May 27, 2003 2 min read

The terrorist bombings in Israel, Saudi Arabia and Morocco show how difficult it is going to be to wage a war against terrorism. In the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, Americans were telling themselves that the world had changed, that nothing would ever be the same. But aside from beefed up security at airports, terror alerts and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, little has been asked of them.

But the recent wave of terror bombings drives home the point that we all are potential victims, no matter where we are.

And that it’s not going to stop.

President Bush has had no illusions. He has said from the start that the war on terrorism will be long and difficult. Because of that, more tragedies will occur and more innocents will die at the hands of terrorists.

Forget the suicide bombers and the hijacked airplanes. The greatest weapon terrorists have in their arsenal is fear. The terrorism’s power comes from the ability of a small number of committed extremists to spread that fear.

Americans must learn to live with the uncertainty that terrorists thrive on and to carry on with their daily lives. That means living with the realization that there are no safe havens and that the person next to you could be a suicide bomber.

The consequences of that are enormous. As Robert Hoffman wrote in The Atlantic Monthly, “coldly efficient (suicide) bombings tear at the fabric of trust that holds societies together.”

How will Americans react when terrorists bring their campaign to the United States? The answer might not be very encouraging. The sniper shootings in the Washington, D.C., area gave the nation a glimpse of a sustained terrorism campaign. Two lone gunmen paralyzed an entire region. Imagine what an organized, well-funded terrorist cell could do.

This month it was Jerusalem, Riyadh and Casablanca. Next month, it could be Minneapolis and Miami. Americans must understand that after Sept. 11, 2001, the world did change. More attacks bringing more death and more fear are on the horizon. Eventually, we’ll find out if we’re prepared – mentally as much as in terms of security – for them.