T he world has changed as a result of the events of September 11th, 2001. More lives were taken on September 11 than on any other day in the United States since the Battle of Antietam during the Civil War but unlike Antietam, the casualties on September 11th were overwhelming civilian. Almost three times as many people were killed than were at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. No longer will any country in the world feel safe from acts of terrorism. For the United States, this is an especially world changing event. Even during the worst days of the Second World War when our military were suffering defeats in the Pacific and the Germans were still on the offensive in Europe and North Africa, did we experience the high security alert that is transforming our country today. And there are only few of us who believe that we have seen the end of major terrorism attacks on the United States. The discussion rather focuses on when: in the next few weeks or months? Where--New York and Washington again, or Chicago, Los Angeles, or other parts of the country? How and what form-- chemical, bacterial, or explosions-- will the attacks assume?

The United States, with the support of its European allies and many other countries in the world (India, Japan, Australia), has declared war on the Taliban regime. The bombings have the support of over 80 percent of the American public, as does President Bush's overall performance thus far, vis a vis the war on terrorism and countries that support terrorist organizations and activities. It is still too soon to say how long the security alert will continue and perhaps more importantly what changes will occur in our society vis a vis the rule of law and due process. What laws will be enacted that will intrude on and limit our traditional and legally enforced sense of privacy and freedom of movement? In the past, i.e. during the Civil War and during World War I and II, we relinquished some of our civil liberties. During the Civil War we did away with Habeas Corpus. Will the American public again support incursion on our civil liberties?

And what of our behavior toward our long time allies, of which Israel is the best example, and India might also be included. In our desire to include the broadest coalition that will support our actions against Osama Bin Laden, the Taliban, and perhaps Saddam Hussein, will we weaken our ties with Israel in order to gain the support of Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, as well as Egypt, Indonesia and Pakistan, maybe even Syria and Iran? Will we be silent about human rights abuses of our new-found allies or about terrorism in all its forms?

I believe that in this new world that we find ourselves in, we should be willing to make some, and I emphasize some, sacrifices of our civil liberties (perhaps less privacy in E-mails and telephone conversations) but it is important that we not take measures that cause us pain and embarrassment in the future. I am thinking of our imprisonment of Japanese and Japanese Americans during WWII. I would also very much hope that we do not relinquish our commitments to our closest ally and the only democratic society in the Middle East-Israel. What the terrorists hate about Israel, its western ideas, its freedom, and its democratic institutions, they hate about the United States.

The world has changed since September 11th. But we hope that what the United States believes in, practices and stands for, has not.