According to Jackson, the tragedy presents “a tremendous moment to build alliances.” He said he learned on past missions that economic sanctions and a lack of respect for the power of clerics in Muslim countries have hindered U.S. abilities to make peace.

Hostility towards what he called “deficit countries” is not consistent with his vision for what the U.S.’s role should be in the world.

“If we’re the light on the hill, we must put light in dark places everywhere,” he said.

After speaking at Austin Hall, Jackson held a brief press conference before heading to the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.

He said it was important to address teenagers, who would be the ones fighting if there was a war in the near future.

Later in the morning, he also made a surprise appearance at the popular “Af-Am 10” class taught by Fletcher University Professor Cornel R. West ’74. Jackson took the microphone and lectured to the students for about 15 minutes.

Students in Jackson’s audiences throughout the morning generally expressed satisfaction with the work Jackson was doing in the wake of the terrorist attacks.

“He demonstrated a very good consciousness of the issues that are starting to affect the nation and the depths of understanding that the nation must have in order to move forward in these trying times,” said former president of the Harvard Islamic Society Zayed M. Yasin ’02, who attended Jackson’s HLS speech.

—Staff writer William M. Rasmussen can be reached at wrasmuss@fas.harvard.edu.