Editorial
Tuesday's aftermath: a Hawai'i challenge

There is still much to be learned about Hawai'i's role in the new world that has emerged in the wake of last week's terrorist attack on the United States.

But one aspect is becoming clear with alarming speed. It appears that the long-belated economic recovery that Hawai'i has enjoyed for the past couple of years is likely to be sharply reversed.

Thus we must renew our commitment, with the greatest urgency, to the development of much wider economic diversity.

Much has been said about this need over the years, but the prosperity — even in lean years — of our flagship industry, tourism, has too often set this effort on the back.

World economic conditions in the coming weeks will almost certainly end that luxury. As we slowly come to grips with the horrendous human toll on the East Coast, we cannot neglect preparation for the economic reverberations that will follow.

It is probable that the destruction of the lower Manhattan financial center has already tipped our struggling national economy into negative growth. That in turn will put a drag on many other economies around the globe.

It is only prudent, therefore, to expect Hawai'i to endure another setback for our visitor industry comparable to the one that began with Operation Desert Storm. It kicked off a decade that saw little or no growth in Hawai'i, even as the Mainland boomed.

It's our vital mission to reduce Hawai'i's total helplessness in the face of changes far from our shores.