[Opinion] Terrorism in America Creates New Problem for Humanity

As I watched the civilian airplanes hijacked by terrorists crashing into the heart of America and killing countless innocent people, I felt how inadequate human words are sometimes and how hard it is to express the emotions that overcome us. Even after several days have gone by since the display of the human capacity for evil, I still feel weak and cannot shake off an indefinable fear.

People always remember and cherish those days that are most meaningful, like birthdays, memorial days, or ancestral worship days. We celebrate national holidays or commemorate historical or cultural events that happened in the past. As people who live in a divided country and who suffered innumerable shocking and horrific incidents, we are seldom surprised by events or remember them for long.

However, the date June 15, 2000 holds special meaning for us since the South-North Summit Conference opened on that day and fundamentally changed the direction of our relationship and policy toward one another. Hence, it will be long remembered and will go down in history. Likewise, those who pursue peace and seek a world without terrorism, particularly Americans, will perpetually remember the unprecedented terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 on America.

Has there been a day since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor when something as shocking as this happened to Americans? We cannot compare it to the so-called `Black Monday` when the stock market crashed, nor can it be compared with the Russian preemptive launch of the Sputnik on October 4, 1957 which crushed American confidence in themselves the most technologically sophisticated nation. Other events come to mind, like the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. America probably took this event as a sign of the Western camp`s victory and expected the world order to revolve around American interest. Many people anticipated the building of a better world where the money spent on military competition could now go to education or public welfare.

The list goes on but what do these days, on which shocking and dramatic events took place, share in common? The fact that these events changed the world. Yet, understanding the enormous transformations, implications, and impact that such huge events have takes a long time for human beings and our response to them are always too late.

The terrorist attack on America will not simply be forgotten after the initial shock. The effort to preserve freedom, basic human rights, and peace have run into a serious challenge and the universal will and promise to go on fighting will be repeatedly put to the test by ways that are hard to comprehend.

The things that triggered sudden change in human society have been things such as war, technology, religion, mercantilism, or adventurism. As human society matured and moved toward globalization, particularly in this century law has served as the catalyst for change and made greater stability, predictability, and transparency as bases for pursuing societal peace and prosperity.

The recent terrorist attack struck the heart of human paradigm that was opening the doors of a new century under the rule of law. The attack pushed human society a step back in history and may force us to suffer costly changes through confusion and the chaos of trial and error. Even though New York City raised high the banner of recovery, the spirit and life of the city will never be the same.

Yet, we must now clear our heads, concentrate on paying the expenses and readjusting our priorities, moving to create a new paradigm that will lead us to preserve basic human rights, peace, and prosperity.

There were other events in history like the two World Wars which measure up to the recent terrorist attack and we must find the clues in past history and interpret them for the present in order to address this immense problem.

Song Sang-Hyon (Seoul National University, Professor of Law)