the future of the war on terrorism, President Bush and Prime Minister Blair, should direct their attention towards the root causes of this dreadful form of warfare.

They should heed the experience of Israel and would also do well to listen to former US president Bill Clinton, who, during a recent visit to Oslo, asserted that "in a world where it is impossible for us to occupy, capture, or conquer whoever aims to harm us, we need to work harder to achieve a world with more friends and fewer terrorists".

Opinion polls demonstrate an urgent need for a new policy. Over the last two years the percentage of the population with a favorable view of the USA has fallen from 61% to 15% in Indonesia and from 52% to 15% in Turkey.

There is a connection between lack of military power to confront injustice and the use of terrror. Nuclear weapons are an element of one party's crushing superiority in the Middle East. The West - with good reason - seeks to prevent other countries from acquiring them.

But the USA refuses to hear criticism of Israel's nuclear arsenal. On this subject Amir Moussa, leader of the Arab League, has said that "this is a double standard which will destroy the war on terrorism." The two leaders seem to hope that the war against those behind the September 11, 2001 attack on the USA, and the removal of Saddam Hussein's terrorist regime in Iraq, can put an end to such brutal violence. But according to Ami Ayalon, former head of Israel's security service Shin Bet, "Those who want 'victory' against terror without addressing the underlying grievances want an unending war."

Read the rest here.