Remembering 9/11

The world has changed ever since the towers were blown up. The concern over international terrorism brought the international community together to forge a common policy to contain the menace. There was a consensus on fighting terrorism, but none on how to achieve the goal. The consensus sprung up both from sympathy for the innocent victims and the urge to make the world a safer place to live in. The US invasion of Afghanistan was seen as part of the broader strategy of countering terrorist threats, as it was a direct assault on al-Qaeda. The nations were rallying behind the US which spearheaded the anti-terrorism campaign. The unity stood up to that point, but it broke down when President Bush decided to inflict the same blow to Iraq.

The rationale behind the war on Iraq was far from convincing and it finally became clear that the very premise that Saddam had WMD at his disposal was based on lies. The war deprived the operations against terrorists of moral authority and legitimacy -- no doubt a major setback to the proponents of peace.

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The result is that the world has not changed for the better, despite the heavy US engagement in Iraq. Terrorists are active on many fronts and there is yet no sign that they are going to give up.

The war on terrorism was planned rightly but it has not been carried out with due caution and a clear sense of purpose and direction. By targeting Iraq, the US has actually shifted global attention to a new phenomenon -- security of smaller nations in a uni-polar world.

We remember the victims of 9/11 with a deep sense of loss, but are also worried about the US action against Iraq. We believe the global consensus on fighting terrorism should be revived, which certainly entails rethinking by the US on its current posture.