A Test by Terrorism

A Test by Terrorism
Byline: James Schlesinger
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The events of September 11, undoubtedly the best planned and bestexecuted terrorist act in memory, have transformed the domestic andinternational landscape. The media have regularly asserted thateverything has changedâ€"a judgment that apparently does not applyto the hyperbole of the press. Some things have changed; othershave been re-inforced; and still others have been made visible thatpreviously were unrecognized. What has changed domestically is anew and different focus and a rebirth of national unity, whichcould prove transitory. The public’s illusion, despite most of adecade’s intelligence warnings and commission reports, ofAmerican immunity to terrorism has been shattered. London, Paris,Rome and Tokyo may have been susceptible to terrorist acts, but inthe public mind somehow this nation remained invulnerable. We noweven recall prior acts of foreign terrorism on our soil that werequickly forgotten. We now recognizeâ€"and perhaps exaggerateâ€"ourown vulnerability to terrorism.
Internationally the impact has been equally dramatic. Publicopinion in allied countries has again become strongly supportive ofthe United States. Gone are the cascading complaints about globalwarming, American unilateralism, ballistic missile defense and therest. Suddenly the French recall 1944â€"and the Russians reminisceabout the wartime alliance of 1941â€"45. “Ich bin ein NewYorker” is uttered as a chorus in Germany.