We witness the dawning of an era--let's make it a Golden one.

[amykhar]

Modern warfare began with a terrorist attack.

Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, sparking World War I, which in turn led to World War II, the Cold War and every hot war this past century has seen.

We have come full circle and may now be witnessing the end of modern warfare with the terrorist attack made upon the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.

The world has forever changed because a group of terrorists hijacked four commercial jets and crashed them into the World Trade towers in New York, the Pentagon, and Pennsylvania. It will not change in the way the terrorists desired, for they have underestimated not just the United States, but the world.

This tragedy was not just an American tragedy. One French correspondent on Wednesday wrote, “This morning, we are all Americans.” The crimes were ones against humanity. The victims were workers, children, fathers, mothers, cousins, rescue workers, civilians. They were Americans, Germans, British, Irish, Middle Eastern, Russian, Chinese.

Throughout the hours following the attacks, condolences and promises of support poured into the United States from all around the world. Leaders from nearly every country—even those who have traditionally been enemies to the United States—lined up to cast their support. NATO invoked Article Five for the first time in its existence.

The world has said it will stand together and join the fight against the enemy as soon as the enemy has been identified. Pakistani’s military ruler General Pervez Musharraf said, "We regard terrorism as an evil that threatens the world community. All countries must join hands in this common cause,"

As the evidence pours in against indicted terrorist Osama bin Laden, the Taliban in Afghanistan will be forced to make a choice. They joined the world in giving the United States words of sorrow. Soon, action shall be required of them. We are unlikely to accept their protestations that bin Laden couldn’t have coordinated the attacks.

And so the Taliban must make a choice: They can turn over Osama bin Laden to us or they can watch as the world unites in an attack against them. Either choice will mean the terrorists lose. They will learn that they can no longer hide. The world now has the will to find and neutralize them. The terrorists have lost because they decided to go beyond what the world could bear.

What will this new era of warfare be? We are coming to the point where we will not wage war against countries and the innocents within them. We will wage war against the evil men and women who have forfeited their participation in humanity. We will bring the finesse of our technology and the strength of our will against the groups that would foment terrorism—wherever they might be.

The war against terrorism will be won. It will be won because the entire world has chosen to stand together and show terrorists that they have nowhere to hide. No one will shelter any longer those who skulk in the dark and use their hatreds to justify cruel actions. Those that do will find the world’s might brought to bear against them.

The terrorists have given us a reason to unite and impressed upon us just how urgent the need to unite is.


The horrible events of this week beckon us toward something we could have only dreamed of before—peace enforced by a world united. May the unwitting sacrifices of so many innocents be the herald that announces a new world, a world where people pull together to stop violence.

Today, I am proud to be a citizen of America. I am even more proud, though, to be a citizen of the world.