The September 11th attack — Focus
National sovereignty must no longer shield terrorism
By Charles Morrison
President of the East-West Center in Honolulu
In an age of global television, we become inured to seeing horrific instances of suffering and tragedy — earthquakes, fires, murders, bombing and wars. Most of these occur far away in other countries (even when they involve Americans) or are attributed to such twisted individual minds as the Unabomber or Timothy McVeigh.
Associated Press
The magnitude, cruelty and success of Tuesday's attacks in America's two best-known cities, using aircraft hijacked from the country's two largest air carriers, confront us with the stunning reality that even the United States homeland is not immune to large-scale, well-planned terrorism. Despite American defense and intelligence assets equal to those of the next several nations combined, such powerful forces did not deter or thwart the attack.
Community members join hands during a vigil in Alamogordo, N.M., hometown of one of Tuesday's victims.
Tuesday's crimes were an attack against America and its institutions. They were also an attack against civilized society as a whole. Thus, the attack raises questions of not only how the United States brings the perpetrators to justice, but how it and the international community address worldwide terrorism.
While demonstrating American unity and resolve in protecting citizens, institutions and cherished values, the United States must also take true leadership in the international fight against terrorism. We can best honor the dead by dedicating ourselves to effective actions to prevent such tragedies reoccurring.
The president called for a day of national mourning. Later, at the conclusion of all feasible search-and-rescue efforts, he could invite world leaders to an international ceremony of remembrance at the site of the World Trade Center.
This ceremony would be dedicated to all victims of terrorism, worldwide, and be accompanied by a summit and statement of international resolve to fight terrorism.
A central purpose of the proposed international memorial service and summit is to turn the current expressions of sympathy into a true international consensus on basic principles related to the effective suppression of terrorism and an action plan to implement them.
International society has no central authority, but is a mosaic of sovereign states. Some are supportive of terrorists who operate against other states.
Other states are so weak that terrorists take advantage of a vacuum of state authority and the legal sanctuary provided by the concept of state sovereignty.
The international community must agree that no government will shelter or support terrorists dedicated to wanton acts of terrorism against another country.
They must also agree that the principle of sovereignty will not protect terrorists. If a country is unable or unwilling to prevent international terrorism originating on its soil, or if it provides shelter and support for terrorists, it has failed to fulfill its obligations as a responsible member of the international community.
Where there is a clear and present danger, other states have an obligation to their citizens and to civilized society to deal with the problem.
Some note that one person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter. But no cause can justify the acts of mass murder against civilians perpetrated on Tuesday, or in many other instances of terrorism that take place almost daily around the globe.
Fighting terrorism is neither cheap nor easy. It cannot be done without putting lives at risk. It cannot be effectively done by one country alone. It will require diplomacy and coercion. If there were ever a time and a need for international solidarity, it is now.
