"We did not find it difficult to deal with Bush and his administration, because it is similar to regimes in our countries - both types include many who are full of arrogance and greed"

Osama bin Laden, in this statement, draws a direct comparison between the administration of George W. Bush and authoritarian regimes present in parts of the Arab and Muslim world. He claims there was no challenge engaging with Bush’s administration because its defining traits, arrogance and greed, mirror those of leaders and political elites running oppressive governments in his own region. His language suggests a narrative where Western political leadership, particularly in the case of the United States under Bush, shares more in common with autocratic rulers than with the ideals of democracy or justice it often claims to represent.

Bin Laden highlights arrogance as a shared characteristic, implying a kind of willful ignorance or contempt for dissenting perspectives, an attitude he attributes both to Western and Middle Eastern leaders. He further singles out greed, suggesting that both sets of leaders are primarily motivated by the pursuit of power, wealth, or national gain, rather than by the welfare of their citizens or genuine principles. Through this equivalence, he seeks to undermine the moral distinction frequently asserted by Western governments, particularly the US, when justifying intervention or shaping foreign policy in the Muslim world.

By doing so, bin Laden tries to delegitimize American governmental authority, aiming to foster resentment and skepticism among his audience toward the US and its claim to moral superiority. He frames global politics as being dominated by self-serving elites, whether Western or from “our countries,” portraying ordinary people as being at their mercy. This perspective serves both as a criticism and a rhetorical strategy, inviting listeners, especially in Muslim societies, to recognize the similarities between their oppressors at home and those abroad. Ultimately, it is an effort to erode trust in Western motives and to encourage resistance by blurring the distinction between foreign and domestic adversaries.