Internationally, 2003 was a profound year
As we enter 2004, we take a look back at the top national and international stories and issues for 2003:
1. War in Iraq: Based on evidence that today appears flimsy, and against substantial international opposition, President Bush ordered a pre-emptive war against Iraq that began March 20. Although invading troops appeared to outrun their supply lines at times, they were toppling a statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad a mere 20 days later.
The president, in a swashbuckling flight to the aircraft carrier Nimitz May 1, declared "mission accomplished," and that the tide had turned in the war on terrorism.
But even the capture of Saddam, hiding in a hole, has not diminished the battle against a continuing insurgency in Iraq, which has proved unexpectedly difficult and costly. By Tuesday, the military had identified 473 American service members who had died since the war began.
Now that we are there, the United States and its allies have no choice but to make the occupation and rebuilding of Iraq a success. We cannot lose heart in this effort. If we abandon Iraq now, our international credibility will be shattered.
2. War against terrorism: Perhaps due to the distraction of the war in Iraq, pursuit of the perpetrators of the attacks on New York and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, appeared to languish. The Taliban was making a comeback in Afghanistan, where security was deteriorating. And Osama bin Laden remained free.
The terrorist threat moved wholesale into Southeast Asia, where a bombing last October killed more than 200 on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali, Muslim guerrilla war escalated in the southern Philippines, and numerous al-Qaida-related suspects were rounded up in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and elsewhere.
The homeland security effort delayed American travelers and imprisoned delinquent immigrants without appearing to make us all that much safer. But an ear intensely attuned to terrorist "chatter" led us to cancel three Air France flights, which may or may not have been the target of hijackers.
Like the Cold War, the war on terrorism will be a long and grinding affair. It is essential that this war does not become an excuse to set aside or dismantle the personal and political freedoms that make America strong in the first place.
3. North Korea: A more dangerous and more difficult threat than Saddam's Iraq, with a million men under arms and — possibly — deliverable nuclear weapons. A divided White House has failed to find the handle on this issue.
North Korea is a prickly and difficult adversary. Still, we have no choice but to continue pushing for engagement and contact. The prospect of a war on the Korean peninsula is an unthinkable alternative.
4. America's lurch toward the political right. It continued with more tax cuts for the wealthy, loosening of environmental protections, increasing investment scandals and the like.
With the economy on the uptake, there will be a temptation to continue or even increase tax cuts. This impulse must be resisted. The burgeoning deficit is already a massive burden the next generations will be forced to pay.
5. SARS outbreak: By April, SARS — severe acute respiratory syndrome — had jumped from the area around Hong Kong to 20 countries around the world, delivering a hammer blow to world economies — including Hawai'i.
The lessons of the SARS episode are many. It demonstrated how globalization extends beyond the economy to matters of health and welfare. And it was an object lesson in how to manage any outbreak of disease: Rather than attempting to hide or ignore the problem, as China initially did, the proper course is to share information as widely as possible and use global resources to respond.
6. Loss of the space shuttle Columbia: The Feb. 1 tragedy, with the loss of seven astronauts, rocked the nation and the space program.
It has clearly become time to rethink our entire space effort, perhaps shifting focus to unmanned space probes.
7. China's man in space. The days when a few countries virtually controlled outer space are over.
8. Arnold Schwarzenegger's run for governor. His win illustrates the political power of charisma and money in an era when the electorate seems bored by issues.
9. Ghastly civil wars in Liberia, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Congo and elsewhere. They demonstrated that the horrors of sectarian violence are not restricted to high-profile areas such as the Middle East.
10. Concorde: end of an era.
